Does your lawn have weeds but not sure what type they are and know the best way to remove them? In this blog, we look at common lawn weeds that could be growing in your lawn, provide tips on identifying different weeds, and recommend the best way to remove them.
Bindii (Jo-Jo)
Bindii can be one of the more annoying and painful weeds to have growing in your lawn. This weed is low-growing, with its flower at the centre of the plant. Bindii will start to grow in winter and will grow a green carrot-like leaf. As the temperatures warm up in spring and summer, the plant will begin to dry out and leave behind its prickly seeds.
Bindii can be removed with most broadleaf herbicides like All Purpose Weed Control and Amgrow Bin Die. Both herbicides are safe for common lawn varieties, including Sir Walter DNA Certified Buffalo, Sir Grange Zoysia, TifTuf Hybrid Bermuda, couch, zoysia, fescue, and ryegrass.
Clover (Trifolium)
Clover is another weed commonly found in many Aussie lawns. This weed can be identified by its oval-shaped leaves. These leaves also have a white circular marking across all the leaves and will produce either a white, pink, red or yellow flower.
We recommend using a broadleaf herbicide like All Purpose Weed Control or Amgrow Bin Die to remove clover.
Crowsfoot/Crabgrass (Eleusine Indica or Digitaria)
Crowsfoot is an annual summer weed that grows in easy-to-identify tufts, staying fairly flat to the ground with almost white flat sheathed stems and smooth strap-like leaves. Seed heads usually appear from late spring or early summer. These seed heads can have as many as ten spikelets on each long stem. In an unhealthy lawn, if left to seed and spread, Crowsfoot will quickly infiltrate right through the entire lawn. Crowsfoot is commonly found throughout most Australian states.
If there are only a few tufts of crowsfoot growing, the best way to remove the weed is to pull it out by hand. If there is an infestation across the lawn, we recommend using a herbicide with DSMA as the active, like David Greys 500ml Crab Grass and Clover Killer Selective Herbicide. Please note herbicides containing DSMA as the active ingredient are not safe for use on Kikuyu, buffalo lawns, and QLD blue couch.
Cudweed (Gnaphalium spp.)
Cudweed has glossy light green leaves in a rosette shape. Under the leaf, it is white and furry. It has various flowering habits from mid-spring to early summer, or in autumn.
When treating Cudweed, it is recommended to use a surfactant or add a few drops of dishwashing liquid to the herbicide, to help it adhere to the leaf. We recommend using a broadleaf herbicide like All Purpose Weed Control or Amgrow Bin Die to remove this.
Nutgrass (Cyperus rotundus)
Nutgrass is a noxious Sedge weed that gets its name from its nut-like tubers found on the plant’s roots. It is usually identifiable from its lighter green leaves that grow taller than the rest of your lawn. It has 3 blades that will shoot up from the stem. The stem will be triangular rather than circular stem like most grasses.
If your lawn has nutgrass, it is not recommended to pull them out by hand as the bulbs will be left in the soil, and the plant will reappear. To remove nutgrass, we recommend using a selective herbicide like our Lawn Solutions Sedge Control.
Creeping Oxalis (Oxalis corniculate)
Creeping Oxalis has small light green heart-shaped leaves, very similar in appearance to clover. (Oxalis have heart-shaped leaves while clover has oval-shaped leaves.) The flowers are small, about 3-4mm in diameter, and bright yellow in color containing five petals. Creeping Oxalis, as its name suggests, quickly runs along the surface of the soil and produces roots from the leaf as it goes and creeps under and through your lawn.
The removal of Creeping Oxalis is similar to clover, requiring a broadleaf herbicide. We recommend using either All Purpose Weed Control or Amgrow Bin Die, suitable for most lawn varieties.
The LSA App
Did you know that we have an app? Our Lawn Solutions Australia app provides handy resources to help you identify different types of lawn weeds while recommending the best way to remove them. Check out our app if this blog doesn’t mention a weed growing in your lawn.
Our app also provides:
- Information on identifying lawn pests and diseases.
- Lawn care blogs.
- Promotions
- Contact details of your local turf suppliers and free online turf quotes.
You can download the Lawn Solutions Australia app here.
