Combating weeds in your lawn in Minnesota lawn can be a challenging thing to do. With hundreds of different broadleaf weeds in Minnesota out there how can you keep up with all the seeds in the yard. Not to mention dandelion seeds can be in the soil for 20 years and when the conditions are right, pop comes up the “lovely” yellow flowers.
Other common Weeds in MN
SpeedwellsVeronica spp.
There are many different types of Speedwells that can invade a Minnesota Lawn. Many annual plants that spread via seed and yet many others that would be perennial that can spread and grow by seed, creeping stems as well as rhizomes. All are low lying plants that grow with tiny little leaves. Perennial plant species are typically more difficult to take control of.
VioletsViola spp.
The main two types of violets found most in Minnesota that are found on home lawns are the annual field violet and the somewhat pretty sweet violet which is perennial. Violets are characterized by their heart shaped leave structure and their purple, yellow or white flowers. Both types of violets can be very hard to deal with especially as a home owner.
Creeping Charlie or Ground Ivy Glechoma hederacea L. A common type of Minnesota Weeds , This is a persnickety perennial weed that has a intense creeping growth and spreading process. It lays flat against the ground with squareing stems and roots at each node section. Its ugly leave structures are rounded with toothed edgings. A common alert of its presence for this weed is that its leaves and stems produce a mint like odor when cut, damaged or crushed. This weed is more easily taken care of than the two weeds we looked at however, like most of the weeds mentioned, it will take a professional lawn care technician to keep it under control typically.
Other weeds found on home lawns that are considered hard to deel with include wild strawberry, yarrow, mossy stonecrop, field bindweed, knotweed and “elephant ears”. A combination of adequate and proper cultural practices, vital nutrition and a aggesive weed control programthat may involve repeated applications of commercial weed control materials tohelp to get these weeds taken care of for Minnesota Home Owners. It may require many additional applications and possibly several years of consistent care by a lawn care professional in Minnesota and the home-owners before absoulute control of these hard to kill weeds is accomplished.
Weeds MN Resistant To Selective Methods of Control
- Japanese KnotweedPolygonum cuspidatum Sieb. Zucc.
- Creeping Bellflower Campanula rapunculoides L.
- Goutweed or Bishopweed Aegopodium podagraria L.
- Field horsetail Equisetum arvense L.
- Jack in the Pulpit Arisaema triphyllum
These MN weeds ( Minnesota Weeds ) are seldom a concern in home lawns, however, when they do appear they can present a major problem. All are perennial plants and are extremely persistent. All reproduce by underground stems called rhizomes excluding jack in the pulpit, that make them very difficult to control. They cannot be selectively controlled on a lawn using weed control materials. They can, however, be effectively dug out of a lawn as long as care is given to remove entire plants, including all underground reproductive structures (seeds, rhizomes, roots).
Your local Lawn Care professional is a trained specialist in areas of turf grasses. He or she can properly identify most broadleaf weeds that exist on your lawn and determine the most suitable method for their control.
Why do I have dandelions so many dandelions?
Fertilization and weed control typically are the solution as a combined tool they can eliminate over 200 types of broadleaf weeds. Dandelions in Minnesota tend to get a majority of the attention. The bright yellow flower on the dandelion draws your eye in and points out to you that weeds exist in your lawn yet again. In reality the dandelion is probably the least of your issues because they do die off fairly easily. However, the seeds can survive for as many as 25 years. So sadly it really gets down to your seed bank in your particular lawn, your lawn density, plus germination conditions and the replenishment of the seed bank all determine how many new dandelion show up in your lawn each year. So every year you are likely to have at least some dandelion and other similar broad leaf weeds you are going to have to combat. Every year is a little different, the wind blows seeds in from a different directions, different weather conditions, cycles of lawn disease that can weaken an area and make it more susceptible for weed growth and other environmental conditions. So from year to year the amount of dandelions to surface may very and sometimes drastically. Commonly when you have a mass outbreak of dandelions is when you have weather temperature and rain variances. The biggest flurries of the yellow flowered menace is when you have hot to cold back to hot weather conditions add a little rain and you get perfect conditions for multiple new seeds and seed bank seeds to germinate in close succession causing a rash of yellow dandelions to pop up in the yard. The good news is typically 1 to 2 applications of weed control will knock them out completely, until the next situation where germination conditions are good again. If you have a low seed bank and not many neighbors that have tons of dandelions and good strong grass density then you will be one of those that hardly has any dandelions and you can smile and laugh at all the poor lawns that are covered in yellow.
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