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Weeds in Lawns

Common lawn weeds including broadleaf weeds (soft stems and leaves), unwanted grasses, and moss.

Common Weeds & Moss in Lawns
Mix of broadleaf weeds in lawn

Weston Miller, Oregon State University

Do you Have a Mix of Broadleaf Weeds in Your Lawn? Control for all these weeds is similar. See sections 4 and 5 for details.

  • Broadleaf plants have soft leaves with net-like veins.
  • One or more leaves grow from nodes on stems.
  • They often have showy flowers.
  • Common broadleaf weeds that grow in lawns are shown here
Dandelion seed head

Joseph O'Brien, USDA Forest Service, Bugwood.org

Catsear (Hypochaeris radicata)

  • Catsear plants live more than two years (perennial).  
  • It grows in lawns, landscapes, roadsides, and sidewalk cracks.
  • When mowed, its yellow flowers and texture stand out in lawns.
  • It dominates an area when left unmanaged.  
  • Catsear benefits pollinators such as honey bees.

How to Identify Catsear / False dandelion

  • It grows long, slender, branching stems with yellow flowers 24-32 inches from the ground.
  • The leaves are less jagged and more textured than dandelion’s leaves.
  • Catsear forms seed head with floating seeds.
Clover leaves

Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org

White Clover (Trifolium repens)

  • White clover plants live more than two years (perennial).  
  • It spreads aggressively by seeds and creeping stems. It forms dense patches.
  • When mowed, it mixes into the lawn grasses.
  • White clover dominates an area when left unmanaged.  
  • These nitrogen-fixing plants grow in low nutrient soil conditions.
  • White clover benefits pollinators such as honey bees.

How to Identify White Clover

  • It grows as a dense, spreading clump.
  • White clover leaves have 3 crescent-shaped leaflets with a white watermark.
  • The white flowers attract bees.

Broadleaf Weeds in Lawns

Many species

Common broadleaf weeds (soft stems and leaves) in lawns include dandelion, clover, creeping buttercup, and many others. Minimize these weeds in your lawn by growing thick, robust grasses. Physically remove weeds as needed. Lawn-specific herbicides kill broadleaf weeds and don’t harm grasses when label instructions are followed. Follow up by reseeding areas where you have removed weeds.

Crabgrass in lawn

Yesim Sahin, iStock

Annual bluegrass

Ian_Redding, iStock

Bentgrass patches in lawn

Weston Miller, Oregon State University

Grassy Weeds in Lawns

Many species

Common grassy weeds (which grow from their base and have parallel leaf veins) include crabgrass, annual bluegrass, creeping bentgrass, and quackgrass. Minimize grassy weeds in your lawn by growing a thick, robust lawn. Physically remove grassy weeds as needed. Herbicides effectively control grassy weeds when label instructions are followed. Follow up by reseeding areas where you have removed weeds.

Closeup of moss and grass mixed

Weston Miller, Oregon State University

Thick carpet of moss with sparse grass

mtreasure, iStock

Mossy lawn area in shade

Weston Miller, Oregon State University

Moss in Lawns

Several species in the Pacific Northwest

Moss in lawns stands out from grasses. It has a different color and texture. Scrape out moss to expose the soil and reseed grasses. Moss-killer products work to control moss in lawns. However, you still have to scrape it out and reseed. If you don’t change the conditions that favor moss, it will regrow.

Specific Broadleaf Weeds in Lawns

Get more information about specific weeds that impact lawns and other areas of your property.

Dandelion plant

Elekes Andor, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Leaves and flowers grow from a tap root. Yellow flowers grow 1-2 inches wide.

Closeup view of dandelion leaf

Lynn Sosnoskie, University of Georgia, Bugwood.org

Jagged leaves grow 2-10 inches long and look like lion teeth.

Dandelion puffball or seedhead composed of seeds

Joseph O'Brien, Joseph O'Brien, Bugwood.org

Flowers mature into a ball of seeds. The seeds detach and float away.

Dandelion

Taraxacum officinale

Plants are low-growing with yellow flowers that form balls of seeds. Dandelion is a very common weed. Action is optional.

Field bindweed flowers and leaves

telev_cat, iStock

Field bindweed forms a dense mat of vines and leaves on the ground. It also climbs and overtakes other plants, fences, and trellises.

Field bindweed leaves and flower on a stem compared to ruler

Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org

Field bindweed forms a dense mat of vines and leaves on the ground. It also climbs and overtakes other plants, fences, and trellises.

Pink and white field bindweed flowers

"serprud-024" by Vlad Proklov is licensed under CC BY-NC 2.0.

Field bindweed spreads with vines that grow across the ground and roots underground.

Field bindweed plants with root system and daughter plants

Field bindweed spreads with vines that grow across the ground and roots underground.

Field bindweed seeds

Mature field bindweed plants produce dozens to hundreds of seeds shown in the photo. Seeds remain viable in the soil for many decades.

Field bindweed seeds compared to ruler (millimeter scale)

Bruce Ackley, The Ohio State University, Bugwood.org

Mature field bindweed plants produce dozens to hundreds of seeds shown in the photo. Seeds remain viable in the soil for many decades.

Field Bindweed

Convolvulus arvensis

Field bindweed is a perennial (long-lived) plant that dies back to the ground in the winter. This herbaceous (soft stems and leaves), vining plant has white-to-pink flowers. It forms dense mats that cover the ground. It also climbs and smothers crops and ornamental plants.