Are These Common Louisiana Weeds Invading Your Yard?

With hot weather, plenty of sun, and water everywhere in Southern Louisiana right now, it's a great time for your lawn to flourish. Unfortunately, weeds also love this kind of weather and they will be cropping up everywhere now. 

"Why are weeds so bad?" you may wonder. Some people say that weeds are just plants you don't want. But weeds can harm your lawn. 

Read on to learn about four common weeds you may be seeing in your yard.

Four Major Louisiana Weeds

These four weeds are some of the most common:

 ·      Dollar Weed: Also called pennywort, this weed likes living anywhere there’s standing water. Poor drainage can lead to dollar weed seemingly overnight, and then they germinate and spread to other areas. This weed roots anywhere that the creeping stems touch the soil, so they can get out of control fast.

·       Pony Foot: Also called dichondra, pony foot was once used as a ground cover in place of grass. But this tenacious weed is hard to eradicate once it has taken root in an area, and pony foot sucks water and nitrogen from your soil. Considering that it also loves to grow under trees, it can quickly harm trees and other plants.
 ·       Poa Annua: Also known as annual bluegrass, this weed may be invisible in your existing lawn grass until summer. As poa annua dies in the sun, your lawn suddenly has ugly brown patches all over. It loves damp and shady areas.
 ·       Clover: The four-leaf variety may bring luck, but clover is usually not a good addition to a lawn. Anything that is an undesirable plant is considered a weed, even if it’s not particularly bad for your lawn.

Crabgrass, sedge, and other types of weeds may also be growing now as well. And let’s not forget those dandelions!

Are these weeds taking over your yard?

Weed Prevention Tips

Many of these common weeds love damp and shady spots. Just as you would prepare your property for mosquitoes by removing any standing water, be sure to consider any soggy spots in your lawn to keep the weeds away.

Because this year experienced such an early spring, you can fertilize later than you might have in the past. 

Grass needs to be stronger than the weeds to survive against the competition. Don’t mow your lawn too low, as this can give weeds the space they need to root and grow even more. If your lawn is really shady, which many weeds like, consider thinning the canopy to let more light in.

Call Fischer for Lawn Protection

Our lawn care programs are designed to keep your lawn healthy year-round. We not only control weeds, but also prevent insect infestations, and keep the desired plants in good health. We can treat fungus, winter weeds, and more. 

Starting with an inspection is important to ensure that the conditions aren’t fighting against the treatments. 

We can advise you on how to achieve the best conditions to discourage weed growth, in addition to providing the treatments to keep it that way.

Call us at (800) 391-2565 for information on how we can help your lawn stay healthy and beautiful year-round.

You can also learn more about our process by looking at our lawn care program schedule.