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The Garden Weed You'll Want To Get Rid Of Right Away When You See It
By JOANNA MARIE
Lawn burweed, an invasive weed mostly seen in the wintertime, can take over your lawn and smother your plants. This weed requires quick action to get rid of before it spreads.
Burweed spreads through creeping, low-lying stems that create a dense carpet over grass. It produces tiny, sharp, parsley-like seeds that catch on anything that comes close.
Stop burweed from taking root by keeping your lawn thick and healthy. A well-maintained lawn can naturally deter this weed by not giving it any space to establish itself.
One step to take is to aerate your lawn, perforating the soil with small holes. This allows nutrients to penetrate directly to the roots, promoting stronger and denser growth.
If burweed does manage to sprout, start removing the weeds by hand before they begin to seed. Grab each weed firmly and pull it out — roots included — to disrupt the life cycle.
If this method fails, try isoxaben, a pre-emergent herbicide that creates a barrier at the soil level to keep weed seeds from germinating. Apply before the cooler weather sets in.
Post-emergent herbicides, such as dicamba or atrazine, work best when the weed is in the active growth phase. Apply from December to early February before it has produced its burs.