In Kansas, there are four stubborn weeds to be mindful of throughout the entire year. Crabgrass is a warm-season annual weed that infests your lawn during the warmer months, targeting the thinner areas on your lawn to thrive. Dandelions are a cool-season perennial weed appearing on lawns during the growing season while also targeting thin turf areas. Chickweeds and henbits are both cool-season annual weeds that start to grow in the fall. They both target moist, shady, and fertile soils to thrive. All four of these weeds spread fast in Kansas, which makes them quite difficult to eliminate. It's recommended to get a professional to treat your lawn with either pre-emergent or post-emergent weed control treatments over the year to handle these pesky weeds.

1. Crabgrass

Crab grass spreading throughout lawn in Gardner, KS.

Crabgrass is a warm-season annual weed that begins to germinate in early May when your soil temperatures begin to rise. It's a very stubborn weed that thrives during the summer months. During their life cycle, they can produce thousands of seeds each year, which makes them difficult to manage in subsequent years. They tend to thrive in thinning areas on your lawn, or in areas where your lawn may be cut too short.

Ideally, you'd want to have a professional administer pre-emergent weed control in early to mid-spring to prevent this weed from getting a foothold in your lawn. But if you find that your lawn already has crabgrass, then a professional will need to apply post-emergent weed control in mid-summer while the weeds are still young. Depending on the maturity level of crabgrass, it may take several visits to eliminate the weed. But be patient, and don't try to pull the weeds in the meantime because you will potentially help the crabgrass spread across your lawn.

2. Dandelions

Dandelions growing throughout lawn in Paola, KS.

Dandelions are a cool-season perennial weed that primarily germinates in early fall with active growth periods from mid-spring to early summer and again from mid to late autumn. They target thin areas on your lawn to germinate and blossom, so make sure you're tending to your lawn to correct these potential problem areas. Pre-emergent weed control works best for this type of weed as well. You'll want to target dandelions with pre-emergent weed control before they have a chance to germinate in the fall. Once they begin to bloom on your lawn, the puffballs at the end of their stems contain seeds that will get blown away by the wind, potentially spreading to other exposed areas on your lawn. Pulling these weeds is not recommended because you need to ensure you are pulling most of its root out of the ground, otherwise, they will just grow back. Post-emergent control treatment should be applied during their most active growth periods in the spring and/or fall to treat any of these weeds that have popped up on your lawn.

3. Chickweed

Chickweeds growing in lawn in Shawnee, KS.

Chickweeds are considered a cool-season annual weed. They begin to germinate in mid-October and will continue to grow in the fall. Chickweeds remain as small plants during winter, making it easy for them to go unnoticed, before emerging in the spring when they begin to bloom. Chickweeds thrive in cool, moist, and often compacted soil, which means it's also possible for them to survive into the summer if they are in places where they are protected from the heat. To deal with them, you'll want to hire a professional to administer pre-emergent control in the early fall. If you find that your lawn is covered in chickweeds, then it's best to have them apply post-emergent control during the chickweed's active growth period from mid-spring to early summer and/or from mid to late fall.

4. Henbit

Henbit weeds growing in lawn in Kansas City, KS.

Henbits, much like chickweeds, are another type of cool-season annual weed. They're quite easy to spot with their tiny purple flowers sprouting on your lawn. Henbit tends to grow in moist, fertile soils. They germinate early in the fall, and they flower from spring to summer. Pre-emergent control should be applied by a professional in late summer before germination. Because Henbit is a difficult weed to eliminate, it is highly recommended to administer pre-emergent control. However, if needed, then you'll need post-emergent control administered during their active growth periods from mid to late spring, and again in mid to late fall.

Henbits have a square stem rather than a round one. Check the stem before it blooms if you believe henbit is growing on your lawn.

We can eliminate these four stubborn weeds for you! Call us to sign up for our weed control service!

In Kansas, these four weeds and many more can be a real headache to deal with when caring for your lawn. Let us handle them for you! At Green Again Lawn, we administer both pre-emergent and post-emergent weed control treatments to keep these weeds off your property and to minimize their impact if any managed to sneak through. We offer our weed control service to commercial, residential, and HOA property owners in Shawnee, Overland Park, Lenexa, and the surrounding areas in Kansas. Give us a call at (913) 209-3320 to sign up for our weed control service!