Does your lawn have weeds, but you’re not sure what they are and how to remove them? We take a look at some common lawn weeds that might be growing in your lawn and look at a few different options on how you can remove them.
Cudweed
Amochaeta galviceps
- Flat, shiny, mid-green leaves with a rosette shape
- Various small flowers on stems
- Fibrous roots
- Control – hand removal and spot spray herbicide
- Difficult to kill due to glossy leaves
- May need two or more sprays.
Winter Grass
Poa annua
- Is a low growing weed
- Has soft, drooping green leaves
- Grows in tufts with white seeds
- Will start to appear in mid to late Autumn
- Can stick around late winter or early Spring till the temperatures warm back up
- Control – hand removal, pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides.
Bindii (jo-jo)
Soliva sessilis
- Possibly the most annoying lawn weed due to the pain caused by the seeds to bare feet
- Finely dissected, small, fern like leaves, light green in colour
- Flat, small compact rosettes
- Small green flowers deep in leaf axis
- Fine, fibrous roots
- Small brown, flat seeds with sharp spines that hurt bare feet
- Control – hand removal or selective Bindii herbicides in winter or early autumn before the plant sets seed
- Easily managed if tended to early.
Creeping Oxalis
Oxalis corniculata
- Small, light green, clover like leaves on short petioles
- Small, yellow, bell shaped flowers
- Forms new roots wherever stems touch the ground, creeping under and through lawn
- Thin tap-roots
- Very difficult to remove as crown breaks off leaving roots for re-growth
- Very invasive, nasty weed
- Control – hand remove small plants
- Dig out section of lawn
- Herbicide for larger infestations.
Clover
Trifolium spp.
- Clover shaped, green leaves with with circular markings, on thin stems
- Small white flowers, ball shaped on stems with leaves
- Tap-roots off stolons
- Is a weed in lawn but in other areas can be beneficial due to high nutritional value
- Four leaved plants are very lucky, so don’t poison those!
- Control – hand removal and selective herbicide.
Lawn Weed Treatment
Hand removal
Many small weeds many be carefully pulled out by hand, however you will need to make sure you have removed the roots. Using a weeding trowel or long handled, mechanical device and prizing around the roots will help ensure total removal. The bigger the weed, the bigger and stronger the roots. In some cases, a weed spray might be necessary.
Herbicides
For Cudweed, Bindii, Creeping Oxalis and Clover, you can use a broadleaf herbicide like All Purpose Weed Control or Amgrow Bin Die. These herbicides are both safe to use on Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo, TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda, Sir Grange Zoysia, Eureka Kikuyu, and most other lawn types.
For Winter Grass, we recommend using a selective herbicide like Amgrow Winter Grass Killer (not suitable for Kikuyu, Rye, and Fescue lawns). This will remove any Winter Grass that is currently growing. We also recommend using a pre-emergent herbicide like Oxafert when the temperatures get cooler in your area to help prevent the winter grass from returning.
When using herbicides, remember to always follow manufacturer’s instructions on the pack.
