It has to be weather related. Weeds, weeds and more weeds. Dandelions, clovers, thistles, and numerous other unusual species have appeared in lawns and landscapes across South Texas. Last year’s extremely dry weather followed by the abundant moisture of the fall and winter has produced a bumper crop of broadleaf weeds in even the most pampered and cared for yards.

Turfs that thinned and became stressed this past year, due to the weatherrelated conditions, are experiencing increased pressure from pest such as dandelion, clovers, thistles and other unwanted broadleaf weeds.

Seeds of broadleaf weeds occur naturally in all soils and can persist for 30 or more years. When conditions are favorable, weeds germinate and thrive.

That has certainly been the case this year.

Maintaining a healthy weed free lawn can usually be accomplished by proper fertilization, irrigation and mowing. However, in situations when proper cultural practices are not enough, use of a general home lawn broadleaf herbicide can be the key to controlling weed pest.

Broadleaf weed control can be accomplished using selective postemergence formulations, which contain two or more herbicides. Formulations are available for most southern grasses. Many of these formulations contain phenoxy (2,4-D) herbicides and should be used with care.

Postemergence herbicides should be applied to actively growing young weeds on a clear, calm day when the air temperature are between 50 and 85 degrees.

For best results consider delaying any mowing activities in treated areas for at least 3 days before and after treatment. Of course, label recommendations should be carefully followed when applying herbicides.

In addition to an abundance of broadleaf weeds, it is quite obvious that lawns need fertilizer this spring. I suspect that much nitrogen was lost in the soil profile over the past 18 month period.

Knowing how much fertilizer to apply is best determined by a soil test.

However, when soil test information is not available and homeowners are looking for a general rule of thumb recommendation, I usually suggest ½ to 1 pound of nitrogen per 1,000 square feet of lawn with supplemental applications to follow. One of the keys to proper lawn fertilization is to know the size of your yard since lawn care products, such as fertilizer, are often recommended and applied in measured amounts per 1,000 square feet. Another key to proper fertilization is realizing that the numbers on the bag indicate the percentage of each nutrient.

For example, a 40 pound bag of 16-4-8 would contain 16% nitrogen. Therefore, 40 pounds x 0.16 = 6.4 pounds of nitrogen. At the 1 pound per 1,000 square feet rule of thumb recommendation, 6,400 square feet of lawn could be treated.

Getting landscapes in shape following the weather conditions faced the past 18 months will be challenging this spring. Carefully assessing the weed and fertility situation, selecting and applying the correct herbicides and fertilizer will insure that turfs are green and weed free in a short period of time.