What makes a plant a garden weed means different things to different people. This is because there is not a single plant that is a weed -- the word refers to an idea. Basically, weeds are plants that are growing in your yard where you don't want them to. Lawns are particularly susceptible to weeds, because you feed and water your lawn regularly. Winter, when lawns slow their growth or go dormant, is an optimal time to treat clover and other weeds.
Some people consider clover a weed and others consider it useful. The plant itself adds nitrogen to the soil, promoting healthy growth of plants around it. It does, however, spread quickly and may choke out the grass around it. Clover is a perennial broad-leaf weed and will grow back every year, just as perennial flowers do. By fertilizing your lawn with a winter fertilizer, you can help prevent clover from emerging in the spring. The denser your lawn is, the less space weeds, like clover, will have to grow.
The University of California Agriculture and Natural Resources lists four different categories of weeds. Broad-leaf weeds, weed grasses and sedge can all be found in lawns. The last category is aquatic and refers to weeds that grow in water for part of their life cycle. Broad-leaf weeds are wide plants with veins that branch out in multiple directions. Clover, dandelion and cockleburs are on this list. Grass weeds are grasses you don't want growing in your lawn. They may look different than the other grass in the lawn. Foxtail barley, Bermuda grass and crabgrass are in this category. Sedge resembles grass, but is biologically different. The leaves are narrow and are arranged in sets of three. Bulrush, nutsedge and spikerush are all sedge varieties.
Spot treat weeds during warmer months and use the winter to help build up the health of your lawn. A thick, dense lawn is more weed-resistant than one that is sparse or barren in areas. Overseed the lawn in late fall and again in early spring. Over the winter, spread out winter fertilizer on the lawn. This helps strengthen existing lawn roots and gives new seed the nutrition it needs when it begins to grow. Toward the end of winter and in to early spring, aerate the lawn to bring more oxygen to the roots to stimulate growth.
Make your lawn as healthy and full as possible with the right kind of fertilizer and soil amendments. A soil analysis can tell you what your lawn is lacking, as well as what it has too much of. Contact a university extension office for a list of soil analysis laboratories. Once you know what your lawn needs, you can apply it. For example, if your lawn needed extra nitrogen, add a fertilizer that is high in nitrogen.
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