College of Agriculture & Natural Resources

• Ground Ivy

  Ground ivy, also known as creeping Charlie, is an aggressive perennial that is ideally suited to many landscape situations. It prefers moist, well-fertilized, shades sites maintained at a low mowing height.

• Powdery Mildew

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

• 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.

• Quackgrass

  Quackgrass is a common grassy weed of turfed areas. Quackgrass is a perennial and can often be spotted by its dull blue-green appearance. Because quackgrass spreads by rhizomes (underground stems) it responds very well to cultivation practices. It is common to have quackgrass contamination in unscreened topsoil. Each rhizome section has the ability to produce a new plant.

• 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).

• Common Mallow

  Common mallow most often establishes along culverts, fencelines and near foundations. Common mallow forms a clump whorled branches that do not root where they touch the ground.

• Yarrow, Common

  Common yarrow is considered a desirable herbaceous perennial by many gardeners and is sold in its cultivated form at most greenhouses.

• Creeping Speedwell

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

• Field Bindweed

  Field bindweed is a common weed in subdivisions that were converted from agricultural land. Bindweed has an aggressive rhizomatous root system with trailing stems that spread quickly and can overtake mulched beds, bushes and fence rows. It is common to see bindweed smothering junipers and other bushes. The white and pink flowers are distinctly from the morningglory family. The veins are conspicuous on the arrowhead shaped leaves (sagitate or hastate).

• 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.

• 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.

• Corn Speedwell

  Corn speedwell is an upright, clumping winter annual that produces small purple flowers in the spring. The lower, non-flower, portion of the plant has leaves that are round-to-oblong with rounded teeth on the margin in an opposite arrangement.

• Yellow Hawkweed

  Yellow hawkweed is a creeping perennial of low maintenance turf, roadsides and native areas. It can be an indicator of low soil fertility or slightly acidic soils. Hawkweed spreads by stolons and rhizomes creating colonies that form patches.

• Leaf Spot

  Leaf spot is a warm-weather disease, but the pathogen overwinters as dormant mycelium in infected plants and dead grass debris.

• Giant Foxtail

  Giant foxtail is a larger plant than green or yellow foxtail. Giant foxtail will not tolerate mowing and is rarely found in mowed turf areas. It is most commonly a weed of cultivated crops.

• Dandelion

  Common dandelion is a simple perennial (no branching) with a basal rosette that has deeply lobed leaves that generally point back towards the center of the rosette. Probably the most common weed in maintained turf.

• Yellow Rocket

  Yellow rocket is a rosette-forming winter annual that is usually associated with bare, disturbed soil or new establishments (prefers nutrient-rich, medium-textured soils).

• Perennial Sowthistle

  Perennial sowthistle is common in roadside and low maintenance turf and somewhat less common in landscapes. It prefers slightly alkaline or neutral soils, fine-textured, rich soils. Perennial sowthistle will not thrive on coarse sandy soils.

• Rough Bluegrass

  Rough bluegrass is often used to overseed dormant warm-season turfgrasses. Overseeding typically occurs in the fall to provide a playing surface throughout the winter months.

• Buckhorn Plantain

  Buckhorn plantain is a narrow-leaved perennial that forms a rosette. The 3-10 inch long leaves are less than 1 inch wide and arise from a thick, shallow tap root. Buckhorn plantain is very common in maintained turf but will also survive in meadows and waste areas.