Weeding is an essential part of lawn care in Needham, MA, but how do you know what’s a weed you need to pull and what’s okay to leave? Some of those decisions will depend on your landscaping preferences, but there are some weeds that you don’t want anywhere near your home, family, and plants. Our team of landscapers and lawn care experts at Cataldo Landscape & Masonry can help you control weeds and allow your plants to flourish.
Here are four common weeds to look out for while you tackle your lawn care in Needham, MA, this summer.
Poison Sumac
Poison sumac often gets lumped together with poison ivy, but it is a shrub or small tree rather than a plant that grows along the ground. It tends to grow in wet areas, so if your property has any swampy spots, it’s something to watch out for. Like other toxic plants, position sumac is actually quite pretty with its white berries and red leaves in the fall. If it’s far enough away from areas of your property that you use, it’s okay to leave it where it is and just avoid it. However, if you do need to remove it, be sure to wear long sleeves, boots, gloves, and protective eyewear.
Dandelions
Whether they are dotted throughout your yard or popping up through the cracks in your hardscaping, dandelions can be hard to get rid of. You can use herbicide, but because dandelions have a habit of appearing everywhere, it can be hard to target them without damaging your other plants. The best solution is to pull the dandelions up by the roots. That’s no easy task, however, has dandelion roots go deep.
Plantain Plants
Plantain plants are pretty innocuous, and if you don’t mind the look of them too much, you can just mow them when you mow the lawn. They are hardy plants that can withstand heavy foot traffic and compacted soil, allowing them to thrive in yards that see a lot of use. Pulling or digging them up before they can produce seeds is the best way to get rid of them. It’s a long and laborious process, but eventually, the plants will give up, so persistence is key.
White Clover
The Irish in you may have a soft spot for white clover, a green, low-growing, nitrogen-fixing plant. Some people cultivate it as an alternative to grass because it is a hardy perennial that is even resistant to dog urine. If you’d prefer to remove it, clover is easy to manage by pulling it up or applying mulch.