Best Management Practices:
Chickweed
Chickweed is a cool season, winter annual broadleaf weed that has oval-shaped leaves that are smooth and opposite of each other. Chickweed is a matt-forming plant that has numerous branched stems that normally lie flat on the ground. The flowers of chickweed are white with five deeply notched petals. As an annual plant it only comes back from seed each year.
Chickweed begins its life by germinating in the fall from seed. Pre-emergent herbicides work by killing germinating seeds from weedy plants like chickweed. Normally, an application of a pre-emergent in mid-September will work well but a second pre-emergent application in November may be warranted.
There are several pre-emergent herbicides that can be used to control chickweed in most turfgrass sites including bermudagrass, St. Augustinegrass, zoysiagrass, and buffalograss. Examples include XL-2G (Benefin plus Oryzalin), Pendulum 2G or Anderson 11-3-11 (Pendimethalin) and Balan 2.5 G (Benefin).
These post-emergent herbicides can be effective if used when the chickweed is very young/immature and actively growing. Examples of effective post-emergent herbicides include: Trimec Southern, Speedzone , Image, Certainty and Weed Free Zone. These work very well if used in the correct manner. It may require multiple applications to obtain excellent control with these post-emergent products. CAUTION: Make sure you read the labels carefully for the tolerance level of your specific turfgrass for all herbicides.
Best Management Practices courtesy of:
Bes-Tex Supply, LLC P.O. Box 664 San Angelo, Texas 76902 Ph. 325-653-1300
