If you’ve ever been in charge of maintaining a garden or lawn, it sometimes feels like you’re on constant red alert. If it’s not the weather, it’s pests; if it’s not pests, its disease; and if it’s not a disease, it’s weeds!
When it comes to weeds, it is always best to control weeds from the outset rather than try to remove them once they get out of hand. But equally important, it means choosing the right turf species for your area. With the correct species in place, a well-maintained lawn, mowed at the correct height should smother out the competing weeds and eliminate one element of the battle.
Being able to recognise a weed is a key component to staying on top of the problem. When weeds sprout, treat the area with a weed killer herbicide or manage the problem by hand. Remember, catching them early will reduce the spread as weeds can spread seed very quickly if left unattended.
Here are the six most common lawn and garden weeds plaguing Brisbane throughout the year!
Cudweed
Cudweed features flat, shiny and mid green leaves in a rosette shape and can flower. Due to the shiny nature of the leaves, it can be difficult for herbicides to take hold and may need multiple applications. Try adding a capful of dishwashing liquid to the mix to help the solution stick. In Buffalo lawns use products containing Bromoxynil and in couch lawns Dicamba.
Bindii
Forget Nutgrass; this guy has got to me the worst weed going around! Who hasn’t been walking out to the letterbox on a warm summer day and experienced the most excruciating pain known to humans? A prickle in the foot! Pronounced bindi-eye, a small weed that is very hard to detect in the domestic lawn. Fresh weeds, like that depicted, do not prickle, it’s not until it dies back in summer and the fern-like leaves turn into tiny little knives looking for blood. Treat in the winter with specialist herbicides and save a life today.
In Buffalo lawns use products containing Bromoxynil and in couch lawns Bentazone and Dicamba.
Creeping Oxalis
With a similar growth habit to clover, oxalis is hard to remove by hand due to its fine stem and leaf. As a creeper, oxalis forms new roots wherever the stem touches the ground, spreading quickly. It’s invasive, fast moving, hard to control, and a right pain. Treat with selective herbicides, or cut your losses, dig it out and replant.
This guy is more prevalent in traditional couch lawns. Buffalos such as Sir Walter will smother this weed out, however, if required treat with products containing Bromoxynil and in couch lawns Bentazone and Dicamba.
Clover
Forget looking for four leaves, just spray it with poison! Clover loves to thrive where your grass doesn’t, usually a moist corner with little light. Clover is a problem all year round but often seen in winter when areas of the lawn receive less or no sun and begin to struggle.
Once again, it is rare to see large clover infestations in Buffalo lawns, if required treat with products containing Bromoxynil and in couch lawns Bentazone and Dicamba.
Dandelion
With a distinct yellow flower and toothed leaves, the dandelion might give your garden and English cottage type feel, but it’s a weed and needs to go! Treat with a selective herbicide or spot treat with a broad spectrum option such as Glysophate but watch for overspray with the latter.
In Buffalo lawns use products containing Bromoxynil and in couch lawns Bentazone and Dicamba.
Nutgrass
Nutgrass is a pest the world over and is certainly a tough little nut to crack. Although Glysophate (Round-up) is the most efficient way to eradicate it is not suitable for lawn infestations. Sempra is the best product to treat nutgrass selectively in both couch and buffalo lawns. Sempra is a group B Herbicide with an active constituent Halosulfuron-Methyl. Although Sempra won’t translocate through the tubers from nut to nut, it won’t kill your lawn in the process. Multiple treatments will be required for advanced infestations.