Which Weed Is Bewitching Your Lawn?

Summary

• Creeping Charlie and Canada thistle are invasive weeds that spread easily.
• Perennial weeds have deep taproots, making them challenging to eradicate.
• Common garden weeds compete for nutrients, but some have beneficial purposes and should be managed with care.

As a gardener, you spend lots of time prepping your garden beds to make them healthy and beautiful for all your carefully-selected seeds and plants. Then, you find out that invasive weeds find those garden beds just as attractive as your plants do!

When something you didn’t expect starts to grow, you don't always know if it's a common garden weed or if it's a perennial plant making a comeback. You may also find yourself wondering which plants need immediate removal, which might be worth keeping around for a bit to provide sustenance to pollinating insects, and which might be a native option worth transplanting.

What you need to know are the most common types of weeds you might run across in your landscaping adventures, when and if they are worth removing, and how to get rid of them for good!

1 Creeping Charlie Tends to Spread

Ground ivy will take over for grass quickly

Creeping Charlie, also known as ground ivy, enjoys moist, shady areas and can choke out otherwise healthy grass lawns. It reproduces by both seed and creeping stems. Any part of the root can regrow, making it hard to get rid of. It does not like dry soils. A healthy lawn that is well fertilized can work towards keeping it under control!

A weed, by definition, is a plant growing where it isn’t wanted, which generally means they are in direct competition with your desired vegetation, such as lawns and flower beds. Weeds take up vital nutrients and moisture your plants need and can rapidly overtake areas they are found in.

2 Canada Thistle Is Very Invasive

It's not known as creeping thistle for nothing!

Canada thistle, also known as creeping thistle, is a highly invasive, creeping plant that can grow up to 4 feet tall and thrives just about anywhere it takes root, which is why it is one of most common types of weeds you will find in your lawn and garden. It sends up new plants every 8 to 12 inches and can ruin pastures, as most ungulates will avoid the areas it grows in. Roots can also grow up to 15 feet deep. Breaking the root system and pulling can be effective when you first notice them growing. It is also weak during its flowering season, which typically occurs in summer.

Perennial weeds produce long taproots that make them difficult to eradicate. These plants come back year after year from the same root. The tops die off with cold weather onset but will set out new growth as the weather warms. They also often survive being hacked down if the root system is not destroyed as well.

3 Nutsedge Is an Aggressive Grower

A quick-growing grass that spreads

Nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) is a fast-growing perennial grass with thick veins and a wax-like coating. It forms tubers that resemble nuts in a shallow root system. Nutsedge can survive bad soils and grows very aggressively anywhere it takes root. Its tubers each produce new plants and quickly reproduce new tubers. These invasive plants are best removed by hand.

Some common garden weeds have beneficial uses. They are only considered obnoxious when found in direct competition with crops, lawns, and garden beds. Be sure to consider location before applying weed control methods, in case they are something you decide to keep around.

4 Shepherd's Purse Likes to Spread

Though it has many benefits, this weed can be a problem

With long-lived seeds, shepherd's purse (Capsella bursa-pastoris) is an annual common garden weed that grows best in cool weather. The best way to keep this weed from spreading is to pull it up before it goes to seed. Shepherd's purse is well-known as a medicinal herb and it is not an unattractive garden plant that is very low-maintenance. However, it can grow aggressively and out-compete other plants. Shepherd's purse is considered an illegal invasive plant in several states.

Annual weeds take, on average, one year to complete a life cycle. These are often rapidly spreading and germinate quickly. Annuals can be both winter and summer types of weeds, with winter species germinating in early fall, going dormant over the winter, and then actively growing through the spring before seeding to start the cycle over.

5 Crabgrass Will Invade Your Lawn

It may look like grass but it's actually terrible

Crabgrass, one of the most common types of weeds found in lawns, is an annual germinates in spring and is a ground hugging weed that invades weak, undernourished lawns. Although it looks like grass, it can easily take over an unhealthy lawn. The seeds it produces can stay in the soil for many seasons until disturbed. Properly caring for your grass can support a strong root system that influences a thicker lawn to deter crabgrass from taking hold.

Summer types of common garden weed species germinate in spring, grow and seed through the summer, and then die off completely with the onset of cold temperatures. If you live where temperatures rarely drop below freezing, you may find your annuals acting a bit more like perennials.

6 Buckhorn Plantain Grows Rampant in the Lawn

It may be a weed, but it's also edible

Buckhorn plantain (Plantago lanceolata) is a hardy perennial that is often found in meadows and pastures but can also show up in lawns and gardens. To remove this plant, you need to hand weed it and destroy the plant. The leaves are very edible when young, like many other perennials.

Weeds not only take up space in desired growing areas, but they also have a tendency to be extremely hardy. They survive in poor soils and little water. The presence of weeds in the garden may indicate imbalances in your soil.

7 Pigweed Will Choke Other Plants

When it appears in your lawn or garden, take note!

Highly problematic, pigweed (Amaranth) is a fast growing, tough common garden weed that can get quite large overall. It chokes out crops when not removed, and can take seed in the smallest of cracks and create problems in driveways and brick walkways and patios. It is edible when the leaves are young and tender, and are packed full of essential vitamins.

8 Lambsquarter Is a Common Problem

You may find this in your lawn or in your salad

Lambsquarter is an annual weed, and it is one of the most common types of weeds found throughout North America. Lambsquarter is a problem for many crops. It is fast growing and produces small seeds that can survive decades before germination. It removes moisture from soils and should be eradicated as quickly as possible. The leaves are actually edible and can be used in salads.

Since there are well over 250,000 plant species found worldwide and only about 3 percent are considered a true weed, you want to identify what's growing before you begin tearing out plants, since many native species are vital to the survival of desired insects. For example, monarch butterflies complete their entire lifecycle on milkweed. The plant was once considered a roadside weed!

9 Bindweed Will Blind With Its Beauty

It is pretty but don't let that fool you

Bindweed is actually a perennial morning glory, and it looks like the type of plant you'd grow in your garden on purpose. The plant may be pretty to look at, but it produces a deep root that can sink up to 14 feet into the ground. These plants spread quickly, are difficult to kill, and can wind into your garden and landscaping and choke out your plants.

10 Quackgrass Grows in Thick and Dense

Dense and tough, this grass can be managed

The long, wide leafed grass leaves of quackgrass (Elymus repens), also known as couch grass, are rough and burr-like. The roots form thick, dense mats and break easily. Any root left behind will re-grow into new plants. They need room to spread and are easily choked out in healthy, well fed lawns. It is one of the most common types of weeds you will find hiding near healthy grass.

Common garden weeds have abundant seed productivity, with many species producing tens of thousands of seeds per plant. Many of these seeds are very aggressive in their physical make-up and use sharp barbs and needle like parts to hitch rides to new areas. They grow quickly and spread rapidly, which makes them difficult to get rid of if they are not caught shortly after germination.