by
Dawn West, All About Lawns Columnist
Weeds are common to almost every lawn. As you can see in the section on planting lawns, weeds come in every package of grass seed with their amounts, depending on the quality of seed you purchase. If you have an existing lawn (most of us do), your lawn is probably already established and therefore you have to deal with what's there. To understand weeds, you need to realize that they are simply a part of lawn maintenance like mowing, watering, fertilizing, aerating, etc.. As previously stated, most lawns were seeded, sodded, etc., with grass containing some degree of weed and/or weed seed. Weeds can also come from water runoff, wind, your neighbor's yard, pests and pets, and even you! In short, they seem to find their way to your lawn in one way or another!
To help understand weeds, we will classified them (much like grasses) into two major categories: Grassy Weeds & Broadleaf Weeds. Additionally, these weeds have different life cycle properties and, much like grasses, are considered either Perennial or Annual in growth. Like grasses, this will help you determine when they grow and when to prevent them from growing. Dawn West B.A. holds a B.A. in English from Harvard University and teaches writing at Oregon State University.
