Garden Weeds – How to Identify and Get Rid of Them

Have you ever wondered: “What are weeds?”? Weeds are an annual plant whose attribute has not yet been detected. How different kinds of weeds are formed and the way each type grows up is not the same as each other.

Some lawn weeds are plants that can grow anywhere they want to absorb air, nutrients, water, light from yourgarden landscape, as well as disease hidden. Some garden weeds cause less harm or are even edible. Therefore, it might be hard for homeowners to identify whether there are beneficial plants or nuisance plants to spend time removing the particular ones.

In general, annual weed is much tougher and more prolific than grass species. There are several weedy plants you must thoroughly watch for before weed seeds germinate and multiply. Once weed seeds germinate, their root system goes deep into the garden soil and will be harder to control. The more weed seeds multiply, the more difficult it is for you to get rid of weeds.

If you identify particular types of weed species in your lawn or garden, you will find out effective ways to control them and keep their spread at the minimum level to save your other plants and garden landscape.

The information below will show you the impressive ways to recognize different common weeds and the best way to get rid of their growth.

Or you can contact to find a professional on controlling weeds on your garden landscape here!

I. HOW MANY FEET TALL CAN A WEED REACH?

Depending on the types of weeds, their height and how fast they grow can vary differently. However, on average, it is common to say that the feet tall of weed can reach from 2 to 3 inches a day in the right condition. You might think that two inches are not much, but keep in mind: the growth of your garden plants never reaches that speed of weeds in a day.

In the right set of conditions, including humidity and warm weather, a weed grows one to two inches overnight. If you don’t put them on good control, you’re totally able to get up in the morning with weeds that choke out your gardens and lawns. Plus, weeds adapt to local climates so easily that a weed still grows well in the condition of water lacking.

Types of Weeds

There are two common ways to divide garden weeds into particular groups: by their morphological features and by their life cycle. In this article, we’re going to identify weed plants followed by their life cycle and so, there are three main categories: annual weeds, biennial weeds, and perennial weeds.

III. ANNUAL WEED

Annual weed is a species in which weeds complete their life cycle within one season to below one year. At the end of each cycle, the weed drops its seed before dying, and then weed seeds start germinating again in the next term. In general, there are 2 common subcategories of annual weeds: summer annual and winter annual.

For summer annual weeds, a weed seed will germinate in the temperature of spring and grow throughout the summer with adequate soil moisture.

For winter annual weeds, on the other hand, the seed heads of weed will sow in the fall and grow through early spring with favorable soil and temperature.

Garden annual weeds include some common types such as crabgrass, ragweed, purslane portulaca, lambs-quarters, speedwell, pigweed, spurge, velvetleaf, bitter nightshade, etc.

See a list of weed identification by its plant families here

Crabgrass

Crabgrass is a grass weed that belongs to the summer annual weeds group. And so, crabgrass germinates itself through its million new seeds and roots which crabgrass will spread seeds into the garden soil before this weed dies at the first fall fog. Also, crabgrass is a plant that is easy to pull; however, the amount of its spread will block your process to control it.

Crabgrass grows in the best condition of the period between mid-spring and summer with the warm ground, or even hot. This weed grows quite low at the ground level: just from 20 to 24 feet tall, equivalent to 2 inches.

Seed heads of crabgrass resemble four fingers, which makes its another name called “finger grass”. And of course, this plant is edible, including both crabgrass and its seeds.

To best control this weed plant, you need to make sure to eradicate all weed problems in the spring, before weed seed goes to their strong growth period. As a grass plant, crabgrass is not likely influenced by the broadleaf herbicide. Therefore, use a pre-prominent herbicide that is constructed specially for crabgrass before it germinates and post-emergence after that time to control the growth of this weed.

You can pull out all their roots with your hand to control the crabgrass. Then, use organic fertilizers for the grass in your lawn and its growth will pull all crabgrass out. Remember to keep your soil ground healthy because crabgrass will prosper in poor-nutrient soils.

Purslane Portulaca

Purslane is a broadleaf annual and edible weed with the least noxious level among the most common weeds. Purslane is considered to bring health benefits and contains high nutrients as well, including crucial omega-3 fatty acid and vitamin C, even say higher than spinach does. Its flavor is so interesting. This weed plant might be the best addition to your salad meal and stir-fried dishes.

Purslane is an annual summer plant that starts its cycle life in both early spring and late spring with warm weather and moist soil. This plant likes dry and sunny areas in your garden. This weed grows just 6 inches, equal to 0,5 feet tall. Its appearance looks like a succulent weed with dark green fleshy leaves and yellow flowers at the end of the weed body.

Although purslane contains a huge amount of nutrients, this weed is also categorized as an annoying plant for gardeners.

The reason for this claim is that purslane is the same as other garden weed plants: a prolific seed producer. Purslane can produce over 2,000,000 seeds. Moreover, this weed can multiply through its leaves, so homeowners find it difficult to eradicate thoroughly all purslane plants.

The best method to control this common purslane plant is prevention. As soon as you notice there is a life of purslane in your landscape garden, pull this weed out by hand. If you don’t and wait till it reaches maturity, this weed plant will exist in your gardens for many years and regenerate.

You can choose to dig it up or mulch your garden or use pre-emergence herbicides in the spring before weed grows. All methods to control purslane require your persistence.

If you decide to mulch your garden, there are some common ways for this method: organic mulch, synthetic mulch, and fabric mulch. And keep in mind that an organic mulch method requires at least the thickness of 3 inches.

III. BIENNIAL WEED

Biennial weeds are plants that usually complete their life cycle over two seasons of their growth. That means a weed will sprout in the first year of the season life and bloom; then, this plant will die in the second season. The biennial weed group includes not much, just a little species. The garden biennial weed you can come across most is musk thistle.

In general, biennial weed causes fewer problems than other groups, especially annual weeds. Biennial weed may appear in the gardens of perennial crops. To control biennial weed, using herbicides can produce the most effects if they’re applied before weed seed is sown. Or digging the ground up is also a method to get rid of the garden weeds.

Musk Thistle

Musk thistle grows up to 6 feet tall, equivalent to 72 inches, but smaller than yellow flowers. Musk thistle appears in the area garden full of sun and its seeds require about four weeks to germinate in the condition of dry soil gardens. This weed has thorny leaves and purple flowers which grow from the stems of weeds.

You can examine methods of eradicating weeds as discussed above: mulch the garden, dig out the weed, or use strong herbicides. Because of its thorns, you must be careful when trying to control them.

To pull this plant out of your garden, you should prepare gloves and soil knives. Loosen up the soil first with your soil knives, and then pull its roots out of gardens. Remember to wear gloves during the process of pulling to prevent thorns.

Use pre-emergence and post herbicides to prevent musk thistle seeds from multiplying as soon as you notice their appearance on your garden landscape. If it reaches maturity and has a tough root system without being removed soon, your next process to control this weed will become harder than ever.

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IV. PERENNIAL WEED

Perennial weed is a type of weed that can regenerate for several seasons. That means perennial weeds won’t die at the end of the season: they can “hibernate” and then, regrow noticeably in the spring. Some common weeds that belong to perennial plants includebuckhorn plantain, dandelions, nutsedge, chickweed, etc.

In there, there is a species group called “Creeping perennial weeds“ that have the ability to via vegetation (through roots, rhizomes, or stems, without seeds). This species includes some garden weeds such as Canada thistle, bindweed, quick grass, etc.

Controlling perennial weeds can be accomplished in a variety of ways, including a combination of approaches. When eliminating perennial weeds, proper lawn care entails removing the entire roots in your garden or using specific pesticides. Another technique for avoiding perennial weeds is proper yard maintenance.

Creeping Charlie – Ground Ivy

Creeping Charlie, with 4 inches tall and several feet wide, is one of the most tenacious lawn weeds, although it has shallow roots and is simple to get rid of if you are patient and careful. It is also controllable with common household borax.

Although it is merely a typical lawn weed, Creeping Charlie, as known as ground ivy, is one of the aromatic plants. The scent is discharged into the air when you mow a lawn with ground ivy mixed in with the grass. Perhaps it’s a little detail, but smelling the lovely scent takes one’s mind off the arduous task of mowing.

Ground ivy is poisonous to horses, pigs, and cattle. However, previous to the usage of hops in ale and beer, they were used for a bitter taste. The plant is high in vitamin C and may be consumed raw or cooked like spinach. The tops are delicious in tea with a little sugar. Creeping Charlie is also used as a salad green for meals in some locations.

Creeping Charlie can swiftly take over landscape garden beds and even a lawn. Because of its vining habit, ground ivy spreads low to the ground level, destroying anything in its path. It thrives in damp, gloomy places where grass and other plants struggle to flourish.

If you spot it, act quickly or you will face a difficult struggle later. On Creeping Charlie that has taken over your lawn, use a specific broadleaf herbicide containing some specific chemicals which will control the ground ivy without damaging your lawn.

Dandelions

The common dandelions belong to the aster family. They arrived in North America from Europe and rapidly became a wildflower—and a common garden lawn problem. Dandelions will grow faster in rich soil that their size has 12 inches – equivalent to just one foot tall and 6-16 inches wide.

However, dandelion is a short-lived perennial that will grow almost anywhere, regardless of soil conditions. They can survive through frost and freeze, as well as crowding. Heat and a lack of moisture will make the leaves bitter, but they will not kill the dandelion plants.

The dandelion, unlike many garden weeds, is a perennial plant with a persistent long taproot that makes it not easy to pull. However, you can control dandelions by hand with patience and destroy them with vinegar.

You could also consume dandelions. Yes, dandelions are edible and tasty. All portions of the dandelion plants are edible and can be used in salads or as a cooked green. Dandelion leaves are used in salads and are high in vitamins and minerals. They are also a powerful diuretic that has historically been used to treat water retention caused by heart problems.

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Canada Thistle

Despite its name, Canada’s thistle is native to Europe and North Asia. Canada thistle has 6 feet tall and 3 feet wide, with spiny, gray-green leaves and purple flowers. Thistle has a large root system that can extend several feet from the primary plant. It spreads utilizing its spreading roots.

Canada thistle is often seen growing along roadsides, in farmed fields, pastures, logged woods, riverbanks, and other disturbed places, where it outgrows native species. These plants create dense infestations in gardens and rangelands, crowding out forage grasses and decreasing crop yields and output.

Throughout the garden weeds, it is classified as a noxious weed. Mulch your garden to keep it out of yourgarden landscape. In the spring and fall, use a postemergence pesticide on lawns, or pull the weed out by hand to control the spread of this plant.

Plantain Weed Group

Plantain is a broadleaf perennial which is 8 inches tall and 12 inches wide. Because of plantain’s low basal leaves, this is a popular lawn weed that can withstand mowing. Each plantain can produce 20,000 seeds per plant and its seed is shaped tiny oval with some interesting colors. You might see it in orange color or black one that tastes quite bitter.

To control plantain weeds in your landscape, mulch the garden to keep plantain from sprouting any seed. Or you can control them by pulling or digging plantain weeds up by hand with your patience. Using a post-emergence herbicide to control plantain weeds in your garden lawns is also helpful. However, any roots that aren’t removed will regenerate.

Yellow Nutsedge

Yellow nutsedge is one of the common perennial weeds in the sedge family that mimics grass on the surface. It resembles grass leaves with a yellow-green color, along with yellow flowers. Yellow nutsedge differs from a similar species, purple nutsedge, by having larger stems that may grow up to 3 feet tall and leaf width of 1/6 to 2/5 of an inch.

Nutsedges are difficult to control, and can significantly impair agricultural production. There is no effective organic treatment for killing nutsedge on your garden lawn, other than plucking it very gently when it first sprouts in the spring. Trying to pull out the entire root of nutsedge when your garden soil is already moist enough. If you don’t extract all of the root pieces, the nutsedge will come back.

If you want to get rid of nutsedge by herbicide, you should let the plant grow tall enough to be sprayed with a herbicide.

Bindweed

Bindweed is a creeping weed that can climb 6 feet or even more. This garden weed is distinguished by its arrowhead-shaped leaves on twining vines. Bindweed may also be observed climbing fences and your favorite plant. It is sometimes virtually concealed until it bursts into blooms. Bindweed also has morning glory-like blooms that range in color from white to light pink.

The bindweed stems, young shoots, and roots are all palatable when cooked; every part of bindweed may be steamed or boiled. However, because bindweed might be purgative, it is not suggested to consume it daily. You should be careful when considering choosing bindweed as an edible weed to consume.

Bindweed may also be observed climbing fences and your favorite plant. Bindweed is sometimes virtually concealed until it bursts into blooms. Bindweed also has morning glory-like blooms that range in color from white to light pink.

Chickweed

Chickweed is a widespread carnation family wild plant. This plant grows in gardens and on lawns and has a hairy stem and produces tiny, star-shaped white blooms, 6 inches tall and 12 inches wide, that grow low to the ground. It is most common in North America and Europe.

Chickweed has a long history of culinary and folk remedy use. Except for the root, the entire plant is edible. When eaten fresh, it tastes like corn on the cob or cornsilk. When cooked, it tastes more like spinach. It’s an excellent salad vegetable and pot herb, and it’s also delicious in sandwiches.

Mulch your garden to keep chickweed at bay, or apply a pre-emergence herbicide in the early spring before any seed grows. Besides, the most effective approach to kill chickweed is to manually pick as much of it out of the ground as possible, because it has weak roots that may be readily removed by hoeing or removing by hand.

However, because new plants may grow from mouse-ear rootstock, removing the entire plant is the most effective way to eliminate chickweed.

CLOVER

Clover is a fairly prevalent lawn wild plant, with 4 to 8 inches tall (or more). Clover has three-leaved leaves and creeping stems that develop the root wherever they contact the ground. The flowers of clover are white or pink.

While wild clover is toxic to people in big numbers, clover is both edible and perhaps helpful to your health in little amounts.

Clovers can fix nitrogen from the air, therefore they like lawns that are under-fertilized. Clovers are beneficial to yourgarden lawn. It has a pleasant fragrance, is resistant to most pests, aids in soil aeration, and contributes nitrogen to the soil. One way to keep clovers at bay is to ensure that your lawn grows vigorously and is adequately fertilized during the growing period.

However, if you are determined to eradicate the clover blended in with your turfgrass, there are both chemical and organic methods available. For the former, look for a broadleaf herbicide labeled specifically for the sort of grass you’re cultivating (study the label on the bottle carefully). Herbicides of this type will also destroy clover, as well as other broadleaf weeds.

Simply pull up the clover for more ecologically friendly settings. However, keep in mind that the existence of clover in the first place implies a nitrogen deficiency in your soil. If the clover is removed, nitrogen should be added in the form of compost or granular fertilizer. If large sections of lawn are left barren after the clover is gone, reseed them with turfgrass. Keep these areas healthy and well-fed to avoid the return of clover.

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