How to Get Rid of Chickweed?
Chickweed is an invasive quick-growing weed that grows in garden lawns and other agricultural areas. Before knowing how to get rid of chickweed? We need to understand its types.
There are two species of chickweed.
Common chickweed and mouse dare chickweed. Each year one chickweed plant can produce 800 seeds which means it can quickly take over your yard once it starts growing.
In addition to its invasive nature, chickweed can also carry plant viruses and other harmful garden pests. It is very hard to control because it adapts quickly to most environments and reproduces quickly.
How to Identify Chickweed?
Chickweed is the botanical name for escholarium media. It is the little flower and chances are you have probably seen it and not even recognized it.
Chickweed is a useful herb and it is a very lush green plant it’s very flexible and not woody or wiry at all the leaves grow in pairs along the stem-like that they grow together on each side of the stem. The stems are soft.
One of the easiest ways you can identify chickweed is that it’s growing in a clump low to the ground. So, chickweeds never grow up tall. Chickweed will not stay low to the ground and grows in these mounds.
Chickweed gets these tiny little white flowers. They’re small and they have five petals but the petals are split down the middle and it looks more like there are ten petals on the chickweed plant.
Read: How to Get Rid of Crabgrass on Your Lawn?
How Does Chickweed grow?
Identify the areas in your lawn and garden where chickweed is growing. Chickweed normally grows in a dense mat and is rarely taller than 2 inches. It may not appear as dense if it is in a garden or under a shaded area.
Stems have small hairs on one side and bright green, smooth leaves. Chickweed produces small white flowers that bloom almost the entire year except during the middle of winter.
Pull Out the Chickweed
Pull out any chickweeds you see growing in your lawn or garden. It is best to pull it out before it blooms but this is fairly difficult because it germinates and blooms quickly.
Chickweed has shallow roots and is quite easy to pull out with your hand or with a garden hoe. Take care to remove the entire reef from the area because chickweed can reproduce through the root and not just the seed.
How to Kill Chickweed?
Use the glyphosate-based post-emergent weed killer herbicide in the area. If the chickweed covers a large area. If you are unsure if you pulled all the weeds.
Spray the herbicide directly onto the weeds, taking care to avoid contact with other plants. Avoid using an herbicide if possible because it will kill other crops or plans it comes in contact with.
Aerate the affected area with a hoe or shovel to decrease propagation. The less depth the seed has the less likely it is to grow.
Woodchip
Lay woodchips are some other type of mulch if chickweed is a problem in large areas. Cover the area to a depth of at least two inches. This will reduce germination by eliminating light and blocking the weeds from growing.
How to Control Chickweed?
The best way to control chickweeds and turfgrass is by over-fertilizing the lawn with nitrogen fertilizers and lightly watering them and normally stopping weeds invasions.
To control a few dispersed chickweed plants, kill them by tramping on them, and scattering 1 teaspoon of lawn herbicide on the plants. The nitrogen in the lawn fertilizers burns the chickweed and the grass ultimately improves.
Use a pre-emergent herbicide during the spring. This will keep any new seeds from sprouting. Monitor your lawn and garden after treatment. So, you can get rid of any new chickweeds as soon as it sprouts.
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Uses
Other uses of chickweed, you pull or if you can’t get rid of the weed, it has a mild flavor and some people have used it in place of lettuce on sandwiches or in a salad.
All of these steps will help you to kill chickweed.
Conclusion
This is a great article on how to kill chickweed. It’s important for people who have turf or garden beds with this weed because it can be difficult and time-consuming to get rid of without the right knowledge. We hope you found these tips helpful.
If you know someone else who needs help killing their weeds, please share this blog post with them so they too can solve their problem quickly.
Reference
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0048357599924082
https://edis.ifas.ufl.edu/pdf/EP/EP57700.pdf
I am Ricky Martin, a seasoned landscape designer, a passionate gardener, and a barbecue enthusiast. With 12 years of experience in building and restoring, I welcome you to my website lawnscanner.com
