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.

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Parsley Piert

Aphanes arvensis

General - Parsley Piert is an annual lawn weed, which is very common in closely mown areas of turf, as it spreads it forms in small clusters in the lawn.

The weed is often an indicator of mowing too closely, coupled with a nutrient deficiency (lack of fertiliser) in the lawn.

Leaves - The small fan shaped leaves of Parsley Piert has 3 deeply toothed lobes.

Flowers - Parsley Piert flowers between May and September, the tiny green flowers which are barely noticeable, form at the base of the leaves.

Habitat - The weed thrives in sandy, free draining soils, especially those which are deficient in nutrients.

Cultural Control - Hand weeding can prove effective for a small number of plants. Avoid mowing the lawn to close as this stresses the turf, which in turn creates thin, weak and even bare areas where this weed can invade.

Apply adequate nutrition with a balanced fertiliser program, this will help keep the lawn thick and healthy and discourage weeds.

Chemical Control - Parsley Piert is a difficult weed to control with selective weed killers.

If you go down the chemical route a mixture of 2,4-D and dicamba or alternatively a mixture of fluroxypry and clopyralid will be the most effective against Parsley Piert.

However repeat applications will most likely be needed for effective control.

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Silverweed

Potentilla anserina

General - Silverweed is a perennial weed that is generally confined to neglected lawns, it is rarely a problem on a well maintained lawn.

It is often confused with Creeping Cinquefoil as the leaves are similar. Silverweed spreads by creeping stems which root at intervals.

Leaves - The underside of the leaves are covered with fine white hairs giving them a silvery colour. The leaves contain up to 14 leaflets, all with toothed edges.

Flowers - Silverweed flowers have 5 petals and can be seen between the months of May and August.

Roots - This weed has a fibrous root system.

Habitat - Silverweed can grow in all types of soil conditions where the turf has been neglected.

Cultural Control - Raking the weed prior to mowing will stand up and cut off the runners weakening the weed.

Repeat this method each time you mow the lawn and it should soon disappear. Keeping the lawn in healthy condition will help suppress all common lawn weeds.

Chemical Control - Silverweed can be a difficult weed to control using a selective weed killer. As with Creeping Cinquefoil the cultural methods of control should be effective against this weed.

If you go down the chemical route choose a product containing mixtures of (2,4-D and mecoprop-p) or (2,4-D and dicamba) or (clopyralid, fluroxypyr and MCPA). A repeat application will be needed to effectively control Silverweed.

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Bulbous Buttercup

Ranunculus bulbosus

General - Bulbous Buttercup is a perennial weed that spreads by seed.

If left to grow it can reach up to 45cm, however it can just as easily adapt to grow in closely mown turf or lawns.

It takes its name from the large bulbous corm (a large swollen underground stem).

The plant dies back in the summer heat but the corm survives the winter months.

Leaves - The leaves of this weed are very similar to those of Creeping Buttercup but are generally smaller.

Flowers - Again similar to Creeping Buttercup but those of Bulbous Buttercup are smaller. The plant flowers between March and June.

Roots - Bulbous Buttercup has a bulbous root system with fibrous roots.

Habitat - This weed prefers free draining, light soils. Maintain sward density to prevent weeds establishing and becoming a problem.

Cultural Control - Bulbous Buttercup can be hand weeded, taking care to remove the whole plant.

Chemical Control - Bulbous Buttercup is more resistant to chemicals than Creeping Buttercup. Choose a selective weed killer that contains 2,4-D and (mecoprop-p or dicamba) or a weed killer that contains fluroxypyr may also prove effective against Bulbous Buttercup.

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Lesser Celandine

Ranunculus ficaria

General - Lesser Celandine is a perennial weed and is one of the first weeds to appear before it quickly disappears again.

This weed is a member of the Buttercup family and is very difficult to control effectively. Lesser Celandine is a low growing weed which rarely exceeds 50mm in height

Leaves - The weeds have glossy heart shaped leaves, which on occasions have a slightly serrated edge.

Flowers - Lesser Celandine has yellow star shaped flowers. Each flower can have up to 12 petals and can be seen between March and May.

Roots - Lesser Celandine has a fibrous root system and numerous root tubers.

Habitat - Lesser Celandine prefers wet soil conditions. Excess shade may also encourage the weed.

Cultural Control - The weed may be removed by digging it out. However it should be noted that the whole weed should be removed, as any remaining roots and tubers may assist in helping the weed spread.

Encourage a healthy lawn with good lawn care practices, this will help reduce the opportunities for weeds to invade the lawn.

Chemical Control - Controlling Lesser Celandine is going to prove very difficult, and success may be limited, as it is resistant to most chemicals.

Another drawback is that the weed only appears between March and May, this only leaves a short time frame in which to control this weed.

Choose a selective weed killer that contains MCPA for the best results. Aim to treat Lesser Celandine early (when the leaves are fully developed), this should leave enough time for a second application before the weed disappears again in May.

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Weeds in the lawn

Definition of a lawn weed

A weed is a plant growing where it is not wanted.

Why do we get weeds 

During the spring and summer months, lawn weeds are one of the most common problems on the garden lawn.

Lawn weeds are more of a problem on new lawns and low maintenance lawns than on well maintained luxury lawns which contain better quality turf, better equipped to suppress any weed invasion.

Weeds are opportunistic and look for any weak or thin areas in lawns and turf. When these conditions occur this presents weeds with the perfect opportunity to invade and spread. Weeds seeds are present in the soil or can be carried in the wind or by birds.

Preventing weeds

Like many lawn care problems prevention is better than the cure. As we previously mentioned high quality lawns are better able to withstand weed problems than low maintenance lawns.

This is the because the grass it thicker with no bare areas for weeds to invade. Lawn weeds are opportunistic and look for weak areas in the lawn.
Some lawn weeds also thrive in certain conditions e.g Plantains favour compacted soils, Buttercups prefer wets soils.

Therefore, by correcting the underlying cause of the conditions that cause the weeds will help eradicate the weed in question.

The most effective way to prevent weeds in the lawn is the keep the lawn in a healthy conditions using good lawn care management practices.

A lawn that is thick and healthy gives weeds very little opportunity to invade and become a problem, those that do invade can easily be removed by hand or spot treated. Lawn care practices such as fertilising, aeration, scarification etc all add up to a healthy lawn that will be able to suppress lawn weeds.

Methods of controlling weeds

Once weeds have established and become widespread they will need removing. The two options of removing lawn weeds are by cultural methods or by chemical means using a selective weed killer.

Cultural weed removal - Quite simply this is removing the lawn weed by hand with a daisy grubber or small knife (be sure to wear protective gloves if necessary).

Certain lawn weeds like daises, plantains and can easily be removed by hand (be sure to remove all of the root), however other because of their growth habits are more difficult.

Chemical weed removal - At time the infestation may be very severe and chemicals have to be used in the form of selective herbicide's. If the weeds are few consider spot treating them. Chemicals should only be used as a last resort.

When to treat weeds

Selective weed killers should be applied between April and September, when the weeds are actively growing in the lawn. Many selective weed killers are now incorporated into a spring and summer feed & weed mixture.

These are ideal as the fertiliser in the mixture encourages grass growth for a better kill.
When using chemical wed killers it is important to follow the manufactures application and healthy & safety guidelines and recommendations.

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