11 Common Lawn Weeds in Memphis, TN and North Mississippi

Lawn weeds are just the worst. They sneak into a great looking lawn and ruin its overall aesthetic. Nothing is more annoying.

And even if you think you’re taking proper care of your lawn, when weeds find a way in, they are the last thing you need. Who has time for weeds? You have a full-time job. You have a family. You have plans. You don’t need these pesky nuisances to make your lawn look unkempt and neglected.

Enough is enough.

11 Common Lawn Weeds in Tennessee You’d Like to Not Have Ruining Your Yard

While common lawn weeds in Mississippi don’t have their own club, they might as well. They are all uniquely tough and challenging to control.

But you’re tougher, right?

Once lawn weeds settle into your lawn, you have to know what weeds you’re dealing with in order to properly fight them.

Here are the most common lawn weeds in Tennessee and common lawn weeds in Mississippi so you can learn a little bit more about these ugly invaders and how to eliminate them from your sight.

1. Crabgrass

One of the most opportunistic common weeds in grass that need proper control is crabgrass.

In fact, this nasty weed begins germinating in the soil during the spring, and if left to continue growing, crabgrass can really get ugly in June and July.

Crabgrass is the monster of weeds because it can produce up to 75,000 seeds in just one growing season, meaning those thick, unattractive clumps you hate will multiply pretty quickly.

Crabgrass loves thin lawn areas and sneaks its way in where it can. This is what makes it so good at being a weed … and also a bane to your existence. Once crabgrass gets thick and strong it can continue bullying out your lawn. What’s worse is that it leaves bare areas in its path that you have to fix later or else they are continually vulnerable to crabgrass. Your poor lawn just keeps getting weaker as a result.

Because this weed is so strong, the best way to control crabgrass is through properly timed pre-emergent weed control applications and then post-emergent herbicide applications for any weeds that break through afterward. This way you are stopping this opportunistic weed from strong-arming its way into your lawn.

2. Dallisgrass

Dallisgrass is a common lawn weed in Tennessee that is a crabgrass look-alike.

This warm-season perennial is a clumping grass that comes back every year compared to crabgrass, which is an annual. This coarse weed is a distinct greenish-gray color that may have some sparse hairs on its upright leaf blades.

Dallisgrass can spread easily with its extensive fibrous root system. Pre-emergent herbicides applied at the correct time and rate are critical for controlling dallisgrass, as well as post-emergent control and practicing proper lawn care cultural practices to keep your lawn thick and healthy and more defensive against this weed.

3. Nutgrass

As a grass-like weed, nutgrass – or nutsedge – is known to grow faster than your regular grass, meaning it’ll usually stand taller than your lawn. You’ll notice this a couple of days after mowing for sure, as nutsedge rises up.

As a perennial common weed in grass with a massive reproduction system, nutsedge will come back year after year if you don’t get a handle on it. Like other weeds, they are persistent and aggressive by nature, stealing water and nutrients from your lawn at any chance they can get.

Controlling nutsedge, therefore, involves a multi-pronged approach, including proper identification, proper lawn care, and proper control strategies.

4. Buttonweed

As you’re looking through your Memphis, TN or North Mississippi lawn, you might see weeds with small, white flowers that each have four star-shaped petals.

Sometimes, you might even see pink streaks in the center, as well as two sepals. Its leaves will be slightly thick that have slightly rough margins that are green on top and light green underneath. And its stems may look hairy.

This is buttonweed, a deep-rooted perennial that spreads by rhizomes, which are underground stems.

The common weed in grass is a vigorous grower and can easily tolerate close mowing. Also, when mowing, if you happen to leave the broken pieces of plant where they have been cut, they go back into the ground and reroot, continuing to spread. When left uncontrolled, this mat-forming weed can smother out turfgrass.

Applying pre-emergent herbicides at the correct time and rate can help battle buttonweed.

5. Annual Bluegrass

Poa annua or annual bluegrass is an annual grass that spreads easily and infests lawns and landscapes. With a lighter, brighter green color, a softer texture, and blades that curl toward their centers, they can make your lawn look rather patchy.

In Memphis, TN and North Mississippi lawns, this clumping weed starts to look rather out of place pretty quickly. Unfortunately, it grows just as fast, so by the time you notice it, this grassy weed has developed into a pretty big patch.

A prolific seed producer, annual bluegrass can germinate 12 months of the year with most germination happening between in the fall.

A preemergent herbicide application in the late summer/early fall can target this common weed in grass right before it’s too late and reaches max germination.

6. Spurge

This common weed in grass is made up of red and purple dots on dark green circular leaves that branch out from a central point on red, hairy stems.

While this one germinates in mid-spring, it thrives in summer’s heat. Flowers will bloom on this weed from June through September, making it even worse.

If you have weaker, thinner lawn areas, spurge will take over, forming thick matted areas that can reach 3 feet across. Producing thousands of seeds per plant, this weed is also a great spreader.

To battle this problematic weed, your lawn care professional will use precisely timed broadleaf weed control when plants are young. This means early detection of the weed is extremely important.

7. Lespedeza

Lespedeza, also known as Japanese clover, has three smooth oblong leaves similar to clover with small pink to purple flowers.

As this weed matures, its stems harden and become more persistent, giving your lawn a real battle.

Post-emergent materials can help to knock this common weed in grass back. It requires a targeted approach during different points in the growing season and a trained eye.

8. Clover

Sure, finding a four-leaf clover is supposed to bring you luck. The problem is most clover only has three leaves … and it can take over your lawn.

Clover hugs the ground pretty closely so it can outlast lawn mowing. This seemingly innocent little white-flowered weed will choke out your lawn if given the chance. It also attracts bees, which become an additional nuisance.

Thick, properly fertilized lawns can crowd out clover. Clover also likes to grow in lawns with a low soil pH or compacted soils.

Correcting soil pH and aeration can improve overall lawn health and reduce the likelihood of clover and other lawn weeds from dominating. Using pre-emergent weed control can help prevent this common weed in grass from taking over.

9. Dandelion

As a broadleaf perennial weed, dandelion is well-known for its bright yellow flowers. When you’re trying to control common lawn weeds in Tennessee, this weed will certainly be on your hit list.

And this weed is super versatile. It likes moist soil and sunlight, but can thrive in multiple conditions, making it pretty hardy. In fact, its seeds will just hang out even if conditions aren’t best for it to germinate. And then when conditions improve, it springs forth like a nightmare.

Dandelion seeds travel well on winds so they can spread pretty far – even miles away. And since it’s a perennial, it can come back even after it dies on the surface.

Using a pre-emergent herbicide at the right time can help prevent dandelion. Using a selective broadleaf weed control product at the right time can help control the dandelions that do break through.

10. Plantain

One of the more unsightly common weeds in grass is plantain. This perennial lawn weed really takes hold in compacted soils. Plantain has oval leaves that are waxy looking and reach from stalk-like branches.

With a fibrous root system, plantain can be tough to eliminate from your lawn. Pre-emergent herbicides applied at the correct time and rate are critical for controlling this weed. Post-emergent broadleaf weed control is the best way to take it down once it’s germinated, and timing is usually best when the weed is at its weakest.

11. Bermudagrass

We grow bermudagrass lawns here in Memphis, TN and North MS, but bermudagrass is considered a weed when it shows up in zoysia, centipede, St. Augustine or fescue lawns.

This is because bermudagrass stands out as unsightly in these lawns due to the difference in appearance. Bermudagrass has thin, soft grass blades and other grasses like St. Augustine has tall, thick grass blades.

This common weed in lawns requires a targeted approach at specific points in the growing season.

Lawn & Pest Solutions Can Up Can Help You Crush Common Lawn Weeds in Tennessee and Common Lawn Weeds in Mississippi

Weeds love the spotlight. They like to invade Memphis, TN and North MS lawns when the conditions give them the green light. Then they take center stage, and like divas they keep coming back for encores. You can’t get rid of them.

You don’t want to give weeds even a slight chance to take over, or they will use it.

Lawn & Pest Solutions can help you by providing a complete, proactive Lawn 360 program that includes everything you need to keep your lawn strong – proper fertilization, pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control treatments, and aeration and overseeding services.

Our technicians are trained to identify weeds, and they know which weeds are active at certain points in the growing season. Our technicians don't drive up, jump out of their trucks, and treat your lawn as quickly as possible. They take their time to target these difficult weeds, leading to awesome results.

When you have a professional eye on your property who can recognize these common weeds in lawns, you can keep weeds in check before they get out of hand and maintain that lush green lawn you love.

Ready to learn why Lawn & Pest Solutions is your choice for lawn care services in Memphis, TN and North MS? We want to learn more about you and help you have the best lawn on the block. Get started today with a free quote. Together, we can prepare a customized plan that is perfect for you and your lawn.

Image Sources | Crabgrass, Dallisgrass, Nutgrass, Buttonweed, Annual Bluegrass, Spurge, Lespedeza, Clover, Dandelion, Plantain, Bermudagrass