Weeds are such a pain in the neck!
Just when you thought you have gotten rid of them, there they are again springing back up and bringing terror to your lawn.
And that’s not all…
It’s so hard to get rid of them because there are a lot of different kinds that vary treatment.
One of the most common ones is the dollar weed., and nope, it’s not as glamorous as having real dollars. They are pesky little weeds that can take over your lawn!
I know you don’t want that to happen, so we’re here to help you get rid of Dollar weeds that are growing on your lawn. We whipped up a complete guide so that you can identify, remove, and prevent dollar weeds from your lawn.
Let’s begin!
Contents
- What is Dollar Weed?
- How to Identify a Dollar Weed?
- Why are There Dollar Weeds in My Lawn?
- Is Dollar Weed an Enemy or a Friend?
- What Kills Dollar Weeds?
- Can Dollar Weeds Grow Back?
- FAQs
- Summary
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What is Dollar Weed?
Dollar weed, also known as pennywort, is a member of the parsley family which originated from Asia. They have rounded, bright green leaves with wavy edges and has white flowers that bloom from July up to August.
The name Dollar weed was based on its shape. Its glossy and round leaves resemble a silver dollar. They grow in moist and shady portions of the lawn, garden, or even unplanted areas.
This weed can float even on the water so they are very difficult to deal with when left uncontrolled.
They thrive in warm climates so if you’re from the southern part of the US and other temperate regions, beware!
How to Identify a Dollar Weed?
If you spot weeds in your lawn, you don’t wanna act on it just yet.
Why?
Because you want to make sure that you use the treatment or method for that specific type of weed. Some can require different treatment so you have to identify the species first.
So you already know about Dollar weeds being common to warmer regions and have a silver dollar-like appearance, but here are additional indicators to identify Dollar weeds:
- Dollar weeds are dark green and resemble tiny lily pads
- Dollar weeds is a water-loving plant, thus actively spreading in moist and wet environments, and they can also float. So, if it’s a weed that you see from that portion of your turn that has a high moisture content, then that might be a dollar weed.
- Dollar weeds grow small, white flowers that bloom during July up to August, or during summertime.
- If you are using St. Augustine grass and this weed pops up, this is a sign that you over-water your lawn or that it has too much moisture.
- People often confuse dollar weeds with a different weed known as dichondra. These are two similar-looking weeds, but you can differentiate the two by looking at their stems. Dichondra stems are found at the edge of the leaves while Dollar weeds’ can be found at the center.
- Dollar weeds grow through the stems that easily creep and root into the soil. This makes it able to reproduce and spread in a short period of time.
Got it?
These descriptions can help you make sure that you are dealing with the right Dollar weeds. But if you’re still unsure and skeptical, you can avail yourself professional help in identifying and actually exterminating those pesky weeds.
Why are There Dollar Weeds in My Lawn?
If you found out there are dollar weeds growing in your lawn, the main culprit is too much water. And this can be caused by a number of things like over-watering, too much rain, the poor-draining quality of the soil, or the layer of grass being thin.
From these situations, dollar weeds can expect to grow rapidly and take over your lawn if you don’t act fast. This grass spreads via seeds or from the underground roots.
This means that if you want to remove them, you have to be precise in killing them all to prevent them from coming back.
Is Dollar Weed an Enemy or a Friend?
Simply put…
Dollar weeds are one of your lawn’s mortal enemies.
Just like any other weed that has ever existed, they do not pose a benefit to gardens and lawns, aside from their ability to produce oxygen. But then again, we’re talking about yards here!
If you want to make your lawn look the best it can be, with bright and healthy grass that is distributed evenly, you have to get rid of those dollar weeds!
They are very damaging to your lawn because they compete with the water and nutrients that are supposed to be for your intended plants. They decrease the yield of your plants and impede the growth of grasses.
May it is a garden of any sort of plants or a field of beautiful grass, Dollar weeds can take over space if left uncontrolled.
You don’t want that, do you?
What Kills Dollar Weeds?
Technically, weeds can be pulled by hand. You can get rid of Dollar weeds through that method, but you have to be extra precise when doing it. You have to pull it all out especially the roots because it will keep growing back.
You can do this for a small number of dollar weeds growing in your lawn but if you are dealing with a large area, this is very tedious, time-consuming, and may not even be possible executing perfectly.
During this moment, you can rely on various remedies to get rid of your dollar weeds. Not only they are easier but more efficient in killing and even preventing the weeds from coming back.
Chemical Treatment
Chemical applications are the most efficient way of dealing with weeds because they are scientifically designed for that purpose.
There are a lot of weed killers available on the market today. They are mostly grass and pet safe, so you don’t have to worry about it affecting things around you.
For only a few dollar weeds or a small patch of them, you can spot treat them using ready-to-use dollar weed killers like Roundup® For Lawns Southern Formula Ready-To-Use. These are effective in killing to the roots, so the weeds won’t grow back.
For bigger areas crawling with Dollar weeds, you can use Weed & Feed products or Herbicides.
Weed and Feed products are used to treat larger dollar weed problems. These products kill weeds, including dollar weeds of course, yet providing the lawn with nutrients, hence the feeding part. You can see these in the market are specifically labeled as weed-and-feed.
Examples of these that kill Dollar weeds are Scotts Turf Builder Bonus S Southern Weed & Feed and Scotts Turf Builder Southern Triple Action. Just read and follow the instructions written and you’re good to go!
Quick tip: Hold off on watering for two weeks. Most grasses can handle a short dry spell, but dollar weed can’t. Instead, it becomes weak, making it an excellent target for control products. After two weeks, then apply the weed-and-feed product.
Herbicides, on the other hand, are more specific in killing the weeds and they are widely used for this purpose.
To kill Dollar weeds fast and easily, you can use herbicides such as MSM Turf herbicide or Fahrenheit herbicide. MSM turf herbicide, when applied to your lawn, will only do its job to the weeds and will not affect your grass. It can be applied through a hand pump, hose, or backpack sprayer and can cover up to one acre of the lawn.
Meanwhile, Fahrenheit herbicide is a composition of water-soluble granules also used to kill Dollar weeds. It can also be used in large volume and area treatment, and it offers a wider variety in terms of application.
Other herbicides that are proven to get rid of Dollar weeds are Atrizine, Image (Imazaquin), 2,4-D, Blade, Manor, and Monument.
They are all safe for use in various types of grasses like Zoysia, St. Augustine, Bermuda, and Centipede grasses.
It’s only a question of choosing one of the many weed killer types available.
Here’s a simple procedure on how you can apply chemical herbicides to get rid of Dollar weeds.
Step #1: Measure the Treatment Area
Calculate the square footage where you will apply the herbicides. You can do this by multiplying the length and width of the designated space. This can help you determine the right amount of product that you should apply to the lawn.
Step #2: Mix the Herbicide Solution
Herbicides that are available in the market have their recommended mixing proportion. For example, MSM Turf Herbicide recommends .125 ounces mixed with 1 ounce of water per acre of land that will be treated. Given that you have a 1,000 square foot area, you would mix 1 oz. of MSM turf herbicide with 32 ounces of water in a hose-end sprayer.
For average applications, a 1-gallon pump would be great to easily apply the treatment.
Step #3: Apply Solution to Dollar weeds
After filling up your sprayer, you can not apply the solution to the area you want to treat. People use fan nozzles to get even coverage to the area.
Quick tip: Spray the grass such that the leaves and soil are wet but not to the point that it comes as runoff. Distribute the product evenly and consistently and don’t leave any part that’s not treated. This can make the weeds grow back, even from a single weed that was not killed.
Don’t water the lawn for a day to let the solution soak in and be absorbed by the weeds. You should see the changes after 14 days and in some cases, you should reapply after 3 weeks.
Things to remember:
- Be sure to wear the proper personal protective equipment (PPE) before handling or applying any product.
- Chemical control should only be used as a last resort, as organic approaches are safer and much more environmentally friendly.
Organic Treatment
We know that some people are very conscious of what they apply to their gardens and lawns and that’s not bad at all.
Though chemical applications are proven effective for the job, they are composed of inorganic chemicals that contribute to land and water pollution. Thus, there is a great reason for people who want natural options.
And we have just the tips for you!
These alternatives can help you get rid of Dollar weeds on your lawn without leaving traces of the chemicals. Just take note that these may or may not be effective for everyone but these are worth trying before resorting to chemicals.
- Boiling water – Technically, pouring boiling water easily kills plants so it can also kill Dollar weeds. However, it can also affect other plants in the lawn or the grass themselves if not executed carefully.
- Baking soda – Wet the weeds and sprinkle baking soda all over them. Leave it overnight and observe what happens. These are safe for the grass and some people are actually successful in killing Dollar weeds with this method.
- Sugar – Surprisingly, others found luck with using sugar to kill Dollar weeds. Just like the previous method, you should sprinkle the weeds with sugar.
- Vinegar – This is great for spot treating. Its acidic nature makes it effective to use as a dollar weed herbicide. However, you should also be careful in using it around other plants.
There are a lot of ways to get rid of weeds without chemicals. You can always try them and see what works for you.
Can Dollar Weeds Grow Back?
Let’s say you’ve managed to get rid of Dollar weeds this time, should you still worry about them?
Well, if you’re confident that you got them all, then you shouldn’t worry about it in the near future. However, it doesn’t mean that you will not deal with them forever.
So, we also have tips for you to prevent Dollar weeds from growing back. Here are some points to remember to protect your turf from Dollar weeds.
Feed Your Lawn Properly
Feeding your lawn with the right fertilizers can make the grass grow thick and strong. This can help overtake weeds if there are a few that are starting to spring up. Feed your lawns 2 to 4 times a year to provide the right amount of nutrients.
Water Less
If Dollar weeds are your main concern, then lessening your irrigation can help you get rid of them. Since Dollar weeds are water-loving plants, you should never overwater the lawn.
Thus, you should limit your lawn’s irrigation to only an inch of water per week. This allows the soil to dry out and prevents Dollar weeds from growing and spreading further.
You can also improve the drainage of your soil by aerating it. Aerating the soil lessens water retention.
Mow High
Mowing at the right height for your specific grass helps its leaves to grow thicker and its root system to grow deeper.
To get rid of Dollar weeds in St. Augustine grass or Floratam grass, we would advise mowing the grass to about 3 to 4 inches. Mow Zoysia and Centipede grass to 2 to 3 inches while 1.5 to 2 inches for Bermuda grass.
FAQs
Why do I have so much dollar on my lawn?
One main reason as to why you have Dollar weeds on your lawn is overwatering and saturation of the soil.
Dollar weeds love wet environments and they spread easily in this condition
Will Dollar weeds take over grass?
If left uncontrolled, Dollar weeds can take over your grass.
Should I ask for professional help?
For a small Dollar weed problem, spot treatment can be easily done on your own.
But if you are dealing with a large area, you can opt to call for professional help to make sure that the lawn is treated in the best way.
Summary
Now you learned how to get rid of Dollar weeds. You can now identify them and plan out the best solution for your weed problem.
Share us your Dollar weed stories! Good luck and Happy Gardening.