College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

• Yellow Nutsedge

  Yellow nutsedge is a persistent perennial weed of poorly drained soils. Yellow nutsedge is grass-like in its appearance with parallel leaf veination. The stem of nutsedge is triangular with leaves coming off each corner (three-ranked).

• Prostrate Knotweed

  Prostrate knotweed is a supreme indicator weed. Knotweed is the earliest germinating of all the summer annual weeds. Due to its early germination timing, knotweed is able to claim resources and invade damaged areas before other desirable grasses begin to grow.

• Red Sorrel

  Red sorrel is a perennial weed of low-maintenance sites characterized by dry, infertile and often low pH soils. Red sorrel will survive at neutral pH but is usually not as prevalent because the turf will be more competitive under these conditions.

• Henbit

  Henbit is a winter annual that typically invades new seedings and thin turf (prefers nutrient rich soil). As with most winter annual weeds, they are most noticeable in the year of establishment. As turf density increases after renovation, henbit will not persist after the following spring.

• Fairy Ring

  Fairy rings tend to grow in circle shaped patterns through the organic matter in the soil, mat, and thatch, first appearing as dark green circular rings or arcs in the turf.

• Purple Deadnettle

  Purple deadnettle is a common weed invader of vacant agricultural fields, landscape borders, derelict lawns, and compost piles.

• Red Thread

  Red thread is a disease of slow growing turf. Red thread is easily recognized by the red to coral-pink fungal strands (stromata) produced on leaf blades and sheaths.

• Creeping Bentgrass

  Creeping bentgrass is a spreading cool-season perennial grass that is commonly used for golf course greens, tees and fairways. Like other grasses, bentgrass can be considered a weed when it is present in another species.

• Creeping Woodsorrel

  Creeping woodsorrel is a spreading perennial weed with a reddish-purple color that frequently roots at the nodes.

• English Daisy

  English Daisy is an escaped ornamental plant that can sometimes be found in lawns and pastures. Prefers heavy, moist, fertile soil and can tolerate mowing heights down to 1 inch.

• Powdery Mildew

  Turf affected by the disease have a grayish white cast, with initial symptoms appearing as white patches on the leaf blade.

• Common Lambsquarters

  Like many other summer annual broadleaf weeds, common lambsquarters is generally considered an 'establishment weed.' Common lambsquarters needs cultivation (bare, loose soil) to establish.

• Common Chickweed

  Primarily a winter annual, common chickweed is frequently found growing in the mulch skirts of shade trees. In general, common chickweed prefers shaded sites with moist soils. The vegetation forms mounds that are 3-7 inches tall. The delicate white-to-pink flowers appear early in the spring. Plants can persist in protected areas well after flowering.

• White Clover

  White clover is one of the most common weeds of turfgrass. It is frequently included on lists of difficult-to-control weeds. White clover, as with all legumes, has the ability to survive under low soil nitrogen conditions. It can be identified by the three leaflets attached to one petiole.

• Field Horsetail

  Field horsetail is most often a weed of landscape beds and low-lying areas. Horsetail can survive in turf, but often will not persist with routine mowing.

• Bermudagrass

  Bermudagrass is a warm-season perennial that spreads by stolons (above ground runners). Bermudagrass is a not widely considered to be cold tolerant, however, several selections exist that can overwinter in Michigan.

• Germander Speedwell

  Speedwell is often used as an ornamental ground cover and is commonly available at retail greenhouses. Germander speedwell is a perennial that has simple, opposite narrow leaves near the base that are slightly elongated.

• Common Milkweed

  Milkweed is easily identified by its upright growth habit and large (entire) leaves. All plant parts will exude a milky white latex when broken.

• Creeping Speedwell

  Creeping speedwell is a low growing perennial that prefers shade, moist soils, good fertility and a low mowing height.

• Heal All

  Heal All is a low growing, spreading, perennial of the mint family. It has very distinctive 'puckered' leaves with an opposite arrangement on square stems.