Burnweed – A unpreventable Springtime weed

As spring starts to turn to summer you probably are seeing foliage of a pesky weed known as “Burnweed” it is a very un-welcomed addition to lawns.

This weed is more difficult to control that any other broadleaf or grassy weed. The roots of the Burnweed plant do not stretch down into the soil. Instead, the plant grows exclusively in the thatch layer.  Pre-emergent herbicides work in the soil, therefore they are not effective against Burnweed.  Burnweed spreads through seeds carried from lawn to lawn by wind, rain, shared mowers, etc. Even if you didn’t see any Burnweed in your neighborhood last spring, if the wind blew just right, you probably have a healthy harvest this year. Since there is no way to control the spreading of seeds and pre-emergent herbicides are do not work your options for control are somewhat limited.

Burnweed is a cool-season weed (Spring). Once the heat of summer arrives, Burnweed will cease to be an issue.  However, in the meantime, a selective herbicide application is effective against plants that have already germinated, though it won’t keep more plants from germinating. The best course of action is to mow your lawn. By mowing often and keeping the plants short they do not have the opportunity to produce seeds, which will hopefully help to keep the weed at bay next year.  When the weeds are short they are not noticeable and will help you hold out until temperatures take care of the Fireweed for you.

If you can’t hold out until temperatures kill out the Fireweed, then give us a call at 901-494-9088.