The most common weeds in Wisconsin include dandelion, purslane, chickweed, crabgrass, and yellow nutsedge, to name a few.
This article will help you identify these and other obnoxious weeds in yards across America’s Dairyland.
Broadleaf weeds
Broadleaf weeds are weeds with wider leaves, a major vein that runs down the center of the leaf, and secondary veins that branch off from there. Some examples of broadleaf weeds include dandelion, purslane, plantain, and creeping Charlie.
Dandelion
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is a weed that comes back year after year, much to the frustration of Wisconsin homeowners. In the spring, bright yellow flowers pop up all over the grass, eventually turning into fluffy seed balls. The leaves form a rosette arrangement at the base of the plant.
Kids love to blow on the puff balls and watch the seeds float away like little parachutes, but homeowners see them as a nuisance taking over their lawns. Those seeds will then land wherever the wind takes them to emerge next year.
If you want to keep dandelions at bay and need help starting your own lawn care routine, check out our article: “Month-to-Month Wisconsin Lawn Care Calendar.”
Note: If you dream of a dandelion-free lawn, check out our article: “How to Treat Dandelions in Your Yard.”
Common purslane
Purslane (Portulaca oleracea) is a low-growing herbaceous annual with succulent reddish stems and smooth dark green leaves. Its habit is primarily prostrate: The stems originate from a single taproot, forming a dense mat up to 3 feet wide.
Purslane loves water, and it stores it throughout the plant. Inconspicuous yellow flowers bloom for a short time when the plant has stored a sufficient amount of water. The yellow flowers are approximately 1/4 – 1/2 inch wide and have five (sometimes four) notched petals.
Note: Purslane has been used as food and medicinally for more than 4,000 years and is still used today for its health benefits. But if purslane is causing your lawn’s health to suffer, learn how to get rid of purslane in our article.
Bull thistle
Bull thistle (Cirsium vulgare) is a biennial weed that has 1- to 2-inch purple flowers that look like gumdrops. Below the petals, spines form. Bull thistle rosettes develop in the first year; in the second year, flowers form, and it sets seeds.
This plant begins to bloom in July or August (two to three weeks after other thistles). Bull thistle is often confused with other biennial thistles since Wisconsin has several native thistles. (Bull thistle is not native, though.)
Note: Is bull thistle standing in the way of your dream lawn? We have the answers you need. Check out how to get rid of bull thistle in our article.
Poison ivy
Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) is a bushy or climbing vine with aerial rootlets and shiny green leaves in groups of three. In Wisconsin, homeowners must watch out for this common weed, which can cause allergic reactions on your skin.
The leaves can vary in size and shape, ranging from rounded or shallow lobed edges to serrated edges, making the plant tricky to identify. In the fall, the leaves turn red or reddish yellow, and the vine is woody with dark gray bark.
Note: Poison ivy can reach heights of 60 to 150 feet by scaling trees, walls, fences, or traveling along the ground. To eradicate this invader, see our article: “How to Get Rid of Poison Ivy in Your Yard.”
Common chickweed
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a cool-season annual with a sprawling habit. It can grow 4 to 20 inches high and 4 to 12 inches wide. It branches abundantly near its base but very little toward the tips of the stems. The flowers are white with five deeply notched petals. The notches are so deep that visually, the flowers appear to have 10 petals instead of five.
The flowers of common chickweed have an interesting behavior — they open in the morning for approximately 12 hours. At night, the leaves fold up, protecting the delicate buds of new shoots. The blooming period occurs sporadically for one to two months.
Note: Did you know you can prevent common chickweed by aerating and dethatching your lawn? If you’d like to learn when to perform these lawn care chores, check out our articles:
If you’d like to eliminate chickweed entirely, our article — “What is Chickweed and How to Get Rid of It” — will help you learn how.
White clover
White clover, also known as Trifolium repens, is a low-growing herbaceous perennial that forms a dense mat, spreading up to 12 inches wide. Two specific features will help you spot this weed in your yard: the leaflets and the flowers.
First, look for the three leaflets with a distinct white or light green V-shaped pattern. This marking is often called a watermark and is found on each leaflet. Secondly, white flower heads, sometimes with a pinkish tinge, rise above the leaves and typically reach 4 to 6 inches.
Clover doesn’t have to ruin your lawn. If you’d like to learn how to get rid of clover, let our article be your guide.
Note: If you’d like to learn more about clover and alternative applications in your Wisconsin yard, check out these articles:
Broadleaf plantain
Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a low-growing perennial weed with 12-inch-long thick, leathery leaves arranged in a rosette pattern. In the middle of the rosette, you’ll find flower stalks, also known as scapes, which are leafless, upright stems that produce a spike containing a cluster of small, inconspicuous yellow-white flowers.
Broadleaf plantain primarily propagates through seeds. Each plant has the potential to yield up to 14,000 seeds, which can stay viable in the soil for 50 to 60 years.
If pulling weeds by hand makes you crazy, don’t forget there are other ways besides hand-pulling to get rid of broadleaf plantain.
Note: Sometimes, when you are pulling weeds in your lawn, you might uncover grubs. Don’t be alarmed. Read our article — “When to Apply Grub Control in Wisconsin” — to learn how to prevent pesky intruders from taking over your lawn.
Ground ivy
Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea L.), also known as creeping Charlie, is a perennial weed with creeping stems. Its sprawling habit can overtake other plants because it grows up to 30 inches long and creates a tangled mat. You’ll find square stems and pairs of kidney-shaped leaves with scalloped edges at each node.
Creeping Charlie has pretty purple-blue flowers that are arranged in whorls of 2 to 6. When you crush ground ivy, it gives off an unpleasant minty odor. While the plant produces seeds, its primary reproduction method is through creeping stems. Our article will teach you how to get rid of creeping Charlie in your yard.
Note: Ground ivy makes a good ground cover if it’s controlled. If you’d like to use creeping Charlie as a groundcover, read our article — “The Best Ground Cover Plants for Wisconsin” — to help you learn more.
Grassy weeds
Grassy weeds look similar to your turfgrass because they also have long, narrow leaves. However, in a well-maintained lawn, they stand out because they look different from the other cool-season grasses in terms of their color, size, growth pattern, and texture.
Yellow nutsedge
Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is a perennial weed with yellow-green grassy leaves that terminate in a sharp point. It can be identified by its triangular stem, distinguishing it from grasses. The flower structure (inflorescence) of yellow nutsedge is straw-colored.
Yellow nutsedge germination starts in May, followed by the flowers from July to September. It is spread by underground tubers, which can stay alive for as long as 10 years. This plant usually does well in sandy soils with good drainage and wet areas.
Note: Perennial sedges are considered among the most challenging weed species worldwide. Even though yellow nutsedge can be a challenge, you can still tackle it by learning how to identify and get rid of nutsedge in your lawn.
Crabgrass
Crabgrass (Digitaria spp.) is a summer annual weed that spreads rapidly and has light green blades that extend from a central root system, resembling crab legs. Besides the crab leg-shaped habit, look for the light green leaves standing against darker green bluegrass turf starting as early as May 10th. New plants can continue to germinate through July.
This annual grass grows from the seeds of the previous year, produces new seeds during the summer, and dies off by September. Crabgrass seeds are frequently dispersed by wind and animals. Understanding how to get rid of crabgrass is key to achieving a healthy lawn.
Preventive Tip: To prevent crabgrass from taking over in the first place, check out our article on when to apply crabgrass preventer in Wisconsin to nip this weed in the bud.
Note: A good indicator of crabgrass emergence in Wisconsin is to watch when the forsythia bushes bloom. Forsythia is the first shrub to bloom in Wisconsin, displaying yellow flowers before the foliage appears, coinciding with the period when crabgrass seeds emerge from dormancy.
Quackgrass
Quackgrass (Elytrigia repens), also called couch grass, is a cool-season perennial with an upright habit that grows from 1 to 4 feet high. Quackgrass has “clasping auricles” (a pair of narrow, small clasping outgrowths) where the grass blade wraps around the lower stem. Additionally, it produces runners, or rhizomes, which can extend for 5 feet or more underground.
Note: Quackgrass has prominent white or tan rhizomes that spread the plant horizontally underground. When digging up the plant, quackgrass and its roots are much tougher to remove than crabgrass. If digging up quackgrass isn’t your jam, read our article to learn how to get rid of quackgrass to find your weed eradicator groove.
More lawn care and landscaping resources for Wisconsin
- The Best Time to Plant Grass Seed in Wisconsin
- When Does Grass Stop Growing in Wisconsin?
- The Best Grass Seed for Wisconsin Lawns
- When to Apply Weed and Feed in Wisconsin
- The Best Ornamental Grasses for Wisconsin
- The Best Weed and Feed for Wisconsin Lawns
Call in the pros
So, you’ve put off your lawn care chores for another day because the Packers are playing, and you want to sport your new foam cheesehead hat at the game. Why not let Lawn Love’s Wisconsin weed control pros take care of the weeds while you quench your thirst with a can of “Carry the G”?
Main Image Credit: Erik | Adobe Stock Free | License
