By Sharon Omahen
University of Georgia
Lawn care tends to be the last thing on homeowners’ minds during
the winter. But a University of Georgia expert says this is
actually the best time to rid your lawn of pesky weeds.
UGA weed scientist Tim Murphy has been helping homeowners and
professionals kill weeds in Southern turf grasses for more than
20 years.
“It’s easy to forget about your home lawn when you’re not having
to mow every week,” Murphy said. “Homeowners should know that
from now until mid-March is the ideal time to spray your lawn for
our winter spectrum of weeds.”
Weeds still growing
Even though the warm-season turfgrass in your lawn isn’t green,
various winter annual weeds are growing. These include common
chickweed, henbit and annual bluegrass.
“These weeds grow slowly at cool temperatures,” he said. “But in
just a few weeks they will grow profusely as temperatures rise in
the spring.”
Controlling these weeds is a much easier now when they are small
than when the rapid growth spurt hits in spring, he said.
Murphy recommends using a postemergence herbicide to control the
various winter weeds in your lawn. Select a day when the air
temperature reaches 50 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit and apply a
“selective” herbicide.
“Selective herbicides control some species without affecting
others,” he said. “Determine whether your weeds are primarily
broadleafs or grasses and then select the proper herbicide
product.”
Know what you’re fighting
Grass weeds have long leaves with parallel veins, while broadleaf
weeds have netted veins and, as you would suspect, broad leaves.
“Broadleaf weeds are also the ones that typically produce
colorful flowers,” he said.
Applying postemergence herbicides can slightly delay the onset of
spring green-up in turf grasses, Murphy said. But the grass will
recover in about two weeks.
“Having thick, dense mats of winter annual weeds can be more
detrimental to spring growth than the temporary injury associated
with the herbicide applications,” he said.
The way to avoid delays in green-up is to treat these weeds
before warm-season turf grasses begin their spring green-up
process, he said.
Using preemergence herbicides in early September, he said,
followed by postemergence herbicides in the winter is a good
strategy for future years, especially on sites where overseeding
isn’t planned.
Call, log on for more
Many herbicides are available for use on home lawns. Your county
UGA Cooperative Extension agent can advise you on the appropriate
product, when to apply it and the expected results. Just call
1-800-ASK-UGA1.
For more research-based turfgrass recommendations from UGA, visit
www.georgiaturf.com.
