Greater Plantain

Plantago major

General - Greater Plantain is a perennial weed, it is a rosette type weed very common on compacted soils and is often a good indication of lawns suffering from compaction. This low growing weed can tolerate close mowing and reproduces by seed.

Leaves - The large broad oval leaves have prominent parallel ribs, the leaves all grow from a single point and form a flat rosette.

Flowers - Bourn on a single stem the flower forms as a dense cone of smaller green flowers, later turning brown. Greater Plantain flowers between May and October.

Roots - The roots of this shallow rooting weed are fibrous.

Habitat - Greater Plantain prefers dry, compacted and alkaline soils but can adapt to most conditions.

Cultural Control - Hand weed, taking care to remove the while plant. Remove the flower heads before they turn brown and start to seed. As Greater Plantain prefers compacted soil, remedy this problem with aeration. Keeping the lawn in a healthy condition will encourage a tight sward and deter any weeds.

Chemical Control - Chemical weed control should ideally be only be used as last resort, when all other methods of control have been exhausted. Greater Plantain is not a difficult weed to control and there are many weed killers available that will control this weed.