By DoMyOwn staff
Learn how to identify and treat chickweed to keep your lawn healthy and weed-free!
Today, we're tackling a common nuisance in yards across the U.S.—chickweed. Let's learn how to spot it and eliminate it!
Chickweed is a low-growing winter annual with small, oval leaves and distinctive white flowers. It thrives in damp, cool spots and thrives in lawns, gardens, and even wooded areas.
If you see chickweed in the fall, it has been dormant in your lawn during the summer months and can continue to grow through the winter.
To identify chickweed, look for dense patches close to the ground, often in areas with recently disturbed soil. During the springtime, Chickweed blooms into white flowers with ten narrow petals that spread seeds for future growth.
There are three steps we’ve found most effective for our customers to get rid of chickweed in your lawn.
Step 1: Apply a Pre-Emergent Herbicide
A pre-emergent herbicide will prevent chickweed from growing into new plants. Apply it in the fall before seeds germinate. A second annual application in the Spring – usually in February or March- can offer year-long control and is recommended.
Step 2: Use a Post-Emergent Herbicide
If chickweed is already growing on your property, apply a post-emergent herbicide in early spring or late fall when soil temperatures are above 50°F. This targets mature plants effectively. A post-emergent herbicide with a three-way or four-way ester formulation is a great solution for controlling existing weeds. In most states where chickweed is plentiful, this means applying your post-emergent treatment before November or after February. These months, when chickweed will be actively growing, are your best opportunity to see results from a post-emergent weed killer.
Before applying a pre- or post-emergent to your lawn, check the product’s label to ensure it is approved for your grass type.
Step 3: Manually Remove or Loosen Chickweed Plants
For smaller patches of chickweed, you can hand-pull it while loosening the soil with a hoe or trowel for easier extraction. Removing chickweed by hand can be a challenge, as the stems and roots will often break during pulling, scattering more seeds nearby. If the chickweed plants on your lawn are not too dense or tough, try loosening the soil around the weeds with a hoe or trowel, then carefully remove the plants as intact as possible.
Remember, a healthy lawn is your best defense. Regularly aerate, fertilize appropriately, and maintain proper soil moisture to discourage chickweed growth.
And it’s that easy with the expert help from DoMyOwn.com. Subscribe to our channel for more DIY and product videos.
