32 Common Types of Weeds

Dandelions, henbit, crabgrass, nutsedge, and thistle are just a few of the most common types of weeds that can crowd your lawn, smother the turf, and ruin your neat landscape. To remove them successfully, you must know how they look, their strengths, and their soft spots.

Read our guide with 32 of the most common types of weeds to land in lawns and gardens. Learn how to identify them, what brings them into your yard, and how to keep them in check like a pro.

What are weeds?

Weeds are plants that grow where you don’t want them, have unpleasant characteristics (such as spines or a toxic touch), or smother planted areas such as lawns, gardens, and agricultural fields.

Not all weeds are inherently bad. Some are edible or medicinal, many are precious food for pollinators and other insects, and some enrich the soil, loosen compacted areas, or fix terrains prone to erosion. But there are also invasive and toxic weeds that you shouldn’t allow in your yard, even in small numbers.

The first step in knowing your weeds and deciding how to manage them is learning a bit about the weed types in your lawn, their characteristics, and life cycles.

Types of weeds by leaf shape and life cycle

Depending on the shape of their leaves, weeds are divided into two categories: grassy and broadleaf.

Grassy weeds sprout from the seed with one leaf and have long, narrow blades with parallel veins (similar to turfgrass). To identify grassy weeds in your lawn, look for patches with taller plants, a lighter or deeper green, or grass blades with different shapes and textures. 

Common examples of grassy weeds include crabgrass, goosegrass, annual bluegrass, and creeping bentgrass.

Broadleaf weeds emerge from the seed with two seed leaves. These weeds come in various shapes and sizes but generally have broad leaves with netted veins that branch out from a central vein. They also stand out through their colorful flowers and deep tap roots. 

Common broadleaf weeds that can grow on your lawn are dandelions, common chickweed, clovers, thistles, and plantains.

Weeds also differ by their life cycle and the seasons in which they sprout and thrive. They can be annual, biennial, or perennial plants.

Annual weeds have the shortest life cycles. They go from freshly sprouted seedlings to flowering and spreading seeds in less than 12 months. Depending on the season they thrive in, you can deal with two types of annual weeds:

• Summer annuals (aka warm-season annual weeds) include sandbur, spurge, and purslane. They sprout in early spring and flower and seed during summer. Summer weeds are cold-sensitive and die with the first frost of the year.
• Winter annuals (aka cool-season annual weeds) sprout in lawns from late summer to early autumn. They grow throughout the fall and winter and flower and seed in the spring and early summer. Some examples are annual bluegrass, chickweed, and henbit.

Biennial weeds have a two-year-long life cycle. They sprout from seed, grow a circular cluster of leaves during the first year, and then go dormant across the winter. During their second growing season, biennials grow a tall flowering stalk, produce seeds, and die. 

Examples of biennials that often grow in lawns include Queen Anne’s lace (aka wild carrot), evening primrose, burdock, common mullein, and moth mullein.

Perennial weeds live for at least three years, flowering and seeding every growing season. They’re the most long-lived weed type, able to withstand winter frost and summer heat because of their extensive root systems, often with a central taproot that can dig deep into the soil.

There are two main types of perennial weeds: 

• Simple perennial weeds only spread by seed. However, new weeds can emerge from small pieces of root left in the soil when the plant is injured. Dandelions, broadleaf plantain, and curly dock are simple perennials.
• Creeping perennials are spread by seed, roots, stolons, and rhizomes. They are the hardest to kill because a little piece of root is always left in the soil, ready to grow a new plant. Examples are Johnsongrass, oxalis, and field bindweed.

Top 32 most common types of weeds

1. Annual bluegrass (Poa annua)

A cool-season grassy weed, annual bluegrass is more visible during spring when greenish-white seed heads pop up across the lawn like flags signaling enemy invasion. The small spikelets dancing in the wind would be quite pretty, if not out of place, spreading unwanted seeds everywhere and turning your yard into a prairie.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of annual bluegrass:

• Dig isolated plants.
• Mow the lawn periodically at a 2-inch height in the spring and bag the clippings to prevent bluegrass from forming mature seed heads.
• Apply a pre-emergent herbicide in late summer to early fall.

2. Black medic (Medicago lupulina)

Often found in dry, sunny, low-nitrogen lawns along with white clover, black medic is also a member of the legume family and can fix nitrogen from the atmosphere. It spreads by seed and grows close to the soil, forming large colonies in weak, thin turf. 

Like white clover, it has trefoil leaves with toothed margins and a tiny spur at the tip of each leaflet. Due to its small, bright yellow flowers, it’s also known as yellow trefoil, black clover, and hop medic.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of black medic:

• Easy to hand-pull. Remove plants before they have a chance to seed.
• Apply a broadleaf herbicide on large areas from late spring to early summer and again early through mid-autumn.

3. Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major)

A common weed in many family lawns, plantain is a broadleaf perennial that likes moist, nutrient-rich soil, does well in compacted lawns, and is not disturbed by foot traffic. It grows low to the ground in rosettes of oval-shaped leaves with parallel veins. When the seeding time comes, plantain puts up tall flowering stalks with tiny greenish flowers. 

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of broadleaf plantain: 

• Mow to prevent seed heads from forming.
• Use a shovel to dig the plant along with its taproot.
• Apply a broadleaf herbicide with 2,4-D or triclopyr, or make spot treatments with a non-selective weed killer like glyphosate and glufosinate. 

4. Burweed (Soliva sessilis)

“Lawn burweed is easy to control, but if you already have the stickers it is too late,” says Wiley Ross Greene, a county extension agent for the University of Georgia. The stickers – painful to walk on without shoes – are spring-tipped burs Soliva sessilis forms in the spring to hold its seeds. You can also recognize this winter annual plant by its small hairy leaves divided into narrow lobes. 

Where it grows: Along the western coast in Washington, Oregon, and California and the southeastern side from Virgina through Florida to Texas.

How to get rid of burweed:

• Greene recommends applying a pre-emergent herbicide like atrazine in January or February before the stickers form.
• For sprouted weeds, consider a post-emergent applied before seed formation.

5. Canada thistle (Cirsium arvense)

Canada thistle is a broadleaf perennial with purple flowers formed in burs that later host the seeds. Its long, tongue-shaped leaves have sharp spines along the edges that sting like angry bees, making it a nightmare for barefooting and lawns where children play. 

Growing up to 5 feet tall, this prolific weed thrives in deep, well-drained, fine-textured soils such as clay and loamy. It crows native vegetation and crops, and it’s listed as noxious in many states.

Other thistle weeds from the aster (Asteraceae) family – equally nasty – that might land on your lawn are musk thistle, milk thistle, and bull thistle.

Where it grows: All across the United States except Texas, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Mississippi, Florida, Georgia and South Carolina.

How to get rid of Canada thistle: 

• Use a shovel to dig the plant with the roots. Thistles have a deep and extensive root system. If removing the plant by hand, wear thick gloves.
• Apply a broadleaf herbicide in spring and fall.

6. Clover (Trifolium repens)

It is said that the three leaves (actually leaflets) of clover stand for faith, hope, and love, and the fourth one (rarely present) brings luck. Clovers are spread by seed and runners and form dense mats over the soil. In some yards, they are weeds. In others, homeowners use them as groundcovers, erosion-preventers, and nitrogen-fixers. 

Two types of clover are more common and can be seen often in lawns: white clover (white flowers) and red cover (pink to purple flowers).

Where it grows: All across the United states.

How to get rid of white clover:

• Apply a thick layer of mulch on garden beds.
• Dig out clover if only a few weeds are present.
• Use an iron-based herbicide in lawn areas or try a natural herbicide like vinegar or corn meal.

7. Common chickweed (Stellaria media)

A winter annual weed, chickweed has light green, rounded to egg-shaped leaves and grows close to the ground, forming dense mats with tiny white flowers. This weed spreads fast by seed and vegetative parts. It roots easily where stems touch the soil, and any plant fragment left on the ground after hand pulling will quickly re-root. 

Where it grows: Throughout the United States, but less in the southeast.

How to get rid of chickweed:

• Hand-pull chickweed seedlings.
• Apply post-emergent herbicides with dicamba, MCPP (methylchlorophenoxypropionic acid, mostly known under the commercial name of Mecoprop), and fluroxypyr.

8. Crabgrass (Digitaria)

A grassy annual weed, crabgrass grows in lawns and garden areas, creeping along close to the soil like crabs do. It loves high temperatures and often sprouts in cracks in the pavement and sunny, compacted areas where turfgrass can’t handle the scorching heat. 

Unfortunately, this weed is also a prolific seeder that is unaffected by regular mowing. “Crabgrass plants are very adaptable to mowing height. Plants can produce seeds at mowing heights as low as 1/2-inch,” according to the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of crabgrass: 

• Apply a pre-emergent weed killer in early spring.
• Hand-pull isolated plants, roots, and all.
• Spot-treat with a systemic herbicide that can travel inside the plant and damage the roots. 

9. Creeping Charlie (Glechoma hederacea)

Also known by names such as ground ivy, gill-on-the-ground, and creeping Jenny, this perennial herb spreads by seed and creeping stems that reroot from their nodes. It loves moist shade and often pops up under trees and shrubs. 

How do you recognize it? Look for bright green, kidney-shaped leaves with scalloped edges and four-sided stems. If you crush the leaves and stems in your hand, you should feel a strong mint-like odor. 

Where it grows: All across the United States except New Mexico, Arizona and Nevada.

How to get rid of creeping Charlie: 

• Trim trees and bushes to improve sun exposure. 
• Avoid overwatering and improve soil drainage.
• Spot-spray small outbreaks with 2,4-D, triclopyr, or dicamba in spring and fall.

10. Curly dock (Rumex crispus)

Curly dock grows in rosettes of long leaves with wavy, curly edges (hence the name). A simple perennial that spreads through seeds, it grows tall stalks with dense panicles of winged seeds that mature from green to brown. This weed is often associated with overwatering or low spots where water collects.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of curly dock:

• Remove the crown 2 inches below the soil with a shovel.
• Mow to prevent the weed from seeding.
• Apply herbicides in the spring on seedlings and during fall on established plants.

11. Dandelions (Leontodon taraxacum)

Dandelions are probably the most common weeds in lawns and gardens. They pop up early in the spring to feed the bees and fill the yards with bright yellow pom-pom-like flowers. 

When the weather heats up, dandelions form fluffy balls of parachute-like seeds that fly away with the wind and spread everywhere. If you value their edible and medicinal properties, dandelions are a gift in your yard. If not, they’re weeds to dread because removing them completely is hard to do.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of dandelions: 

• Pull the weed with the taproot using a garden trowel or a dandelion fork.
• To prevent germination, cover garden beds with mulch. 
• Use a systemic broadleaf herbicide on turfgrass areas.

12. English daisy (Bellis perennis)

With their small chamomile-like flowers, it’s hard to call this delicate Aster family member a weed. Unfortunately, it’s a perennial weed that can become quite invasive in cool, moist regions where summers are not too hot. English daisy spreads fast by seed and grows in large patches, crowding the turfgrass, a habit that gives it its alternate name – lawn daisy.

Where it grows: Along the west coast, up in the northern states, in the Grand Lakes area and along the east coast down to North Carolina.

How to get rid of English daisy:

• Hand-pull young plants before they manage to seed.
• Apply a broadleaf herbicide with triclopyr on turf and make spot treatments with glyphosate in landscape areas.

13. Florida betony (Stachys floridana)

Florida betony or rattlesnake weed is a prolific cool-season perennial that thrives in moist lawns. It grows upright, with square stems (a sign of the mint family membership), oval leaves, and tubular pink to purple flower spikes. 

Edible from head to toe, Florida betony is most known for its tubers. They’re whitish, look like rattlesnake rattles, and make delicious pickles. However, its tell-tale tubers are also the nastiest part of the plant because they help it spread and reroot even from small fragments. 

Where it grows: In the south from Texas through Florida and up to North Carolina plus California on the west coast.

How to get rid of Florida betony:

• Hand-pull isolated plants. Take out the entire root.
• Contact herbicides are not effective on the root system. Use a systemic weed killer like glyphosate to treat extensive infestations.

14. Goosegrass (Eleusine indica)

Goosegrass grows well in compacted soil with poor turfgrass cover and often pops up along walkways, driveways, sideways, and lawn areas exposed to heavy traffic. This warm-season grassy weed can be identified by its whitish, flattened stems and the prostrate growing habit that keeps goosegrass close to the ground.

Where it grows: All across the United States except the northwest (Washington, Idaho, Montana and Wyoming).

How to get rid of goosegrass:

• Keep a dense lawn and mow the grass at the highest level for your turf type.
• Aerate the soil and overseed.
• Apply a pre-emergent weed killer as part of the spring lawn maintenance.

15. Hairy bittercress (Cardamine hirsuta)

Growing in small, cute clumps of tiny leaves, hairy bittercress loves moist garden soils. It’s a common lawn and greenhouse weed that even grows in containers if the soil is contaminated with its seeds. During spring, bittercress shoots up white clusters of star-shaped flowers that later become seed pods and spread their seeds more than 3 feet away. 

Where it grows: Along the Pacific coast, the southern states and eastern coast.

How to get rid of hairy bittercress:

• Hand-weed and mow young plants before they seed. The shallow roots make it easy to pull from the ground.

16. Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)

A broadleaf winter weed from the mint family, henbit stands out in your lawn with its reddish-purple flowers. You can also notice purple leaves at the top, its four-sided stems, and rounded leaves that hug the stems. Henbit spreads mainly by seed and tends to occupy moist, cool areas.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of henbit:

• Hand-pull flowering weeds before they form seed heads.
• Grow shade-tolerant grasses such as Zoysia and tall fescue in your lawn’s shady areas. This way, you ensure a thick turf that keeps henbit at bay.

17. Japanese knotweed (Polygonum cuspidatum)

Japanese knotweed is an aggressive perennial that spreads in patches through underground roots or rhizomes. It sprouts red to purple shoots in the spring and quickly grows tall, hollow, bamboo-like stems bearing heart-shaped leaves with reddish veins. The plant blooms in summer with beautiful clusters of tiny creamy white flowers that give it the fleece flower name.

Where it grows: All across the United States except the Great Basin and Colorado Plato area, and Florida and Alabama.

How to get rid of Japanese knotweed:

• Mow regularly to slow the plant from forming rhizomes.
• Apply a broadleaf herbicide in spring and fall.

18. Kyllinga (Kyllinga brevifolius)

Kyllinga is a perennial sedge that spreads by seed and rhizomes, making it difficult to manage without weed killers. It thrives in bare and shaded areas where turf is poorly represented and covers the soil in dense mats. Kyllinga can easily be confused with yellow nutsedge, although it grows much denser than nutsedge. 

Where it grows: From Florida across the Southern United States into Arizona, California, and Hawaii.

How to get rid of kyllinga:

• Hand removal is labor-intensive and requires pulling as much of the root system as possible.
• According to Elliott Dowling and Zach Nicoludis, agronomists for the United States Golf Association, fall applications with post-emergent herbicides are the most effective way to control kyllinga.

19. Lambsquarters (Chenopodium album)

A fast-growing annual broadleaf weed, lambsquarters is an edible plant that is quite delicious in salads but a nuisance when it lands uninvited in lawns and garden beds. It spreads profusely from seeds, establishes fast, and grows huge plants up to 4 feet tall. You’ll easily recognize it by its triangular, scalloped leaves with a gray underside.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of lambsquarters:

• Pull the weeds by hand, removing as much of the root as possible. Use a shovel to remove mature plants.
• Apply a post-emergent herbicide.

20. Mallow (Malva neglecta)

A round, bushy plant that grows up to 1 foot tall, mallow is an annual or biennial weed that grows mostly around the edges of the turf and less in lawns with healthy, competitive grass. 

It can be recognized by its round leaves with wavy edges, small pink flowers, and unique fruits shaped like tiny buttons or wheels of cheese (hence its alternate names: cheeseweed, cheeseplant, and buttonweed).

Where it grows: All across the United States, but less in Florida, Mississippi and Alabama.

How to get rid of mallow:

• Dig the young plants with as much of the tap root as possible to avoid regrowth.
• Periodically mow or cut the weed to prevent seeding.
• Use pre-emergent herbicide to stop the seeds from sprouting.

21. Nutsedge (Cyperus spp.)

Sedges resemble grasses, but instead of round stems, they have triangular ones, larger, stiffer leaves, and grow about two times faster. The nutsedge family includes perennial weeds such as yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) and purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus). Also known as nutgrasses, these sedges have nutlike tubers growing on their roots and bloom tiny yellow to purple flowers. 

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of nutsedge: 

• Apply a post-emergent herbicide on weeds that have five to eight leaves.
• Find an herbicide that is effective on nutsedge and will not kill your turfgrass. The Clemson Cooperative Extension recommends products with bentazon and halo-sulfuron as active ingredients. 

22. Orange jewelweed (Impatiens capensis)

Also known as spotted jewelweed and spotted touch-me-not, this summer annual weed is native to North America and thrives in wet and shaded areas. You’ll recognize it by its tubular flowers that shine like small orange jewels among smooth, oval-shaped leaves.

Orange jewelweed spreads by seed, growing into a heavily branched plant with green to reddish, almost translucent stems. When crushed, its stems are a home remedy for mosquito bites and poison ivy rashes. 

Where it grows: Across the center and eastern half of the United States and in the northwest in Washington, Oregon and Idaho.

How to get rid of orange jewelweed:

• Hand-pull the weed when the soil is moist. Jewelweed has shallow roots and is easy to remove manually.
• If you see seed capsules, don’t add the weeds to the compost bin.

23. Quackgrass (Elymus repens)

A cool-season perennial grass, quackgrass spreads aggressively through seeds, underground stems, and root fragments. It can easily crowd your turf and veggie garden. Quackgrass is often confused with annual ryegrass or crabgrass, though at a closer look, you can see it has thicker (about ⅓ inch thick) tapered blades attached to a hollow stem.

Where it grows: All across the United States except the Coastal Plains.

How to get rid of quackgrass:

• Mulch garden and flower beds to reduce its spread.
• Dig out small plants with as much of the root as possible.
• If quackgrass is present strongly in your lawn, consider multiple applications of glyphosate. It’s a non-selective herbicide, so you must reseed the area after application.

24. Poison sumac (Toxicodendron vernix)

Labeled as a shrub or small tree, poison sumac is a perennial weed that grows in wet, soggy terrains with clay soil. It makes tiny green berry-like fruits that turn white when ripen and bears feather-like leaves that become bright yellow to deep red in the fall. 

The showy foliage makes it a colorful autumn attraction — a dangerous one, however, since the urushiol (an irritative oil) flowing through its veins can cause nasty rashes all over your skin if you touch any of this toxic plant’s parts.

Where it grows: In the Grand Lakes area, and the entire Atlantic coast down through Florida and west to Texas.

How to get rid of poison sumac: 

• Call a professional. It’s risky to remove poison sumac DIY.
• If you insist on digging, pulling, cutting, or treating the weed with herbicide yourself, wear protective equipment to cover every inch of your skin.
• Don’t burn the plant. The smoke is toxic.

25. Poison ivy (Toxicodendron radicans) 

Poison ivy is a perennial vine that grows as a shrub or climbing on any structures it meets, from tree trunks to fences and walls. It has egg-shaped leaflets grouped by three (three leaflets form a leaf) and gray woody stems that can root wherever they touch the ground. From May to June, poison ivy blooms with tiny green-yellowish flowers.

Like poison sumac, poison ivy contains urushiol and can cause severe rashes, blisters, and itching at touch. 

Where it grows: Across the eastern half of the United States, from South Dakota to Texas and east to the Atlantic coast.

How to get rid of poison ivy:

• Clip the plant close to the ground repeatedly. 
• Dig out the plant with the entire root if possible.
• Always wear protective equipment and don’t touch any part of the plant directly. 
• Don’t burn the plant. The smoke is toxic.

26. Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Purslane is a common annual weed easily recognized by its fleshy, tear-shaped leaves and tiny yellow flowers. Its reddish stems grow close to the soil and spread out from the root area like the spokes of a wheel, rooting where they touch the soil. Purslane spreads by seed (one plant can produce up to 240,000 seeds) and stems fragments.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of purslane: 

• Hand-pull purslane plants with their roots and stems. Don’t leave plant fragments on the soil; they can reroot.
• West Virginia University recommends pre-emergent herbicides with mesotrione and post-emergent weed killers containing 2,4-D, dicamba, mecoprop, and carfentrazone.

27. Ragweed (Ambrosia artemisiifolia)

Besides messing up your garden’s appearance, ragweed can trigger nasty allergic reactions due to its pollen that fills the air in late summer. Fortunately, ragweed spreads only through seeds and has shallow roots, making it easy to hand-pull once detected. 

Look for an upright, bushy plant with fern-like leaves. In the summer, tiny green flowers cover the top of its branches, making them look like thin bottle brushes.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of ragweed:

• Hand-pull young plants before they start to flower.
• According to Cornell University, ragweed is resistant to various herbicides. If you have an extensive infestation, contact a lawn care professional.

28. Spiny pigweed (Amaranthus spinosus)

The entire pigweed family is a nuisance for lawn owners and gardeners, but Amaranthus spinosus is one of the worst varieties. Besides its aggressive spreading habit, spiny pigweed bears sharp spines on its reddish stems that can easily pierce your skin when grabbed. 

Spiny pigweed grows 6 feet tall and has oval leaves and tubular, hairy clusters of green flowers that spread thousands of seeds. 

Where it grows: The eastern half of the United States, from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast and California.

How to get rid of pigweed: 

• Use a spade or a dandelion fork to remove plants with their roots.
• Mow regularly to prevent pigweeds from seeding.
• Apply post-emergent herbicides when plants are 4 to 6 inches tall.

29. Stinging nettle (Urtica dioica)

Nettles are less aggressive than poison sumac or poison ivy, but you still wouldn’t want these stinging weeds in your yard while wearing shorts or having the kids play around. The entire plant is covered in brittle, needle-like hairs that sting if touched with bare skin.

Stinging nettles spread through rhizomes, so look for patches of upright-growing plants. They have fibrous stems and oval, slightly heart-shaped leaves that seem a bit wrinkled by their veins. 

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of stinging nettle:

• Wear leather gloves and cut the plants near the soil. 
• Dig out the roots and yellow rhizomes.

30. Velvetleaf (Abutilon theophrasti)

Velvetleaf is a tall (usually 2 to 4 feet) and lanky weed with large heart-shaped leaves covered in smooth hairs that make them look like velvet. It’s hard to miss in a yard. During summer, it blooms beautiful orange-yellow flowers with five petals. 

Velvetleaf spreads by seed – one plant can produce up to 17,000 seeds per season.

Where it grows: All across the United States.

How to get rid of velvetleaf:

• Destroy young plants before they reach the seeding stage. July to August is the best time to identify velvetleaf in your garden.
• Apply a broadleaf herbicide when plants are less than 4 inches tall. Morning and mid-day applications are most effective.

31. Wild violet (Viola papilionacea)

Wild violets grow in rosettes of heart-shaped leaves with small, colorful five-petal flowers ranging from white and blue to purple and violet. They’re so pretty in the spring that seeing them as weeds is hard. But weeds they are. Spreading through underground rhizomes, these perennial weeds are among the most difficult to control in gardens and lawns.

Where it grows: Across the eastern half of the United States from the Great Plains to the Atlantic coast.

How to get rid of wild violets:

• Grow dense, healthy turf.
• Make repeated applications with herbicides containing triclopyr. 

32. Woodsorrel (Oxalis stricta)

Also known as shamrock, sleeping beauty, and yellow oxalis, woodsorrel is a common broadleaf annual that can easily take over bare and thin areas in your turf. It typically grows around the lawn’s edges and in walkway cracks.

Woodsorrel looks similar to white clover, except it grows more upright, and its leaflets have an inverse heart shape. Its pods can eject seeds up to 10 feet away, so preventing this weed from seeding is an important control method.

Where it grows: All across the United States except for the west coast.

How to get rid of woodsorrel:

• Mow and hand-pull to prevent seeding. Woodsorrel doesn’t regrow from the root.
• Pre-emergent herbicides are the most effective.

FAQ about common types of weeds

How can I identify weeds?

To identify weeds, look carefully at their leaves, stems, roots, flowers, and the way they grow (creeping along the ground, upright, branched or in clumps, etc.). Then, compare your observation with pictures of common weeds available online.

Or, take a picture with your phone or a sample of your weed and send it to the local Extension Office for identification.

What type of weeds are the most difficult to get rid of?

Perennial weeds are the most difficult to get rid of. They have deep tap roots they use to regrow yearly, and most spread through seeds and vegetative parts (rhizomes and stolons).

How do you get rid of a lot of weeds at once?

Use an herbicide to kill many weeds at once. Choose a contact weed killer for annual broadleaves and a systemic one for grassy or perennial weeds.

Call a weed control professional!

If you’re unsure about which plants are messing with your turf, call the pros! Lawn Love connects you with the best weed controls professionals with just one click. Find a local pro and enjoy a weed-free lawn without the guessing and the hassle!

• Main Photo Credit: Amy Stenglein | Lawn Love