As winter comes, grass grows dormant for the cold winter months, by shutting down and turning brown in order to conserve water and nutrients.
Common winter annual weeds are chickweed, henbit, Carolina geranium, annual bluegrass, hop clover, and lawn burweed. These weeds will be bright green in comparison to your dormant grass.
You can control these weeds by preventing their growth in the warmer months. These weeds are in your lawn all year long but are dormant in the warmer months. Once you begin seeing the weeds, they are actually close to the end of their life cycle. So for now, mowing over the weeds might be your best bet. But this is not your permanent solution.
To be sure you do not struggle with the same problem next winter, it is important to spray preemergence herbicide in the fall when nightly temperatures are between 55° to 60°F
for several consecutive nights (Usually beginning in October). Doing this will form a barrier on the soil surface that prevents the winter annual weeds from emerging.
Be sure to use a herbicide that is labeled for use for the lawn grass that you have. If you aren’t sure what kind of grass you have, we would be happy to help you out with identifying your grass, treating the problem areas, and controlling the weeds before you even notice them.
If you need help with Gainesville lawn weed treatments and fertilizer programs, give our team a call or text at (352) 378-5296. We're local and have been serving Gainesville for over 15 years. We look forward to working with you!