It’s nice as I drive around the county to finally see some green plants out there, but as they say, “every coin has 2 sides”. On closer inspection, a lot of those green plants are “weeds”. Keeping with the “2 sides” saying, not everything about weeds is totally bad. If you are running livestock, many of those weeds are a welcome source of protein and animals, including wildlife, are making good use of lots of them. Beekeepers reap the benefits of weeds early blooms as bees are really getting busy now going from 1 to another turning pollen into honey. The wildflowers Texans love are mostly what some could argue are weeds. By definition a weed is “any plant out of place”, so if it is something besides what you intend to grow, it is a weed. Right now, there are a lot of weeds popping up in everyone’s lawns, flowerbeds, and gardens and the calls are coming in fast and furious.
Leaders of the pack seem to be henbit and thistles. Both have been there since last fall when they germinated and formed a low-lying rosette, so we didn’t notice them, but now they are “growing like a weed”. It is too late for preemergent herbicides to control them, so we need to switch to post-emergent herbicides. Many of the broadleaf herbicides will easily control these 2 species of weed and are safe for use on your turfgrasses. The label on the container will specify which plants it controls. Keep in mind, many trees, shrubs, flowers, and vegetables are also broadleaf plants so don’t take herbicide use lightly. Follow the directions for mixing and application rates on the label and remember “the label is the law”. Another option is to mow a few times and let the summer heat do the rest. The drawback there is seed will likely be produced and start the process over again this fall. If you go that route, the fall application of preemergent herbicide will stop them then.
Personally, I’m just glad I live off of the road a ways so you can’t see my prized weed patch of a yard right now. Momma always said, “the cobblers kids go barefoot” and that definitely applies to my yard!
