5 Nuisance Weeds to Keep an Eye Out for on Your Lawn in The Villages, FL

Weeds are a nuisance for you and your lawn, stealing precious nutrients and dragging down its curb appeal. Here in The Villages, FL, there are five common weeds that you should keep an eye out for: doveweed, crabgrass, spurge, clover, and dollarweed. Knowing what each looks like and how to tackle them is vital for keeping your lawn weed-free. Continue reading to learn more about these five nuisance weeds!

1. Doveweed

Doveweed is a summer annual that grows low to the ground and has thick, shiny leaves. In the summer, it boasts tiny, lavender-colored flowers with three petals. Doveweed thrives in moist soil and spreads through seed dispersal, though it can also do so through stolons, making it an aggressive weed that's difficult to control. Because of this, the best way to manage it is through weed control treatments. Pre-emergents are ideal for preventing this weed from surfacing in the first place, while post-emergents are highly effective at eliminating any existing growth.

2. Crabgrass

Crabgrass is another common weed on lawns in The Villages, FL. It's an annual weed that becomes most problematic in the summer, growing low to the ground in clumps, with long, light green-yellow leaves that branch out and closely resemble crab legs, hence the name. It spreads through seeds and can rapidly become out of control without proper management. So, you'll want to apply pre-emergent weed control treatments to prevent crabgrass from taking over your lawn. You'll also want to use post-emergent weed control treatments to target any existing ones and ensure they don't continue to steal nutrients from your grass.

3. Spurge

Spurge is a nuisance annual weed that you'll want to keep an eye out for on your lawn in The Villages, FL. It forms a dense mat across your turf with stems that branch out from the center. These stems are dark reddish-pink and have ovular, dark green leaves that grow opposite each other. Spurge thrives in full sun exposure and poor soil conditions and spreads through seeds, which germinate when the temperatures are warmer. To control spurge, you'll need to utilize both pre- and post-emergent weed control treatments, as they're the most effective and efficient way to do so.

4. Clover

Clover is a perennial weed that commonly invades lawns in The Villages, FL. It has the well-known tri-leaflets, which form low-growing patches across your turf. It also sprouts small, white flowers and spreads through seeds and creeping stolons, making it a challenging weed to eliminate. Clover thrives in full sun and moist, nitrogen-deficient soils. If left untreated, it can quickly overtake your lawn, so you'll want to utilize weed control applications to manage it.

5. Dollarweed

Dollarweed is a perennial that grows low to the ground and has light green leaves on long stems shaped like silver dollars, hence the name. It thrives in overly moist, wet areas and spreads through seeds and rhizomes, making it a persistent, challenging weed to keep off your lawn. The best way to ensure dollarweed doesn't get the upper hand is to utilize both pre- and post-emergent weed control treatments.

Call us today to sign up for our weed control service and achieve a weed-free lawn!

If you want to keep your lawn free of doveweed, crabgrass, spurge, clover, dollarweed, and other pesky weeds, you've come to the right place! At FertiGator Lawn Care, we offer a weed control service that includes regular pre- and post-emergent applications throughout the year to get ahead of weeds before they sprout and eliminate any existing growth. This service is available to residential property owners in The Villages, FL, and other surrounding areas, including Lady Lake and Wildwood. Call us at (352) 314-2867 to sign up for our weed control service today and get started on achieving a weed-free lawn!