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Late Summer Control Measures For Weeds

As summer and family reunions begin to wind down this year your lawn may be showing signs of stress due to the heat we’ve been having. The off-color you may be seeing is normal for our grasses this time of year as they enter dormancy.  But please be patient and continue to irrigate as conservatively as possible. 

Recovery is just around the corner with the cool temperatures of fall. Unlike the summertime when weeds are focusing on leaf growth in the fall weeds focus on storing energy in their roots.  And this makes them more susceptible to control measures.

There are many different weed control products that can be used this at time of year including most common three-way broadleaf weed control mixtures for lawns. As with any pesticide application always wear the appropriate safety attire and follow label recommendations. If you prefer not to use herbicides, herbicidal soaps offer one non-selective option for weed control. Corn gluten meal can also be effective. Other products that contain chelated iron and salts can also provide broadleaf weed control in lawns. And of course, soil solarization, although slow, provides a very effective non-chemical weed control option.

Regardless of your preferred method you probably won’t see the twisting and shriveling that often accompanies weed control measures this fall. But next spring things should be looking much better. More information on this and other topics is online at extension.usu.edu.

This is Kelly Kopp, USU Extension Water Conservation and Turf Grass Specialist, wishing you a happy summer and healthy turf.