The first step to controlling those pesky weeds in your lawn is correctly identifying them. Here is a short guide to help you do that.
Broadleaf Plantain - Plantago rugelii and Plantago major
- Perennial
- Large, wavy-edged and rounded leaves
- Long tap root similar to Dandelion
(image source: http://agron-www.agron.iastate.edu/)
Bull Thistle - Cirsium vulgare
- Biennial
- Grow in rosette with spiny leaves
- Purple blossoms are produced in second year
(image source: http://prepare-and-protect.net/)
Buttonweed - Diodia virginiana
- Perennial
- Produces shoots and seeds
- Thrives in areas of high moisture or poor drainage
(image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/mom-mu/236175868)
Clover (white) - Trifolium repens
- Perennial
- Prickly seed pod
- Three oblong leaflets with serrated edges in a clover shape
(image source: http://courses.missouristate.edu/)
Chickweed - Stellaria media, common chickweed
- Annual
- Numerous prostrate stems that produce roots from their nodes
- Star-like small white flowers
(image source: http://thegreenskeeperlawn.com/)
Crabgrass - Digitaria sp.
- Annual
- Flat blades with sharp points
- Seed head composed of three to ten finger- like racemes or spikes
(image source: http://www.fertilome.com/)
Dallisgrass - Paspalum dilatatum
- Perennial
- 1/2” wide yellow-green, coarse leaf blade
- Adapts to areas of poor drainage
(image source: http://fmcturfadvisor.com/)
Dandelion - Taraxacum officnale
- Perennial
- Germinates during summer
- Large yellow flowers mature into round seeded puffballs
(image source: http://www.tuffturfmolebusters.com/)
Florida Beggarweed - Desmodium tortuosum
- Summer annual
- Can reach 9 ft. in height
- Segmented fruit that sticks to clothing
(image source: http://www.oblawncare.com/)
Florida Pusley - (Richardia scabra)
- Summer annual
- Flowers are white and grow in clips at the end of the stems
- Flower is star-shaped with six connected parts to form a tube
(image source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/wildflowersflorida/6173885940)
Goosegrass - Eleusine indica
- Annual
- Leaves are folded in the bug with overlapping sheaths
- Seed head forms with up to ten finger-like spikes
- Broader than crabgrass
(image source: http://mylawndoctor.us/)
Matchweed - Lippia nodiflora
- Perennial
- Purple and white flowers that emerge at the tip of the seed stalk
- Spreads by both seeds and stolons
(image source: https://s-media-cache-ak0.pinimg.com/)
Nutsedge - Cvperus esculents (yellow - left), Cvperus rotundus (purple - right)
- Perennial
- Also known as nutgrass (but is not a grass)
- Yellow nutsedge has single tubers at root ends
(image source: http://homeserviceslink.com/)
Pennywort (Dollarweed) - Hydrocotvle verticillata
- Perennial
- Grows from rhizomes, tubers, and seed
- Round, approximately 1-inch diameter glossy leaves
(image source: http://gogtn.org/)
Quackgrass - Agropyron repens
- Perennial
- Blue-green, rough-bladed
- Spike seed head resembling perennial ryegrass
- Difficult to control
(image source: http://www.wildflowerfarm.com/)
Spurge - Euphorbia maculate & E. supine
- Annual
- Begins germination when soil temperatures reach 85F
- Small, oval, opposite leaves vary from dark green to red with a brown blotch on the surface
- Prolific seed producer
(image source: http://www.msuturfweeds.net/)
Yellow Woodsorrel - Oxalic stricta
- Annual to short lived perennial
- Pale green, heart-shaped leaves of three
- Abundant seeds produced
(image source: http://wayne.ces.ncsu.edu/)