Types of Garden Weeds & Grass

Removing weeds is an ongoing battle.

A weed is defined as any plant we do not want growing in a particular place. Countries around the world have different ideas what weeds are. Orchids are considered common weeds in Hawaii, contrary to the value other countries place on them. Garden weeds are those that do not look appealing on the lawn or kill other types of garden plants. Many plants are commonly accepted as weeds throughout North America.

Chickweed

Growing quickly in the spring, chickweed is a short plant that grows over a large area. Small elliptical leaves with white notched flowers distinguish this weed in the garden. Chickweed has several folk names including starweed, bindweed, winterweed and satin flower. Unable to cope with hot dry conditions, chickweed will usually die back in late summer. Chickweed seeds make great birdseed and are commercially harvested. It grows throughout the United States.

Henbit

Henbit is responsible for creating a purple carpet of flowers on lawns in the northern states of America. The weed grows to about 12 inches in height. The weed comes from seeds sown the previous year that germinate in early spring. To deal with this weed, the seeds have to be stopped from germinating. This is best done in fall by using a pre-emergent herbicide. Pre-emergent herbicides are available in most gardening stores, and kill the seeds before they develop unlike regular herbicides. Regular herbicides kill plants once they've grown. Though it's generally considered a weed, henbit is commonly used in flower arrangements due to its distinct leaf shape.

Nimblewill

An aggressive grass-like weed, nimblewill will invade lawns in the summer months east of the Rockies. The weed has long green leaves that stretch 2 inches high. Flowers bloom from the weed in late summer. As the temperature cools, nimblewill loses color, becoming a dirty brown. Nimblewill is impossible to kill selectively once it takes hold. The only options are killing all plants in the area and reseeding, or digging up the area of nimblewill. Digging up the weed may not work long term because the seeds can stay dormant for the next year. Keep your lawn mowed short to resist nimblewill.

Crabgrass

Commonly mistaken to be any grass that an owner doesn't like, crabgrass is a short stumpy weed that grows horizontally. It smothers other grasses as it stretches outward. The stems of the grass look like the legs of a crab, hence the name. Crabgrass grows in the warm summer heat, and is killed quickly by the first frost of fall. Crabgrass is distinguishable from other grasses by the direction it grows and the light shade of green in its leaves. Herbicides are available that will kill crabgrass either before the seeds have germinated or once the weed has taken hold. Crabgrass is a problem throughout America.

References

• American Lawns: Weed Types
• Green Nature: Types of Weeds

Resources

• The Seed Site: Weeds