Creeping weeds in the lawn put our tolerance to weeds to the test. Rigorous control measures are required to ensure that ground ivy, couch grass, ground elder or buttercup do not gain the upper hand in the green carpet. The correct approach depends on whether the gardener can name the weed by its name. This guide explains how to identify common lawn weeds and how to destroy them without poison.

Weeds don't like to be seen in a well-groomed lawn

Table of Contents

Show all
  1. the essentials in brief
  2. Top 10 Determinants
  3. Destroy perennial lawn weeds
  4. Control annual lawn weeds
  5. frequently asked Questions

    6. the essentials in brief

    • Weeds often grow due to lack of nutrients
    • Fertilizing and scarifying prevents weeds; Lime helps if the soil is acidic
    • Weeds are best controlled manually; the use of herbicides must be avoided at all costs
    • Perennial weeds should be removed before seed formation

    Top 10 Creeping Lawn Weeds - Identifying Features

    Characteristic of creeping weeds in lawns is prostrate growth with numerous, epically long stolons. The unwanted plants owe their name to this property. Of course, this knowledge is not enough for a successful fight. If you want to cross swords victoriously with the stubborn weeds, you should know the culprit by name. This listing debunks the 10 most common crawling lawn weeds with important identifying characteristics:

    Surname botanical name leaf shape Growth length in cm blossoms heyday annual/perennial
    Groundman Glechoma hederacea kidney-cordate, notched, hairy 10-50 blue-purple bell-shaped flowers April to July perennial
    goutweed Aegopodium podagraria ovate, threefold pinnate, jagged 30-100 white, flat umbels June to July perennial
    crawling bugle Ajuga reptans ovoid, shiny on top 10-30 blue, pink, white mock whorls April to June biennial
    Creeping buttercup Ranunculus repens threefold pinnate, toothed 10-50 golden yellow, fivefold May to September perennial
    Little Brownie Prunella vulgaris elliptic, crenate, evergreen 5-30 blue-violet, fivefold, goblet-shaped June to October perennial
    meadow clover Trifolium pratense fingered in three parts 15-60 red spherical flowers April to October one to two years old
    white clover Trifolium repens fingered in threes 5-30 white spherical flowers May to September perennial
    Chickweed Stellasia media ovate tapering 3-40 white starry flowers May until October annual
    Thread Speedwell Veronica filiformis round, small 10-50 sky blue March to June annual
    chickweed cerastium elongated to round 5-30 many colours April to September annual or perennial

    The Little Brownelle crawls quietly and secretly through the lawn

    The leaf shape primarily reveals which creeping weeds are taking over your lawn. Flower shape and color also provide meaningful information. If this table put you on the right track, consult the relevant article on Wikipedia. Here you can read about important identifying features, such as the arrangement of the leaves, coloring of the leaves above and below, and the shape and color of the flowers.

    As this table shows, perennial species dominate the top 10 creeping lawn weeds. Unfortunately, you are dealing with extremely stubborn rivals at Gundermann and company. Annual weed species give up more quickly and can be pushed out of the green field with simple control methods.

    In the fight against ground elder and ground ivy, the futility of human activity is revealed.

    Destroy perennial creeping lawn weeds

    The most promising control strategy against perennial, creeping lawn weeds depends on the infestation stage. In the early stages with local weed nests, a different approach makes sense than in the case of large-scale spread over the entire lawn. A tried and tested step-by-step guide is given below for both variants. How to get rid of crawling weeds in your lawn:

    Combat isolated weeds manually

    Scattered weeds can best be removed by hand

    The aim of manual control is to completely remove the mother plant and its long offshoots from the lawn. Pulling the weeds out of the ground by hand only achieves short-term success. Tiny root remnants are enough for a new shoot. Instead, grab a weed puller. Use the V-shaped shovel to penetrate deep into the turf to lift all the roots out of the ground. Use the weeder to follow the foothills to the end and lift them out of the lawn along with their short root strands.

    The practice-tested method is less strenuous if the lawn is well moistened. A weed puller from Fiskar or Gardena is easy on the back. The functional principle is based on a combination of handle and gripping knives, which makes bending down unnecessary.

    Destroy extensive lawn weeds mechanically

    If creeping weeds are spreading over a large area in the lawn, you are on a losing battle with a weed puller. Get a scarifier (€84.00) as a mechanical protection aid to fight goutweed, ground ivy and other snaking weeds. How to properly scarify to remove creeping weeds from the lawn:

    1. cut the lawn
    2. Set the scarifier to a cutting depth of 3 mm
    3. Place the device on the lawn and switch it on
    4. scarify a lane, switch off the device and check the result
    5. if necessary, modify the cutting depth to 4 mm, maximum 5 mm
    6. Comb out weed-covered lawns lengthwise and crosswise (checkerboard pattern).
    7. Sweep the combed-out lawn thatch with weeds
    8. Caution: do not dispose of in the compost, but bring to the nearest landfill or composting facility
    9. mow again after scarifying and sweeping

    Where perennial, creeping weeds are destroyed, they leave small or large gaps in the lawn. Since Gundermann, Giersch or Günsel will sprout again from even the tiniest root remains, you should give the lawn grass a growth advantage. You can do this by repairing and re-seeding open lawns. By the time creeping weeds have recovered from the control measure and can start again, vital lawn grasses have gathered to form a dense, green bulwark and suppress weed growth.

    digression

    Steer clear of herbicides

    Avoid using herbicides in the garden

    The stubbornness of perennial lawn weeds can drive those affected to incandescence. Those who swing the chemical club while suffering from ground ivy, ground elder and dandelion are doing their health, the environment and nature a disservice. Glyphosate and other chemical herbicides are suspected of being carcinogenic and partly responsible for insect mortality. In practice, it has been found that chemical weed killers kill all life in the lawn, apart from creeping perennial weeds.

    Control annual creeping lawn weeds

    Annual creeping lawn weeds mostly grow as seed weeds. Chickweed or thread speedwell has a single season available for germination, growth, flowering, seed formation and self-seeding. The seeds can survive in the soil for many years and retain their ability to germinate. Weed seeds often nest under the sod when the new plant is planted or are carried by the wind onto the lawn. Unfortunately, when you scarify the lawn to fight off perennial weeds, the wild seeds get buried deeper. There, the long-lived seeds cunningly wait for ideal conditions.

    The rule of thumb for successful control is: Do not let annual creeping weeds bloom in the lawn. The plan succeeds by mowing the lawn weekly from spring to autumn. Do not allow more than 5 to 7 days between appointments. This period is much too short for seed formation and germination. Furthermore, in the long run, you buy the edge from the wild herbs, so that their growth power slacks.

    tips

    Correct mowing supports the lawn in the silent fight against creeping weeds. Do not cut back the noble grasses more than 4 centimeters. Thanks to this stalk height, lawn grasses cast permanent shadows on weed seeds and creeping weed tendrils. This suppresses germination and stops photosynthesis, which effectively slows down invasive spread in the lawn.

    frequently asked Questions

    What is the main cause of creeping weeds in the lawn?

    A lack of nutrients is often the reason for weeds in the lawn

    Nutrient deficiencies are considered the most common cause of the invasive spread of crawling lawn weeds. The noble grasses of the lawn need a significantly higher quantity of nutrients than ground ivy and Co. If there is a lack of nutrients in a green area, weeds take advantage of the moment and overgrow the weakened grass. Annual fertilization in spring and autumn strengthens the growth of noble lawn grasses so that they can suppress creeping competition on their own.

    Yellow weeds are creeping through my lawn. What is that? How do I counteract this?

    Your description shows that creeping buttercups (Ranunculus repens) have settled in your lawn. It is a yellow flowering weed with a persistent urge to spread. Fatally, the common lawn weed multiplies via deep roots, long runners and countless seeds at the same time, making control a nerve-wracking challenge. Consistently prick each specimen deeply to catch all root strands. Regular lawn mowing keeps self-seeding under control.

    Numerous arable thistles spread through the lawn and make walking barefoot impossible. What to do?

    With its prickly, creeping tendrils, the corn thistle is one of the dreaded lawn weeds. You can take advantage of a growth characteristic of scratchy plants for effective control without chemical herbicides. Thistles have hollow stems. Mow whenever the weather forecast calls for rain. With the rain, water penetrates deep into the stems and causes the weeds to rot. Alternatively, water the lawn after mowing.

    How can you destroy creeping weeds in the lawn without strenuous weeding, cumbersome scarifying and poisonous herbicides?

    A convenient control method cuts off creeping lawn weeds from access to sunlight, causing photosynthesis to halt. For this purpose, cover weed-infested areas of lawn with black foil. Fix the foil edges with stones or gravel. It takes about two months for the weeds under the film to die. Now you can remove the foil. Shovel off the top layer of soil, spread a mixture of sifted compost soil and sand as a seedbed, pressing down with a roller or your hands. Now sow fresh lawn seeds and water with a fine spray.

    tips

    An imaginative garden design without a lawn puts an end to the grueling battle against creeping weeds. Floral beauties such as star moss (Sagina subulata), Roman lawn chamomile (Anthemis nobilis v. ligulosa) and thyme (Thymus citriodorus) are the creative alternative to the monotonous lawn monotony. Also welcome here are the golden yellow buttercups of creeping buttercups, cinquefoils and other creepers unjustly vilified as weeds.

Category:

Herbs