Winter Annual Weeds: Treatment and Prevention

There are easy ways on how to treat winter annual weeds. If you’re seeing weeds and other unwanted plants sprout up on your lawn, then you may be dealing with winter annual weeds.

These weeds will steal nutrients making your turf grass, and it can sprout in your lawn till the next year. If nothing is done to prevent them.

 

What are Winter Annual Weeds?

Winter annual weed are unwanted plants that will sprout in your lawn and grow throughout winter. They produce seeds and die when temperatures warm for spring.

Winter annual weed differ from perennials in that these plants will complete a life cycle in one growing season. Many perennials can sprout from seeds and seemingly die, but they’ll continue to persist for several seasons.

They regenerative root system, some common examples of winter annual weed include henbit, annual bluegrass, gasps, and shepherd’s purse.

 

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Picture of Winter Annual Weeds

Below is a picture of Winter Annual Weeds.

 

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How to Treat Winter Annual Weeds

To stop winter annuals from growing on your lawn. You can apply a pre-emergent, and herbicide to prevent their germination.

Remember to check your soil temperatures before application. The best time to apply a pre-emergent and fall is when soil temperatures are consistently 55 to 60 degrees Fahrenheit for about a week before temperatures fall within the range of winter annual germination.

 

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1. To control a wide variety of winter annual weeds, we recommend you use barricade granular, and pre-emergent herbicide.
2. Barricade is a versatile emergent product, it can be applied in fall to some winter annual weeds as well. As in spring to stop the growth of summer annual weeds depending on your turf type.
3. You’ll apply between 1.5 to 2.4 pounds of barricade per 1,000 square feet of the treatment area.
4. If it’s too late to apply a pre-emergent herbicide and you’re seeing winter annual weeds in your lawn, then you’ll have to apply a post-emergent herbicide that’s labeled for the weed.
5. There is no single herbicide that can control every weed without also harming your grass. So it’s important you check any product label for your target weed.
6. Before application, get rid of established winter annual weeds, on warm-season turf.
7. We recommend you use Fahrenheit herbicide. If you have cool-season turf such as Kentucky bluegrass or fine Fescue then use MSM Turf. Both products are selective herbicides that will need to be mixed with water and can be used to control.
8. A variety of winter annual weeds, Fahrenheit’s active ingredients contain a small amount of metal fewer on methyl or MSM, while Amisom turf has only a higher concentration.
9. Creation of MSM to treat weeds with Fahrenheit. You can mix and apply 0.092 to 0.28 ounces in one gallon of water over. 1,000 square feet of the treatment area, depending on your targeted weed.
10. If you’re using MSM Turf, you’ll mix and apply 0.0057 to 0.023 ounces in one gallon of water over 1,000 square feet of treatment area.
11. We recommend you use a handheld pump sprayer.
12. If your lawn only has a few weeds, then conduct a spot treatment. If your property is more widespread placement, then conduct a broadcast application.
13. Both Fahrenheit and MSM Turf are selectively treating target weeds. While label turfgrasses go unharmed.
14. When your post-emergent herbicide is properly applied. You should see the affected weed start to die within two weeks.

 

Read also: How to Get Rid of Brown Patch Fungus on Lawn

 

How to Prevent Winter Annual Weeds

Winter annual weed will appear in fall and weaken your turf throughout the winter, but there are ways to prevent weed Invasion that’s gone out of hand. 

Both tillage and herbicides can be used to get rid of annual weed that appears in the winter. When they are young and easily managed, especially before they begin to flower, they are much less of a nuisance to control.

Herbicides lose some of their potency once winter annual weed starts flowering, thus timing is important. It is possible that tillage will continue to be an efficient way of weed control.

However, waiting until the weeds have flowered will result in a large loss of soil moisture for either form of weed control (herbicides or tillage).

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