Massachusetts / 6B
After years of doing nothing, I’m starting to take responsibility for my lawn. This, whatever it is, has taken over a corner of my yard and I’ve learned (by lurking here for a few weeks now) that some plants get chemicals, others get pulled (sometimes over and over again). So, here I am asking what this is and how I properly remove it before working to bring grass back.
by marcamos
29 Comments
Check out the [Cool Season Beginners Guide](https://www.reddit.com/r/lawncare/comments/fb1gjj/a_beginners_guide_to_improving_your_lawn_this/).
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/lawncare) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Looks like creeping charley.
This spreads all over my lawn every season even with pre-emergent applied, and later, post-emergent. It sucks.
It’s a little bit sticky, it’s not fun to pull because you have to find the root spot and pull from there, and you may or may not pull out a chunk of lawn.
Looks like spurge to me. I think I’m battling spurge right now. I spray it and some of it turns brown but other parts look unaffected. I think it’s just one of those things you need to spray more than once.
To me most of that looks like prostrate knotweed (stems feel like little twigs as they get mature), or possibly a weedy spurge (milky sap from stem). Either way, I’d pull by hand. If you’re lucky that will get most of the plants. If there are too many seedling weeds in there, then a broadleaf spay.
Its spurge .
The good news is that this stuff is pretty easy to pull up. Just use your hands to bunch it up and the main root will reveal itself quickly.
That is broadleaf weed. Looks like spurge. Go to Walmart. Buy Ortho weed b gone. Apply per directions. Done.
Looks like spurge.
If so, it can be pulled and it helps if you dig a little to get at the roots. First step is to feel around to find the center of the plant, and use your favorite weeding tool to dig there.
IME the roots aren’t super deep, and they pull okay. It’s not like bindweed where you often have to dig really deep, and the roots are very fragile and break off so they can grow back later.
I had a corner of the backyard pretty overgrown with spurge after a season of neglect, most of it pulled right up, roots and all, with basic weed tool digging. Re-check later for stragglers.
Spurge does grow pretty quickly, but if you head it off it’s not too hard to stay on top of it.
IMO spurge is harder to deal with when it’s growing up in sidewalk cracks and joints.
Honestly I can’t be sure what the grey-green is, when I zoom in it’s not tell-tale spurge which usually looks like fireworks the way it pops up or prostrate knotweed as the leaves look too small/wrong shape.
But the bright green is black medic or oxalis and neither can you pull, use triclopyr on that.
I’m battling this now badly what can I use on lawn to kill it but still seed is there anything?
Spurge. Spray or pull. Put down Pre-emergent to keep it from coming back.
Triclopyr ester killed it for me.
This is prostrate knotweed, not spurge.
Spoooge. Wear gloves
Goat heads. Fire.
That’s grass I’d use a shovel and scoop it out a bit at a time
Scourge of spurge. fire or chemicals.
Burn it with lawn torch or herbicide to kill it. Remove it a week or 2 later when dead. Seeds will get everywhere so expect more in spring. Apply seed safe pre emergent when overseeding this fall. Apply pre emergent again early next spring and watch for return early summer and eradicate it before ot spreads again. You can control it just need to kill remove and keep diligent on pre emergent applications spring and reseeding. Once your new turf grows in thick weeds have to fight for space.
Speedzone followed by a yellow pre emergent.
Maybe even a well aimed shot of glyphosate
Gasoline!
As others have said, it’s spurge. Crossbow (2, 4-d plus triclopyr) kills it nicely.
Spurge season. Don’t pull it unless you want it to come back 10 fold lol. Burn it.
Try a multipurpose weed killer. Think I’ve used that Roundup that says it kills weeds not the lawn in the bottle, and sprinkle some preen in the area to prevent any seeds from geminating.
Common knotweed, not spurge. Big nightmare. Had the same problem.
Find the center of each and pull straight up using a grandpas wieder. Best if the soil is wet. You won’t get it all. Spray tryclopter. Lather, rinse, repeat. Tends to go wild on really bad soil so you’ll have to always be working on that too. It’s a long battle.
I have knotweed like crazy in NH. Why? I pulled just a few…now it’s EVERYWHERE. My dad will be bringing over a blow torch next week. Wish me luck.
Been on this planet for awhile. Lots of lawns. WYKYK
Spurge. Triclopyr
Spurge. I’m battling the same thing spray or pull or spray then pull or all of the above it sucks so bad and literally spreads over night. Get it before it starts spreading. Pre emergent in spring but it’ll probably still come back but it’ll grow less and less every year if overseesed and pre emergent is put down