Identifying Weeds Helps Select Best Tulsa Weed Control Options

Are you looking for weed control solutions for your Tulsa lawn? Effective weed control can be an ongoing battle, but identifying what type of weeds are trying to overtake your landscape is the first step in controlling these pests. 

Recognizing different kinds of weeds in your Tulsa lawn can help you create the most effective weed control plan by knowing the weed’s life cycle and better understanding how to stop this process. Identifying weeds can also help you identify specific problems in your lawn and soil. The presence of some weed varieties may indicate that your soil is compacted or that the lawn is shady or to wet. 

So, how can you effectively control some of the more common weed varieties? 

Dandelions. One of the most common types of weeds in Oklahoma, these can grow in your lawn and garden to be about 1 foot tall with yellow flowers that turn into puff balls. These weeds have a stout taproot, and often a large leaf base that expands outward and chokes out the surrounding turf. 

Mulch can be ready to lend a hand in preventing these weeds from overtaking your garden.  These deeply-rooted weeds are difficult to pull out so digging the roots, which can be 2-3 feet deep, using a trowel or shovel will be needed. Using a pre-emergent weed control in the spring along with a fertilizer will help to control them as the weed control herbicide will help to kill the weeds while making the grass stronger. 

A thick lawn that will choke out these weeds is one of the most effective tools for preventing dandelions so having regular lawn fertilization program is important.   

Crabgrass. Another common Oklahoma weed, crabgrass is a grassy annual weed that sprawls out across the ground from the main root growing up to 19 inches wide. It can grow quickly in hot, dry conditions anywhere the stem comes in contact with soil. While they die in the fall, one weed can produce over 100,000 seeds that will grow in the spring. Once again, having a thick lawn is a major strength in control crabgrass by preventing the weed seeds from getting needed sunlight. Mowing your lawn at a higher height and watering deeply and less frequently will help prevent these weeds. Mulching as well as using a pre-emergent weed control will also help to control these weeds.  

Creeping Charlie. This is a ground-clover with low growing, creeping stems, scalloped, kidney-shaped leaves, and purplish flowers. This aggressive perennial weed likes shady, moist areas often under trees or in gardens and cool weather. Using a pre-emergent weed control in the spring or fall will help to prevent these weeds. Mulch especially in gardens and under trees is helpful in thwarting this ground-clover. 

Lamb’s Quarters. This broadleaf annual weed averages a height of about 36 inches  but can grow up to six feet tall, has stems with red streaks, and has triangular or diamond-shaped, scalloped leaves. This weed has tiny green flowers that grow in clusters. It can grow in just about any area in the shade or sun. Mowing or tilling the area where these weeds show up can be helpful in reducing the number of plants and seeds. Post-emergent weed control can also be useful in stopping this weed from taking over your landscape or garden. 

For more information on the particular weeds in your Tulsa landscape, talk to the weed control experts at Oklahoma Landscape on tips on how to control these garden pests.

Lawn Fertilization Schedule for a Healthy Tulsa Lawn

Every homeowner wants his or her lawn to be lush and vibrant all year. Like an exercise or diet plan, maintaining a good Tulsa lawn care schedule is important to a lawn’s success. A good Tulsa lawn fertilization schedule is crucial in your endeavor for a lawn that’s the envy of your neighborhood. But what is a good lawn fertilization schedule for Tulsa lawns? First, we have to think about what your grass needs and why.

Like us, grass needs nourishment to grow. So especially when grass starts growing in early spring after a long winter, it needs adequate nutrition including nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium to build strong roots and turf. Experts recommend that when soil temperatures start to reach 60 degrees is a good time to feed your lawn, depending on the type of grass you have.

First, however, you should aerate your lawn. Aerating helps to remove thatch, or dead grass, in the lawn and break-up compacted soil so that your lawn can effectively use the fertilizer.

As grass grows, though, weeds grow also, so pre-emergent weed control will be needed to avert the spread of weeds like crabgrass. There are combination weed control and fertilizers that can feed your grass while stopping weed growth. An organic pre-emergent weed control agent like corn gluten meal, is also a good source of slow-release nitrogen, World of Lawn Care noted, so this type of weed control may also serve as a good lawn fertilizer as well.

In late spring, lawn fertilization is also important before the stress of Tulsa’s summer heat in arrives. Providing adequate lawn fertilization during this time, when the grass is still growing, will help to thicken the grass blades and help fortify the root system. Combination weed control and lawn fertilization programs are great for this time of year when both grass and weeds flourish.

Summer heat can be ruthless on lawns, along with the accompanying drought, insects, and increased outdoor activity to wear on the lawn. Once again, your lawn will need a suitable lawn fertilization application for the summer season to protect the grass and soil from these stresses, depending on if it’s a cool season or warm season grass.

Many say fall is the best time to apply a lawn fertilizer treatment. The cooler weather and increased rain, along with a good fertilizer, will help your lawn recover from the stress of summer. Applying a fertilizer just before winter comes will help ensure grass and roots get to store up the nutrients they need for the long winter. This nutrient storage will help grass recover faster and be more vibrant the following spring.

The Tulsa lawn fertilization and weed control experts at Oklahoma Landscape can help you get the right fertilizer and weed control treatments for your particular lawn to ensure it remains vibrant this summer.