How to Identify South Carolina Weeds
The first step to properly treating a weed infestation is to be able to identify the type of South Carolina weeds that you are attempting to treat! Here at Beach Landscaping, we are just as dedicated to sharing our expertise knowledge as we are to providing high quality lawn maintenance. That’s why we like to play a game that we call “Guess That Weed” on our Facebook page. We help Myrtle Beach homeowners learn how to recognize a weed infestation and identify the type of weeds that they are dealing with in a fun and interactive way!
So far on “Guess That Weed”, we have talked about Crabgrass, Carolina Geranium, Lawn Burweed, and Poa Annua. Today, we are going to dive a little deeper into everything you need to know about how to identify two of these common South Carolina weeds!
Crabgrass:
Crabgrass is a very common summer annual weed that germinates in the early spring. It begins to appear as the temperatures rise in the early summer. This is actually one of the main reasons that we provide pre-emergent weed treatments during the early spring season. These treatments prevent the crabgrass seeds from germinating in the first place, resulting in a crabgrass-free summer lawn! Here are some of the most important key identifiers of crabgrass:
- Blades of foliage that appear to be wider than the surrounding turf
- These wide blades should also be in the shape of a V, and appear more ‘leggy’ than the surrounding turf
- Blades that grow out from the center of the plant, resembling crab legs
- Growth that appears in clumps and stays low to the ground
- More likely to be located along the edges of your lawn than in the middle (although crabgrass can also grow in the center of your lawn as well)
- Stems that begin to turn purple as the summer temperatures rise
- Foliage that appears to be light green as it sprouts, and turns a darker green as it grows
- Found in a location with plenty of sunlight
Carolina Geranium:
Carolina Geranium is a common native winter annual weed that germinates in the fall, making it one of the many weeds that we treat with our fall pre-emergent weed treatments. This weed produces flowers in May, which ultimately end up falling to the ground and producing more seeds to be germinated in the fall. This is why it is very important to get rid of these weeds before they have the chance to flower!
Luckily, Carolina Geranium is incredibly easy to remove by hand. They even have many beneficial medical properties and can be used as an anti-inflammatory remedy, an anti-diarrheal remedy, a sore throat remedy, and a wound healing remedy. So even though you may not want this weed in your lawn, you may like to use the roots and leaves to create healing teas and tinctures in your home apothecary! Here are some of the most important key identifiers of Carolina Geranium:
- Foliage with a clover or parsley-like appearance
- Growth that begins in low clusters, and then produces up-right, branchy stems
- Stems that appear to be turning into a red/purple color as growth continues
- White and pink flowers in May
- Shallow root systems, making them easy to pull out of the ground
Be sure to come back next week to learn all about how to identify Lawn Burweed and Poa Annua. Plus, visit our Facebook page to join us in our next game of “Guess That Weed”!
https://www.facebook.com/BeachLandscaping