- Broadleaf weeds in Georgia<\/a>
- Dandelions<\/a><\/li>
- Common chickweed<\/a><\/li>
- Henbit<\/a><\/li>
- Prostrate knotweed<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- Grassy weeds in Georgia<\/a>
- Annual bluegrass<\/a><\/li>
- Goosegrass<\/a><\/li>
- Crabgrass<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li>
- FAQ about weeds in Georgia<\/a><\/li><\/ul> \t\t\t<\/div> \t\t<\/div><\/div>
Broadleaf weeds in Georgia<\/span><\/h2>
Dandelions<\/span><\/h3>
![\"person](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/yellow-dandellion.jpg\")
Pexels<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Dandelions are a broadleaf perennial that is common throughout the U.S., Georgia included. Their seed heads look like fluffy puffballs and their bright yellow flowers stand out against a perfect turfgrass lawn.<\/p>
- Weed type:<\/strong> Broadleaf<\/li>
- Life cycle:<\/strong> Perennial <\/li> <\/ul>
How to manage dandelions:<\/strong><\/p>
- Mechanical control: <\/strong>You can pull dandelions by hand, but you have to ensure no broken taproot is left since this plant can grow from taproot fragments. Preferably, pull dandelions after a rain event or after irrigating the soil, when the moist soil will make the process easier.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>Use a broadleaf post-emergent herbicide<\/a> to deal with large amounts of dandelions. Common herbicides to treat dandelions include dicamba, 2,4-D, and triclopyr. (These herbicides are commercially available to homeowners.)<\/li> <\/ul>
Common chickweed<\/span><\/h3>
![\"common](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/43243317925_acc54e4fbe_c.jpg\")
Harry Rose<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Although this weed\u2019s name may lead you to believe otherwise, common chickweed does not look like chickens. Common chickweed spreads its hairy stems horizontally, forming a \u201cmat\u201d on the turf with oval-shaped leaves and small clusters of white flowers.<\/p>
- Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf <\/li>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual<\/li> <\/ul>
How to manage common chickweed:<\/strong><\/p>
- Mechanical control: <\/strong>Common chickweed has shallow roots, making it easy to pull it by hand. However, if you don\u2019t remove the entire root system, you might not kill the weed, so make sure you get everything out.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>To control active chickweed, apply a post-emergent herbicide containing dicamba, 2,4-D, and MCPP. But you can also prevent chickweed from sprouting on your lawn by applying a pre-emergent herbicide<\/a> in the fall. <\/li> <\/ul>
Pro tip:<\/strong> See the best dates to apply pre-emergent herbicides in Georgia in our guide When to Apply Pre- and Post-Emergent Weed Control in Georgia<\/a>. <\/p>
Henbit<\/span><\/h3>
![\"beautiful](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/henbit-2.jpg\")
David~O<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> A widespread winter annual weed in Georgia, henbit has purple or green four-sided stems. Its small purple flowers are arranged in whorls. Its egg-shaped leaves are arranged in opposite directions and have toothed margins.<\/p>
- Weed type:<\/strong> Broadleaf<\/li>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual <\/li> <\/ul>
How to manage henbit:<\/strong><\/p>
- Mechanical control: <\/strong>The best way to control henbit is to maintain a healthy turf. Choosing the right grass seed for your region in Georgia<\/a> is a key factor in growing a strong and healthy lawn. In addition, reduce compaction by aerating at least yearly if you have compacted clay soils.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in the fall is the primary chemical control method to deal with henbit. Post-emergent applications can also be done, and usually, the same products that work on chickweed will work on henbit.<\/li> <\/ul>
Prostrate knotweed<\/span><\/h3>
![\"flowers](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/prsotate-knotweed-2.jpg\")
Matt Lavin<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Prostrate knotweed is one of the first weeds to germinate in spring. Similarly to common chickweed, this weed has a low-growing habit and forms a mat over the grass, blocking your lawn\u2019s access to sunlight. It has a characteristic blueish-green color and elongated leaves.<\/p>
- Weed type:<\/strong> Broadleaf <\/li>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Summer annual<\/li> <\/ul>
How to manage prostrate knotweed:<\/strong><\/p>
- Mechanical control: <\/strong>Prostrate knotweed is especially common in compacted soils, so aerating your lawn in Georgia<\/a> is key to preventing this weed from establishing.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>You can control prostrate knotweed by applying a pre-emergent herbicide during spring.<\/li> <\/ul>
Grassy weeds in Georgia<\/span><\/h2>
Annual bluegrass<\/span><\/h3>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Annual-bluegrass.jpg\")
Adobe Stock<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> The most problematic winter weed in Georgia, annual bluegrass is a grass-like weed that grows in clumps. The leaf blade is smooth and has one clear line on each side of the midrib. It has whitish spikelets that come out in branches from flower clusters.<\/p>
- Weed type: <\/strong>Grassy<\/li>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual <\/li> <\/ul>
How to manage annual bluegrass:<\/strong><\/p>
- Mechanical control: <\/strong>Annual bluegrass likes wet soil, so to prevent annual bluegrass, avoid overwatering your lawn and solve drainage issues.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Chemical control:<\/strong> Because annual bluegrass is very hard to manage, preventing its appearance with a fall pre-emergent herbicide application is the best route.<\/li> <\/ul>
Goosegrass<\/span><\/h3>
![\"closeup](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/goosegrass-2.jpg\")
New York State IPM Program at Cornell University<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure> Goosegrass is often confused with crabgrass since they share a similar appearance. A good way to differentiate between the two is to look at the center of the goosegrass plant, where it shows a whitish color.<\/p>
- Weed type: <\/strong>Grassy<\/li>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Summer annual<\/li> <\/ul>
How to manage goosegrass:<\/strong><\/p>
- Mechanical control: <\/strong>For small infestations, you can hand-pull, being careful to remove the entire root system.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>You can use a post-emergent herbicide to treat the weeds that have already appeared on your lawn, but multiple applications might be necessary. To prevent goosegrass from sprouting, use a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring.<\/li> <\/ul>
Crabgrass<\/span><\/h3>
![\"side](\"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/Crabgrass-vs-Goosegrass.jpg\")
Smooth Crabgrass: Matt Lavin<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY-SA 2.0<\/a>
Goosegrass: New York State IPM Program at Cornell University<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>This warm-season annual grass has a purplish center that distinguishes it from goosegrass and other grassy weeds. Different crabgrass species common to Georgia have varying characteristics. For example, large crabgrass has long and hairy leaf blades, while Indian crabgrass has short and hairless leaves.<\/p>
Overall, crabgrass is usually identified by its light-green color and hairy ligules. Crabgrass stems and seed heads are also thinner when compared to goosegrass.<\/p>
- Weed type: <\/strong>Grassy<\/li>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Summer annual<\/li> <\/ul>
How to manage crabgrass:<\/strong><\/p>
- Mechanical control: <\/strong>If you\u2019ve only spotted a few of these weeds in your lawn, you can get rid of crabgrass<\/a> by hand-pulling them if their seed heads are closed. If the seed head is open, you\u2019ll end up spreading these seeds.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>If you notice the seed heads are open, your best bet is to invest in a post-emergent herbicide<\/a> or to let the weed die off in the fall. To prevent crabgrass the following year, apply a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring, from mid-February to March.<\/li> <\/ul>
FAQ about weeds in Georgia<\/span><\/h2>
Are there invasive weeds in Georgia?<\/span><\/h3>
Yes, foreign species have been introduced in Georgia for either agricultural or ornamental purposes. Once in Georgia, they escaped cultivation and became established. Some invasive weeds to be aware of in Georgia are:<\/p>
- Tropical spiderwort (Commelina benghalensis<\/em>)<\/li>
- Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica<\/em>)<\/li>
- Japanese climbing fern (Lygodium japonicum<\/em>)<\/li>
- Kudzu (Pueraria montana<\/em>)<\/li> <\/ul>
One way to help control the spread of invasive species is to opt for native plants that are suited for your Georgia hardiness zone<\/a>. Native plants have adapted to their region\u2019s climate through years of evolution. They also play an important role for the local wildlife, providing shelter and food.<\/p>
How do I prevent weeds from establishing?<\/span><\/h3>
The best way to prevent weeds from establishing in your lawn is to maintain a healthy and strong lawn by following a good maintenance routine. Luckily, we have two guides that can help you with this in addition to an article on landscaping ideas to keep weeds to a minimum in your Peach State home:<\/p>
- How and When to Plant Grass Seed in Georgia<\/a><\/li>
- Month-to-Month Lawn Care Calendar for Georgia<\/a><\/li>
- Georgia Landscaping Ideas for Your Home<\/a><\/li> <\/ul>
What are the life cycles of weeds?<\/span><\/h3>
Weeds, just like other plants, have three types of life cycles: annual, biennial, or perennial.<\/p>
- Annual weeds<\/strong> have a life cycle shorter than a year. Summer annuals like crabgrass begin to sprout during the spring, while winter annuals like henbit appear in the fall. <\/li>
- Biennial weeds <\/strong>have a two-year-long life cycle, but they are not as common in home lawns as annual and perennial weeds.<\/li>
- Perennial weeds <\/strong>like dandelions have an even longer life cycle, living for three or more years. <\/li> <\/ul>
Find a pro near you<\/span><\/h2>
Maintaining a lawn means that sometimes we have to get our hands dirty and pull a few weeds. But it doesn’t have to be that way. You can simply contact a qualified pro<\/a> to do the job for you. Get in touch today and keep your hands free from dirt and your lawn free from weeds.<\/p>
Main Image Credit: 3w4v<\/a> | Flickr | CC BY 2.0<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Dandelions, crabgrass, chickweed, and more. In this article, we bring you common lawn weeds in Georgia and how to identify and control them.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":99,"featured_media":24088,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"_et_pb_use_builder":"off","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","fifu_image_url":"","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[215],"tags":[558],"class_list":["post-23884","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-georgia","tag-lawn-care-ga"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/05\/henbit-plant.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"Teresa Joaquim","author_link":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/author\/teresa-joaquim\/"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23884","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/99"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=23884"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/23884\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24088"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=23884"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=23884"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lawnlove.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=23884"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
- Biennial weeds <\/strong>have a two-year-long life cycle, but they are not as common in home lawns as annual and perennial weeds.<\/li>
- Month-to-Month Lawn Care Calendar for Georgia<\/a><\/li>
- Cogongrass (Imperata cylindrica<\/em>)<\/li>
- Tropical spiderwort (Commelina benghalensis<\/em>)<\/li>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>If you notice the seed heads are open, your best bet is to invest in a post-emergent herbicide<\/a> or to let the weed die off in the fall. To prevent crabgrass the following year, apply a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring, from mid-February to March.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Summer annual<\/li> <\/ul>
- Weed type: <\/strong>Grassy<\/li>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>You can use a post-emergent herbicide to treat the weeds that have already appeared on your lawn, but multiple applications might be necessary. To prevent goosegrass from sprouting, use a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Summer annual<\/li> <\/ul>
- Weed type: <\/strong>Grassy<\/li>
- Chemical control:<\/strong> Because annual bluegrass is very hard to manage, preventing its appearance with a fall pre-emergent herbicide application is the best route.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual <\/li> <\/ul>
- Weed type: <\/strong>Grassy<\/li>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>You can control prostrate knotweed by applying a pre-emergent herbicide during spring.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Summer annual<\/li> <\/ul>
- Weed type:<\/strong> Broadleaf <\/li>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>Applying a pre-emergent herbicide in the fall is the primary chemical control method to deal with henbit. Post-emergent applications can also be done, and usually, the same products that work on chickweed will work on henbit.<\/li> <\/ul>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual <\/li> <\/ul>
- Weed type:<\/strong> Broadleaf<\/li>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>To control active chickweed, apply a post-emergent herbicide containing dicamba, 2,4-D, and MCPP. But you can also prevent chickweed from sprouting on your lawn by applying a pre-emergent herbicide<\/a> in the fall. <\/li> <\/ul>
- Life cycle: <\/strong>Winter annual<\/li> <\/ul>
- Weed type: <\/strong>Broadleaf <\/li>
- Chemical control: <\/strong>Use a broadleaf post-emergent herbicide<\/a> to deal with large amounts of dandelions. Common herbicides to treat dandelions include dicamba, 2,4-D, and triclopyr. (These herbicides are commercially available to homeowners.)<\/li> <\/ul>
- Life cycle:<\/strong> Perennial <\/li> <\/ul>
- Goosegrass<\/a><\/li>
- Common chickweed<\/a><\/li>
- Dandelions<\/a><\/li>