Different Kinds of Lawn Weeds

Annual Weeds

• Crabgrass, foxtail and goosegrass are summer annuals. Unlike perennial weeds that go dormant each winter and revive every spring, annual grasses die at the end of each year and germinate anew from seed every spring when the soil reaches a certain temperature.
  
  

Shade Weeds

• Some weeds thrive in shade. Ground ivy, sometimes called creeping Charlie, takes over lawns in poorly draining soil and deep shade. It spreads by sending root runners under the surface of the soil. Common chickweed and annual bluegrass invade lawns under a shade tree or the shadow of a building, while the rest of the lawn appears healthy and weed free.
  
  

Rich-Soil Weeds

• Many plants, including weeds, love nutrient-rich soil. Some weeds, such as Bermudagrass, mallow and purslane, can't survive without abundant nutrition. The more you fertilize your lawn, the stronger these weeds grow. Starve them is a way of control.
  
  

Compact-Soil Weeds

• Your lawn's roots needs oxygen. When heavy foot traffic or garden cartwheels compact the soil, they are pressing all the oxygen out of it. Aerating your lawn puts the oxygen back in it. Lack of oxygen distresses your lawn's roots, but it doesn't bother weeds that thrive in compacted soil, such as annual bluegrass, knotweed and prostrate spurge.