Cool Season Weeds

February 2012

We purchased an older home in North Little Rock that has a beautiful St. Augustine yard. It has increasingly become invaded by a clover-like weed. However, in the past year, we have tried to find a lawn care company to take care of this grass, but after several calls, we have received no takers. I don't mind performing the de-weeding services myself but I don’t know what to use. Do you have any suggestions?

As you are aware, St. Augustine is a lawn grass that is quite sensitive to chemicals. There are several formulations of 2,4-D on the market that are labeled for use on Southern grasses. There will usually be a lower rate of application for St. Augustine grass. Remember, it is better to err on the side of too little versus too much. A few sample brand names include: Martin’s DeWeed Lawn Weed Killer for Southern Grasses, Trimec Southern, and Ortho Weed-B-Gon for Southern Lawns Formula II. It may take more than one application to kill your weeds, but spray lightly. If you go to our extension website, there is a lawn calendar for St. Augustine and here is the home weed control guide:

November 2011

You had a recent article about how to prepare dormant veggie garden and what kind of plastic covering to use. I cannot find the article. My garden has been tilled, fertilized and weeded and now I want to cover it for winter. What kind of covering is best?.

Earlier in the year I discussed solarizing soil with clear plastic to kill weeds, diseases and insects. That only works when it is hot outside—during the months of July, August and September. You can still use plastic to smother out winter weeds and prevent them from growing this winter, but you would want to use black plastic to prevent light from getting through. Black plastic also warms up the soil earlier in the spring which can allow for earlier planting. Clear plastic used in the winter acts as a mini greenhouse and allows weeds to continue to grow.

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