For those who enjoy a clean manicured lawn, weeds truly meet the definition of “a plant growing where it is not wanted.” We typically divide weeds into 2 categories: grass weeds such as crabgrass and annual bluegrass and broadleaf weeds such as buttercup and wild violet. However, a few weeds don’t fit neatly into either category.
Wild garlic for example looks like a grass but has hollow, rounded leaves arising from a bulb. Wild garlic is similar in appearance to wild onion, but the leaves of wild onion are flat and not hollow. Optimum control can be achieved by repeating either fall/winter or early spring applications of 2,4-D based products annually. After any herbicide application, if sufficient re-growth of wild garlic occurs, a second application will aid in long-term control.
Sedges (Cyperus spp.) and kyllingas (Kyllinga spp.) are a couple of other weed species that are similar in appearance and also share the trait of being classified as neither a broadleaf nor grassy plant. Their shiny appearance and triangular stem make them easy to identify, but that is the only easy thing about them. Sedges and kyllingas are perennial plants that are troublesome to manage and control in a turfgrass environment, but we do have research from the University of Tennessee on some herbicides that are effective. What’s more important than herbicides, though, is treating the underlying cause of their competitive advantage, which is usually excessive soil moisture and reduced competition from desirable turfgrasses.
Star-of-Bethlehem may be the worst of the weeds on this list. This perennial ornamental plant has become a troublesome weed on golf courses, athletic fields, and home lawns throughout Tennessee. Star-of-Bethlehem is a cool-season perennial that emerges from bulbs in the winter and early spring and usually flowers during April. The flowers produced in the spring have 6 bright white petals and the leaves have a distinguishing pale white stripe along the mid-vein.
One final plant to mention that is neither a grass weed nor a broadleaf is moss. I call moss an indicator weed because it indicates that conditions are not right for desirable grasses to grow. Acidic soil, poor drainage, compaction, excess moisture, and dense shade are all tolerated by moss better than grass. Until these unfavorable conditions are corrected, long-term control will not be possible.
These plants are certainly not your normal lawn weeds and require diligence to control. It’s generally easier to keep them from getting established than it is to control them once they are. Don’t simply rely on chemical control. Use cultural methods as well, primarily a dense stand of turf to provide competition. If you do use chemicals, be sure to read and follow the label. We do have research-based information and recommendations on these and other weeds online at smith.tennessee.edu/weed-control.
