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Home > Topics > Plants > Weeds > Lawn Weed ID and Management > Conditions that favor lawn weeds

Conditions Favoring Lawn Weed Growth

Back to Tips for Weed Prevention and Management  [1]

A healthy, dense, vigorous lawn is the best defense against weeds. Practices that contribute to less weed problems include:

  • Soil testing [2] to check soil fertility and pH
  • Proper mowing height and frequency [3] 
  • Fertilizing at the recommended times [4]
  • Overseeding in the fall to thicken up the lawn  [5]

Common Lawn Weeds and Conditions that Favor their Growth

Problem/ConditionWeeds That May Grow
Shade-intolerant turfgrass has begun to thin out and decline in the shadeGround ivy [6], wild violets [7]
Compacted soilBroadleaf plantain [8], goosegrass [9], knotweed [10], prostrate spurge [11], annual bluegrass [12]
Droughty soilYarrow [13], prostrate spurge [14], knotweed [10], black medic [15], goosegrass [9]
Wet soilBentgrass, roughstalk bluegrass [16], Nutsedge [17], wild violets [7]
Lawn mowed too shortChickweed [18], crabgrass [19], annual bluegrass [20]
Lawn grown with infrequent
applications of nitrogen fertilizer
Plantain [8], black medic [21], lespedeza [22], nimblewill [23], chicory [24], clover [25], common speedwell [26]
High levels of nitrogenAnnual bluegrass [20], Common chickweed [18]
Acidic soilsRed sorrel [27]
Section: 
Home and Garden Information Center [28]
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Source URL: https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/topics/conditions-favoring-lawn-weed-growth?page=102

Links
[1] https://extension.umd.edu/node/12601
[2] https://extension.umd.edu/node/5797
[3] https://extension.umd.edu/node/11405
[4] https://extension.umd.edu/node/7284
[5] https://extension.umd.edu/node/948
[6] http://extension.umd.edu/node/4613
[7] https://extension.umd.edu/node/4328
[8] http://extension.umd.edu/node/4439
[9] http://extension.umd.edu/node/4429
[10] https://extension.umd.edu/node/11055
[11] https://extension.umd.edu/node/11058
[12] https://extension.umd.edu/hgic/annual-bluegrass#overlay-context=hgic/weeds
[13] https://extension.umd.edu/node/11062
[14] https://extension.umd.edu/node/5124
[15] https://extension.umd.edu/node/5118
[16] https://extension.umd.edu/node/11397
[17] http://extension.umd.edu/node/4431
[18] http://extension.umd.edu/node/4314
[19] http://extension.umd.edu/node/4355
[20] https://extension.umd.edu/node/4265
[21] https://extension.umd.edu/node/11053
[22] https://extension.umd.edu/node/11108
[23] https://extension.umd.edu/node/4430
[24] https://extension.umd.edu/node/4585
[25] https://extension.umd.edu/node/4587
[26] https://extension.umd.edu/node/4326
[27] https://extension.umd.edu/node/11061
[28] https://extension.umd.edu/sections/home-and-garden-information-center