A Guide To Most Common Lawn Weeds

Australia's lush green lawns are a source of pride for many homeowners, but they also face a relentless battle against invasive weeds. Understanding and managing these unwelcome guests is crucial for maintaining a healthy, vibrant lawn. In this comprehensive guide, we'll explore the most common lawn weeds and the effective strategies employed by lawn care professionals to keep them at bay.

Nutgrass, often mistaken for a grassy weed, is a perennial nuisance in many lawns. Its characteristics include an unjointed, triangular stem and thick, stiff leaves, making it easily distinguishable from the surrounding turf. This weed not only detracts from the lawn's aesthetic but also competes for nutrients and water, hindering the growth of desirable grasses.

Professional lawn care experts approach nutgrass with a targeted strategy. They use selective herbicides that specifically target nutgrass without harming the lawn. Additionally, maintaining a healthy lawn through proper mowing, watering and fertilisation can prevent nutgrass from gaining a foothold.

Tackling summergrass effectively involves a mix of early detection and targeted strategies. Let's explore key methods to manage this common lawn weed, ensuring your grass stays healthy and vibrant:

• Early Identification: Recognise summergrass by its soft, hairy leaves and fibrous roots.
• Regular Mowing: Keep the lawn at an optimal height to prevent summergrass from thriving.
• Selective Herbicides: Use herbicides that target summergrass while preserving the lawn.
• Watering Practices: Avoid overwatering, as summergrass thrives in moist conditions.
• Soil Health: Maintain soil health to discourage summergrass growth.

Crowsfoot grass is an annual weed with roots at the nodes. Its seedhead, featuring five or more spikelets pointing outwards, is a key identifying feature.

This grass-like weed prefers warm, moist environments and can quickly spread across lawns, especially in poorly drained areas.

Lawn care experts use a combination of manual removal and selective herbicides to control crowsfoot grass. They also recommend improving lawn health through proper fertilisation and aeration to prevent its spread.

Capeweed, an annual herb with yellow petals and deeply lobed leaves, poses a significant challenge to lawn health. Lawn care professionals identify capeweed through its distinctive appearance and implement a two-pronged approach to its management.



Initially, they use selective herbicides that target capeweed without harming the grass. Further, they advise on cultural practices like proper mowing and soil management to create an environment less conducive to capeweed growth.

Paspalum, a quick-growing grass found in wet areas, is known for its underground stems and flat leaves. It's particularly challenging due to its rapid growth and resilience:

• Herbicide Application: Use specific herbicides that target paspalum effectively.
• Manual Removal: For small infestations, manual removal can be effective.
• Maintaining Lawn Health: A healthy, dense lawn can prevent paspalum from establishing.
• Water Management: Avoid overwatering areas prone to paspalum growth.

At Ryans Turf, we understand the challenges you face with lawn weeds. Our team of experts, armed with quality lawn supplies and a deep understanding of local conditions, is ready to tackle these invasive species. Whether it's nutgrass, summergrass, crowsfoot grass, capeweed or paspalum, we have the solutions to keep your lawn looking its best. We invite you to get in touch with us for all your lawn care needs. Our approach is tailored to the unique conditions of each lawn, ensuring the best possible results. Contact us via our contact page or give us a call for more information. Let us help you maintain a healthy, weed-free lawn that you can be proud of.