12 Common Garden and Lawn Weeds You Should Know—and How to Eliminate Them for Good

Weeds in the garden and lawn can be quite frustrating, but there are ways to manage them effectively. Simple methods like mulching, creating raised garden beds, or maintaining healthy grass—such as a clover yard—can reduce their presence. For natural weed control, consider options like vinegar weed killer or other homemade weed killer solutions. Pairing weed control with smart planting, like incorporating hydrangeas or starting a bell pepper plant, can enhance your garden's appeal. Explore raised bed DIY projects or front yard garden ideas to create a thriving space, whether you're growing okra, a Brussels sprout plant, string beans, or even planning a patio design backyard or screen porch ideas.

RELATED: How to Create an Effective, Chemical-Free Homemade Weed Killer

1 | Crabgrass, Digitaria Ischaemum

Crabgrass is named for its crab-like look, which is characterized by sprawling stalks that hug the ground. The seeds of this genuine annual grass germinate in the spring, long before warm-season lawn grasses begin to grow, and it completes its life cycle in a single year.

How to Avoid Mowing Crabgrass Frequently:

Frequent Mowing

When crabgrass forms seed heads in the late summer, mow the grass frequently to reduce the amount of seed it produces. Crabgrass is often kept at bay by a dense, lush lawn.

The timing is crucial

Before seeds sprout, usually when the soil temperature reaches 50 to 55°F, apply pre-emergent herbicides.

Applying pesticides when forsythias start to blossom is a useful indicator.

RELATED: Effective Ways to Eliminate Crabgrass from Your Lawn

2 | Dandelion, Taraxacum Officinale

It can be difficult to eradicate dandelion due to its deep tap roots, particularly once it has established itself in your grass. Maintaining a dense, healthy lawn is essential to keeping them from taking over since they like thin, sparse grass. The following advice will help you avoid and get rid of dandelions:

• Frequent Overseeding: By reducing the amount of space available for dandelions to grow, overseeding helps keep your lawn thick and healthy.
• Take out the grass clippings: By adding nutrients to the soil, grass clippings can encourage the growth of grass and deter dandelions from growing on your lawn.
• Employ Iron-Based and Pre-Emergent Herbicides: Dandelions can be controlled with products that work well against crabgrass and other weeds. Iron-based solutions and pre-emergent herbicides might be useful additions to your weed control regimen.
• Pull Dandelions by Hand: For a more straightforward method, remove as much of the root as you can using a hand weeder or trowel. Since each dandelions plant can yield hundreds of seeds, it is easiest to remove immature dandelions before they go to seed.

RELATED: 3 Simple, Chemical-Free Ways to Eliminate Dandelions

3 | Prostrate Knotweed, Polygonum Aviculare

This perennial summer weed has thin, blue-green leaves and wiry, spreading stems that grow close to the ground. The enlarged, knot-like regions at each stem node are the source of its name.

Tips for Prevention and Removal

Regular soil aeration can help make your lawn less welcoming because knotweed prefers compacted soil. For the majority of home landscapes, hand eradication of established weeds works well.

RELATED: Lawn Aeration: What It Is and Why Your Yard Needs It

Making Use of Herbicides

Iron-based herbicides can efficiently target immature knotweed plants if chemical management is required. Use a product such as Barricade Professional-Grade Pre-Emergent Weed Control in late winter or early spring to prevent weeds. It can prevent knotweed from ever developing if applied prior to the germination of knotweed seeds.

4| Clover Leaf, Trifolium Ripens or Trifolium Pratense

Compared to conventional grass lawns, clover can be a visually appealing and low-maintenance option. Rabbits love this perennial plant, which comes back year after year as a food. Although many homeowners find it charming, there are practical techniques to manage clover if you don't like the tiny white or pink blooms.

Methods for Managing Clover Without Using Herbicides

There are non-chemical methods you can employ if you would rather have a lawn free of clover:

• Apply Nitrogen Fertilizer: Use a fertilizer high in nitrogen to improve the health of your grass. This helps the grass outcompete the clover by promoting its growth.
• Mow Higher: Keep your lawn at least three inches tall. The soil is shaded by taller grass, which prevents clover from getting the sunshine it needs to grow.

RELATED: How to Create an Effective, Chemical-Free Homemade Weed Killer

5 | Prostate Spurge, Euphorbia Maculata

A master of adaptation, this sprawling, dense ground plant can grow in gardens, thin lawns, and even cracks in sidewalks.

Advice on How to Manage Prostrate Spurge

• Weed Early: As soon as you notice new growth, remove it. Because the sap from the plant might irritate skin, wear gloves.
• Use Mulch: To inhibit its growth and stop it from establishing, spread mulch over garden beds.
• Keep Your Lawn Healthy: A thick, well-kept lawn reduces the amount of space prostrate spurge has to establish itself, keeping your yard free of spurge.

RELATED: 5 Clever Ways to Repurpose Your Grass Clippings

6 | Henbit, Lamium Amplexicaule

In late fall and early winter, henbit, a typical winter annual or biennial, frequently infiltrates lawns. Its purple flowers, which are grouped in whorls amid the higher leaves, make it easy to recognize in the spring.

How to Maintain Control Over Henbit

• Encourage Dense Turf: Select a turfgrass type that is appropriate for your area and keep it well-maintained with appropriate watering, mowing, and fertilizing. Henbit and other weeds are normally pushed out by a healthy lawn.
• Modify Watering: Water sparingly but deeply in the late summer and fall. Henbit seeds require surface moisture to germinate, which is decreased by this.

7 | Nutsedge, Cyperus Esculentus (yellow nutsedge) and Cyperus Rotundus (purple nutsedge)

Well-irrigated regions are ideal for nutsedge, a weed that resembles grass and has triangular or V-shaped leaf blades. Because pieces of the plant frequently remain after hand-pulling, its vast underground system of bulbs, roots, and fibrous rhizomes makes it difficult to maintain.

The Best Methods for Handling Nutsedge:

• Enhance Drainage and Irrigation: By controlling irrigation and enhancing drainage, you can lessen the likelihood that nutsedge will spread throughout your lawn.
• Hand-Weeding: This method can work well for tiny patches, but make sure to dig deep and get rid of the entire root system. To get rid of regrowth, frequent removal and routine monitoring can be required.

RELATED: Lawn Aeration: What It Is and Why Your Yard Needs It

When the Need for Chemical Control Occurs:

• Employ Particular Herbicides: Ortho Nutsedge Killer for Lawns is one herbicide that may be used for extensive infestations. For correct usage, always adhere to the product's instructions.

8 | Creeping Charlie, Glechoma Hederacea

Ground ivy, another name for creeping Charlie, is a perennial with scalloped, brilliant green leaves. Once established, it is difficult to control because it spreads quickly through its roots stems.

The Best Methods for Eliminating and Avoiding Creeping Charlie:

• Keep Your Lawn Dense: The best defense is a dense, healthy lawn. Selecting the appropriate turfgrass for your region will guarantee a competitive, healthy lawn that can outgrow creeping Charlie.
• Hand Removal: It can work well to pull Charlie up creeping by hand. Make sure to cut off as many trailing stems as you can. This will gradually drain the roots' energy and aid in controlling the spread.
• Overseed Cool-Season Grasses: Overseeding can help fill in the turf and stop creeping Charlie from taking over if your lawn is shaded and cool-season grasses are diminishing.
• Employ Weed Killers Based on Iron: Applying iron-based herbicides to plants that are actively growing can help control creeping Charlie.

9 | Quackgrass, Elytrigia Repens

Quackgrass is a weedy grass that produces seedheads that resemble wheat and has long, rough blades. It can recover from tiny root fragments left over after weeding and has a deep root system.

The Best Methods for Managing Quackgrass

• Maintain a Dense Lawn: To reduce quackgrass through competition, make sure your lawn is robust and dense. To fill up gaps and prevent quackgrass from growing, overseed thin spots.
• Mow Frequently: Frequent mowing inhibits the growth of seeds and slows the spread of quackgrass.
• Hand Removal: Pull quackgrass by hand if at all possible, being careful to remove as much of the root system as you can.
• Employ Pre-Emergent Herbicides: To stop seedlings from establishing, use pre-emergent herbicides in the early spring. However, as pre-emergent herbicides can hinder seed germination, do not use them if you are overseeding your lawn.

RELATED: 3 Simple, Chemical-Free Ways to Eliminate Dandelions

10 | Poison Ivy, Toxicodendron Radicans

Not just in the woods, but even in backyards, poison ivy is a notorious invasive plant. Itching and rashes result from contact with the plant.

The Best Methods for Managing Poison Ivy

• Hand Removal: To protect yourself, put in long sleeves and gloves. Remove as much of the poison ivy plants' roots as you can as you dig or cut them out.
• Chemical Herbicides: To eradicate the plants, use herbicides containing glyphosate, such as RoundUp, or triclopyr, such as Ortho Brush-B-Gon Poison Ivy Oak & Brush Killer. For a safe and efficient application, adhere to the manufacturer's directions.

11 | Horsetail Weed, Equisetum Arvense

The perennial horsetail weed spreads by both its roots and its leafless brown stalks. Because of its resilience, it can be difficult to control.

The Best Methods for Managing Horsetail Weed:

• Avoid Pulling It: Pulling horsetail plant can cause its roots to expand, making removal more difficult.
• Employ Mulch and Weed Barriers: To stop horsetail from spreading throughout your garden, use mulch and a weed barrier.
• Fertilize Your Lawn: By encouraging the growth of healthier grass, nitrogen-based fertilizers can help your lawn outcompete horsetail weed.

12 | Black Nightshade, Solanum Nigrum

Tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, and other nightshade plants are related to this broadleaf weed. It frequently grows next to them in farms and gardens, where it faces up against crops. Despite being a bee favorite, the plant and its berries are poisonous to many animals, including humans.

Methods for Handling Horsetail Weed:

• Use Weed Barriers and Mulch: Put in weed barriers and mulch to stop horsetail from growing all over your garden.
• Get Your Lawn Fertilized: Use nitrogen-based fertilizers to promote healthy grass growth and help your lawn outcompete horsetail weed.