Common Types of Weeds in Texas
Winter in Texas brings cooler temperatures which means most warm-season grasses go into dormancy. But while your lawn is dormant, weeds are not! The cool season brings along winter annual weeds. These pesky plants can be a bright green eyesore during winter dormancy in Texas lawns. We’ve compiled everything you need to know about common winter annual weeds in Dallas and how to control them.
What are Annual Weeds?
Annual weeds are a type of weed that completes its life cycle within a year. They typically grow, produce seeds, and die all in the same season. We have many different types of weeds in Texas, and understanding their active growing season and life cycle is crucial to keeping them under control.
How to Get Rid of Annual Weeds
Preventing annual weeds is key to maintaining a healthy lawn. Pre-emergent herbicides are the secret to successful preventative weed control. Applying pre-emergent herbicides before the active growing season can prevent weed seed germination before they can sprout. To prevent winter annual weeds, prevention should be applied in the early fall. For summer annual weeds, like crabgrass, prevention is applied in early spring. Pre-emergents aren’t the end-all solution, but they make maintaining a pristine lawn much more manageable throughout the seasons. You will still have some annual weeds break through, but they can be targeted with post-emergent weed control during the growing season.
Common Types of Winter Weeds in Dallas
These common weeds begin popping up during the winter months in Texas. The best way to get ahead of these pesky weeds is by applying a fall pre-emergent to stop them before they can sprout.
Henbit
Henbit is a low-growing weed with purple flowers. It’s a broadleaf annual weed and tends to pop up in lawns and gardens during the winter months.
Chickweed
Chickweed is easily identifiable by its small white flowers. It’s a common broadleaf winter annual weed. It can quickly spread across lawns and flower beds.
Annual Bluegrass – Poa Annua
Also known as “Poa”, this annual grassy weed is a big problem for homeowners during winter in Texas. It can form dense patches in lawns and produce seed heads. Eventually, it will die out in spring when soil temperatures warm up again.
The Difference Between Annual Weeds and Perennial Weeds
Understanding the difference between annual and perennial weeds is essential for the best weed control. Starting with their life cycle, Annual weeds complete their life cycle within a year, while perennial weeds can live for multiple years in the soil. Annual weeds usually have shallow root systems, making them easier to pull out. Perennial weeds often have deeper roots, making them more challenging to eliminate. Annual weeds produce seeds in one growing season, contributing to their spread. Perennial weeds may produce seeds over several seasons, making them more difficult to control and prevent. Weed control is the biggest difference between these types of weeds. Annual weeds can be prevented with a pre-emergent herbicide while perennials are not. They need to be addressed when they’re actively growing with a post-emergent herbicide. Common examples of perennial weeds are dandelion, dallisgrass, oxalis, and nutsedge.
Say Goodbye to Winter Weeds in Dallas with Lawn Tech
To ensure your Dallas lawn stays clear of invasive types of weeds through winter and the rest of the year, you may consider hiring a professional lawn care service in Dallas. The team at Lawn Tech is here to help! We offer high-quality lawn care services for every season. Our lawn care programs include weed control, pre-emergents, lawn fertilization, and more. We’ll make sure you never miss an important pre-emergent in early spring or early fall. Our programs are built to control the various types of weeds in Texas. In addition to lawn care, we offer tree and shrub care, aeration, and more. Contact us today for a free quote!