What is a broadleaf weed?

A broadleaf weed (i.e. dandelion, clover, and plantain) is any type of weed that is not considered a member of the grass family (i.e. crabgrass, nutgrass, and sedge).

Is controlling these weeds difficult?

Controlling broadleaf weeds is not a very difficult task; you can simply either apply a spray or granular product to the affected area under the right conditions. Great care must be taken when a lawn is under stress from heat or drought. It may take more than one application to completely eradicate all of the weeds in a given area, but the total effort required to kill broadleaf weeds is not very taxing.

Liquid control

Bonide puts out a product called Weed Beater which is a good choice for a liquid-based weed killer; Ortho’s Weed-B-Gon is also a good choice. Using liquid weed killers may be preferable over a granular because once you spray it, being sure to cover the entirety of the weeds, you may walk on your lawn again once the liquid has dried.

Granular control

As for granular weed killers, Preen has an excellent lawn weed killer in small and large bags. Another granular weed killer is the Bonide Weed Beater, which kills both broadleaf weeds and crabgrass. You can also purchase fertilizers with weed killers in them, such as Scott’s Turf Builder with Weed Control. When applying granular weed killers, be sure that it is not more than 90 degrees outside, and that the lawn is wet so that the granules will stick to the leaves of the weeds. When using granular weed killers, be sure not to walk on the lawn where you made your application for 24 hours to ensure that the granules are not disturbed.

Common Broadleaf Weeds:

Dandelions (Taraxacum officinale)

Clover (Trifolium repens)

Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major)

Spurge (Euphorbia maculate)

Pineapple weed (Matricaria matricarioides)

Knotweed (Polygonum aviculare)

Chickweed (Stellaira media)

Purslane (Portulaca oleracea)

Oxalis (Oxalis stricta, O. corniculata)

Ground Ivy (Glechoma hederacea)

Sheep Sorrel (Rumex acetosella)

Carpetweed (Mollugo verticillata)

Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule)

Wild Violets

Mallow

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