Search

Why Are There So Many Weeds This Year?

Share this post:

dandelion field Depending on where you live in the US, weeds are out of control because there has been so much rain this year. Rain equals weeds; that is just a fact of life in lawn care. It just so happens that the number one service call for any lawn care company has to do with weeds. Some weeds are easy to control, but others can be a real challenge. There are many ways that weeds can be controlled or eliminated, but why are some weeds more difficult than others?

 Weed Control: 5 reasons why is it not working?

  1. If you are spraying the weeds and the leaves are small, there may not be enough weed control applied, based on the size of the droplets coming from the spray equipment you are using.
  2. If the leaves are hairy, the weed control will sit on top of the hairs and evaporate before it has a chance to reach the leaf surface.
  3. If the weed has a waxy coating, like purslane or Virginia buttonweed, the weed control may roll off the leaf before it has a chance to be absorbed.
  4. If the weeds have an extensive root system, like Canada thistle, it allows the weed to regrow from the root systems that are not controlled.
  5. Some weeds have a very tough cuticle, or skin, like ground ivy or wild violets on their leaves and it is difficult for the weed control to penetrate.

weed1.1

  Many perennial weeds can be controlled by applying weed control in the fall. This is especially true of wild violets, ground ivy and clover. In the fall, the weeds are sending carbohydrates down into the root system. By spraying in fall, even as late as November, the weed control material will be moved into the root system, preventing the weeds from growing the following year.

weeds

Pulling Weeds by Hand

There are a few annual weeds that you can hand pull to eliminate them, but the one aspect of weeds that make them so hardy is the extensive root system that they grow. In many cases, if you don’t get the majority of the root when pulling the weed, a new weed will regrow from the root that is left behind.  The main stems on many weeds will easily break off at the ground level when they are pulled and a new plant will regrow from what is left behind. For those of you that live in areas of the US that are short on rain fall this year, weeds are still going to grow. They will not absorb the weed control product as readily as when there is adequate moisture. As for hand pulling, many weeds have adapted to grow if all types of environmental conditions due to their extensive root system. The tops of the plants may be gone, but the rest of the weed will survive to start growing again once the rain returns. If your lawn is experiencing a weed problem, contact your local Spring-Green office for more information.