WEEDS: Early Detection and Prevention Make All The Difference

Weeds are not attractive in turf and they are costly to fix. Early detection and proactive management to remediate and prevent future Infiltrations are sound landscape procedures. The first step is to recognize the infiltration in its early stages. And if you are working with the right landscape contractor they should be doing this for you. But it doesn’t hurt to work as a team to control this potentially costly problem from spreading. Here are three South Florida weeds that cause the most damage:

Pennywort (aka Dollar Weed)

It shows up initially in patches, and then spreads using an underground root system. The typical cause is overwatering of the turf. The solution is to shut off the water and spray with an effective herbicide.

Sedges

Sedges have stems that are triangular in shape and can take over an entire St. Augustine yard. It tends to grow in moist soils that do not drain well. The typical cause is from seed heads relocated by wind or intrusion from underground tubers that are difficult to eliminate. The solution requires spraying with a specific class of herbicide with repeated applications with appropriate timing.

Creeping Charlie (aka Crab Grass)

This weed shows up in very large patches in the turf. The typical cause is previous germination in the soil. The solution is quick action given the aggressive spreading root system of this week. Apply a quick action herbicide to halt its progress.

Solution

The only solution for an advanced weed invasion and infiltration is turf replacement. Given the cost per acre of $25,000 including removal and re-grassing or re-sodding, it makes sense to focus on working with your contractor on early detection, but also to maintain a consistent “6x” lawn feeding and fertilization program. When it comes to keeping your turf beautiful and healthy an ounce of prevention is far cheaper than a pound of remediation.

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