The three most common weeds in Indiana lawns are also some of the most resilient. With intricate underground root systems and excessive seed production, dandelions, clover, and thistle are familiar lawn residents—but they do not have to be.

At Sprout Lawn & Landscape, we understand the difficult job of both removing and preventing weed growth in your lawn in Noblesville, Carmel, Westfield and neighboring areas in Indiana. With comprehensive, customized fertilizer and weed control plans, we can help you keep your property lush, green, and weed-free all year round.

Dandelions

Easily the most recognizable weed, dandelions are a perennial weed that spreads rapidly. A durable plant with a strong taproot, the dandelion’s seed heads are as familiar as their golden flowers. Who hasn’t blown those wispy seeds off and watched them float away?

Dandelions are edible plants, and you can eat both the leaves and the flowers. They also serve a purpose in the springtime, supplying a vital food source for bees when the other flowers have not yet bloomed.

Prevention a Treatment

Like most other weeds, dandelions have a difficult time growing in a healthy yard. If your grass lawn is in good condition, the grass will keep the dandelions at bay. Treating a dandelion problem is hard because they propagate through taproot as well as seed. If even a tiny bit of root remains after pulling them, the plant will regenerate. Pulling them up is only effective before they bloom.

Other than manual removal, herbicides can help to stop the spread of dandelions and remove them from your lawn.

Clover

A favorite food of rabbits and groundhogs, clover is a member of the legume family and closely related to alfalfa. Many types of clover exist, but they all have small round flowers in shades of pink and white. They also have trefoil leaves at the end of long stalks.

Controlling Clover

Clover also likes a malnourished lawn, so keeping your yard watered, fertilized, and all-around healthy will discourage clover from taking hold. Clover produces nitrogen, which is why it thrives in compact, undernourished soil. Aerating your soil, keeping it watered well, and maintaining a neutral pH level will all help keep your lawn healthy and clover-free.
Clover plants have weak root systems. Leaving your grass a little high will prevent these low-cover weeds from getting the sunshine they need.

Thistle

Thistle plants, with their spiky purple globular flowers and spiny stalks, are easy to spot. Thistles are generally not invasive weeds because other native plants control their spread naturally. A biennial plant, thistle produces thousands of seeds from one single plant, so preventing the plant’s spread is essential.

Most thistle likes to live in barren soil, so if your lawn is thick and lush, thistles are less likely to get a foothold. Be sure to weed and water your lawn correctly, overseeding any thin or patchy areas to squeeze the weeds out with lush grass.

Best Weed Control Treatments

A healthy lawn is the best defense against all kinds of weeds. At Sprout Lawn & Landscape, we have the experience and knowledge to assess your yard, customizing a fertilization plan that suits the unique needs of your yard and integrates well with weed control treatments.

We begin fertilizer and weed control treatments in the spring and finish before the first frost hits in the fall, preparing your lawn for the cold Indiana winter. The spring treatments include a combination of pre-emergent herbicide and fertilizer, with crabgrass control in there as well.

Through the summer, lawn care is all about control. A combination of fertilizer and post-emergent herbicides maintains the growth of your lawn. Consider applying some insecticides and grub control treatments in the spring, too, to keep these pests at bay.

Our team has the experience and knowledge to handle any weeds growing in your lawn or landscaping in Noblesville, Carmel, Westfield, IN

We know you want a weed-free lawn. At Sprout Lawn & Landscape, we take pride in our superior knowledge of lawn care, treatment, and prevention in the Noblesville, Carmel, Westfield, and the local surrounding area in Indiana. If tough weeds invade your yard, give us a call at (317) 900-7151 to schedule a consultation.