Winter Weed Control for North Texas Lawns

You mow less in November, and the lawn is going brown. That is when many homeowners stop paying attention to weeds. It is also when a different set of weeds is quietly getting started.

Winter weeds sprout in the cool months, grow slowly through the cold, and then take off in early spring right when your grass is still waking up. What you do this month and over the next few weeks decides how much you deal with in March.

Why weeds grow when your grass doesn't

Warm-season grasses like Bermuda and zoysia go dormant once nights turn cold. The blades brown and growth stops. The weeds that thrive in winter do the opposite. They germinate in fall, put on roots through winter, and flower in spring.

A dormant lawn is also thinner than a healthy summer lawn. Bare spots and thin areas give those seedlings room and light. That is why a lawn that looked fine in August can look patchy with green weeds by January.

Common winter weeds to watch for

You will see a handful of the same ones across North Texas yards:

• Henbit, with scalloped leaves and small purple flowers
• Chickweed, a low, spreading mat of small leaves
• Annual bluegrass, a light green tufted grass with seed heads
• Dandelions, with a rosette of toothed leaves flat against the soil
• Clover, which stays green when the lawn does not

Knowing which one you have matters because not every product works on every weed. Grassy weeds like annual bluegrass need a different approach than broadleaf weeds like henbit and dandelions.

Prevent first, spot treat second

Weed control works best in two layers. A pre-emergent goes down before seeds sprout and forms a barrier that stops many of them from establishing. Timing is the hard part. Once the weeds are already up, a pre-emergent will not remove them.

For weeds that are already growing, spot treatment or a post-emergent works better on young plants than mature ones. Small seedlings in cool weather are far easier to control than big spring weeds with deep roots. Always follow the label on any product, and pay attention to the temperature range it lists, since many products work poorly in a hard freeze.

Pulling by hand is fine for a few weeds in a small area. Get the root, and do it when the soil is moist.

What you can do yourself this month

A few habits cut down winter weeds without any special products:

• Keep mowing when the grass or weeds are still growing, so weeds do not go to seed
• Rake or blow leaves off the lawn, since a thick layer smothers dormant turf and gives weeds the open spot
• Skip heavy nitrogen on a dormant warm-season lawn, which feeds weeds more than grass
• Water only if the winter has been very dry, and not so much that the soil stays soggy

A thick, healthy lawn going into winter is still your best defense. Good mowing height, proper fertilizing during the growing season, and aeration for compacted soil all help the turf crowd out weeds on its own.

When to get help

If your yard is already full of green weeds, or you are not sure what you are looking at, a professional can identify the problem and match the treatment to the weed and the season. That saves you from buying the wrong product or spraying at the wrong time.

Mahalic and Sons offers fertilization and weed control, along with mowing, aeration, top dressing and leveling, and landscaping, for lawns in Caddo Mills, Fate, Greenville, Josephine, Nevada, and Royse City. If your lawn is heading into winter with weeds you want gone before spring, call 903-560-9263.