Out here in Austin, TX there are plenty of types of weeds that thrive. They not only detract from the aesthetics of your lawn, but also rob it of nutrients and resources. The good news is that all weeds can be properly managed.
Weeds are generally categorized as broadleaf weeds and grassy weeds. Broadleaf are types of weeds that have broader leaves; whereas grassy weeds have long thin blade-like leaves, like grasses.
Henbit:● Square stems with scalloped, rounded leaves in opposite pairs and small purple tubular flowers.
● Usually the first green you notice in a dormant winter lawn.
● In Central Texas it germinates in fall, runs through winter, blooms in early spring, then dies off in the summer heat.
A fall pre-emergent stops it before it starts, and a post-emergent broadleaf herbicide knocks it out while it is actively growing in winter and early spring. A thick spring lawn shades it out on its own.
Dandelion:● Low rosette of jagged, deeply toothed leaves, a single bright yellow flower on a hollow stem, then a white puffball seed head.
● A thick taproot that makes hand pulling unreliable, since any root left behind regrows.
● In Central Texas it is a cool-season perennial, blooming heaviest in spring and again in fall, and it can hang on through mild Austin winters.
A post-emergent broadleaf herbicide is the most reliable fix, applied while it is actively growing in spring or fall. Pulling only works if you remove the entire taproot. A dense, well-fed lawn gives new seedlings far fewer openings to take hold.
Chickweed:● Low, spreading mats of small, smooth, oval leaves with tiny white star-shaped flowers.
● Shallow, weak roots, so it pulls up easily when you catch it early.
● A winter annual in Central Texas: it germinates in fall, grows through winter, then sets seed and fades as the weather warms in late spring.
A fall pre-emergent stops it before it germinates, and a post-emergent broadleaf herbicide clears active patches in winter and early spring. Because the roots are shallow, small infestations are easy to hand pull.
Spurge:● A low, flat, mat-forming broadleaf with small leaves and often a reddish tint to the stems, spreading out in a circle from a central root.
● Broken stems ooze a milky sap that can irritate skin and eyes, so wear gloves if you pull it.
● A summer annual in Central Texas: it germinates as the soil warms in late spring, peaks in the summer heat, and dies at the first frost.
A spring pre-emergent timed to rising soil temperatures is the main defense, since spurge returns from seed each summer. A post-emergent broadleaf herbicide handles young plants, and thick, healthy turf denies it the bare, compacted ground it prefers.
White Clover:● Three rounded leaflets, often with a pale crescent mark, forming low creeping mats topped by round white flower heads that bees love.
● It is a legume that fixes its own nitrogen, which is exactly why it thrives where the surrounding turf is starved for it.
● A cool-season perennial in Central Texas, most visible spring through fall and persisting in mild winters.
Because clover makes its own nitrogen, the best defense is a thick, well-fed lawn, so regular fertilization does a lot of the work. A post-emergent broadleaf herbicide clears active stands, but time it for when clover is not in bloom and bees are not working the flowers.
Nutsedge (Nutgrass):● Nutsedge is a perennial weed, one of the most abundant and problematic in Austin. It often grows in colonies and can be very difficult to control.
● Also known as Nutgrass, its bright, glossy, yellow-green blades grow faster than your turf and stand taller within days of mowing, on a distinctive triangular stem.
● It thrives on overwatering, whether in your yard or in the poorly drained spots common in Austin clay.
Most herbicides do not kill nutsedge, so it needs a sedge-specific product, and fixing the drainage or water exposure is half the battle. YardDoc targets it in the warmer months when it is actively growing.
Crab grass:● Light green, coarse grass that spreads flat in a star pattern, with stems radiating from a central crown like crab legs.
● Grows faster than your turf and takes over thin or bare spots quickly, and most general herbicides do not touch it.
● A summer annual in Central Texas: it germinates as the soil warms in spring, runs hard through summer, dies at frost, and returns from seed the next year.
A spring pre-emergent timed to soil temperature is by far the most effective tool, since stopping the seed is easier than killing the plant. A post-emergent grassy herbicide handles young plants, and mowing at the right height with a thick spring lawn shades out new seedlings.
Poa Annua (Blue grass):● A fine-textured, light green grass that sits lower than your turf and throws up whitish, cloudy seed heads even when mowed short.
● A single plant can scatter thousands of seeds, which is what makes it so hard to stay ahead of.
● A winter annual in Central Texas: it germinates in fall as the soil cools, grows through winter, seeds heavily in spring, then dies off in the summer heat.
A fall pre-emergent timed to cooling soil temperatures is the key, because it stops the seed before it starts. Avoid overwatering and heavy fall nitrogen, both of which encourage it, and keep in mind that post-emergent options are limited and depend on your grass type.
Dallas (Dallis) grass:● A coarse, fast-growing clumping grass that forms expanding circular clumps and sends up tall seed stalks with spreading, finger-like branches.
● Often mistaken for crabgrass, but it is a perennial, so it returns from the crown year after year rather than dying off each winter.
● A warm-season perennial in Central Texas: it greens up in spring, grows all summer, and comes back from the same plants every year.
This is one of the tougher weeds to clear. Pre-emergent will not stop an established perennial, so it takes spot treatment with a post-emergent product labeled for dallisgrass, often over several applications. Large clumps may need to be removed and the area reseeded or sodded, and a dense lawn helps slow its spread.
Everything on this page is what our Lawn Care Program does for you on a schedule: the pre-emergent timing, the post-emergent spot treatments, and the fertilization that thickens your lawn so weeds cannot get a foothold, all across the whole growing season.
You get six visits a year from a licensed YardDoc technician, so henbit, crabgrass, nutsedge, and the rest get hit before they take over.
Wind
Wind is the most common source. Light, fluffy seeds can blow in from a neighbor's yard or from acres away.
Underground Runners
Weeds can spread underground, sending out runners that grow as new plants near where they started.
Animals
Animals carry them in with seeds catching on feet and fur or passing through the gut as they roam.
New Material
Weeds also arrive in new material, hiding in fresh sod, plants, soil, or compost brought onto the property.
The best defense against weeds is a full, healthy lawn. When the turf is thick, weed seeds that reach the soil are starved of light and crowded out before they can establish.
A healthy Austin lawn comes down to a few things working together: good soil and nutrients, enough sunlight, the right watering amount and timing, and good drainage. If one of those is off it can be corrected, but it usually takes a deliberate step to fix.
Most yards run into the same problem over time. We keep lawns neat and clear of decaying leaves and clippings for looks, but that means the nutrients those would have returned to the soil never get replaced. The soil slowly runs down, the grass weakens, and thin grass leaves open space for weeds.
So managing weeds is really two jobs at once: building up the health of the lawn and removing weeds before they take hold. Our Lawn Care Program does both across the whole growing season, pairing fertilization to strengthen the lawn with pre-emergent and post-emergent treatments to clear the weeds.
You can stop weed seeds from germinating, which is a pre-emergent weed treatment, or you can target the weeds once they are visible, which is a post-emergent weed treatment.
Regular spring and fall pre-emergent weed treatments are the best herbicide approach to managing annual weeds over time. Annual weeds need new seeds to germinate every season to produce the next crop, so stopping the seeds from developing is a very effective control measure.
Pre-emergent treatments should be done spring and fall, as typically you get summer weeds that germinate in spring and winter weeds that germinate in the fall.
When the weeds are already visible, then a post emergent herbicide is used. The herbicide varies according to the weed type and also the grass type. The herbicide needs to be strong enough to kill that specific weed, but also gentle enough that it doesn’t kill the lawn.
With fertilization, it is important to use high quality fertilizers that add value to the soil and plants over the longer term; not just a short-term result. Fertilization should also be varied according to the needs of the soil and the time of the year that they are applied, as at different times of the season, different nutrients are required.
The reality is that weed control is a never-ending process, but one that can be managed effectively.
It depends on the type of treatment. In Central Texas, pre-emergent goes down twice a year. First, in late winter to early spring as soil temperatures approach 55°F, usually late February to early March, to stop summer weeds like crabgrass. Second, in early fall before soil drops below 70°F, usually September, to stop winter weeds like henbit, chickweed, and Poa annua.
Post-emergent spot treatments handle weeds that are already up. Our Lawn Care Program builds this timing into a set schedule so you do not have to track soil temperatures yourself.
Pre-emergent is a treatment applied before weed seeds sprout. It stops weeds before they appear, rather than killing them after they are already growing.
Timing is based on soil temperature, which is why it goes down twice a year in Central Texas, once in late winter to early spring and again in early fall. Getting it applied before the soil hits the trigger temperature is what makes it work.
YardDoc’s Lawn Care Program includes both pre-emergent applications, performed in-house by licensed technicians, so you do not have to track soil temperatures yourself.
Post-emergent is a treatment applied to weeds that have already come up. It targets weeds you can see and are actively growing, rather than preventing them the way pre-emergent does.
In a Central Texas lawn it is used as spot treatment through the season, handling weeds that break through between the pre-emergent windows. The simple version: pre-emergent prevents, post-emergent cleans up what is already there.
YardDoc’s Lawn Care Program includes post-emergent spot treatments by licensed technicians as part of the six visits.
Yes. The right herbicide depends on both the weed and your grass type, which matters a lot in Central Texas, where St. Augustine, Bermuda, and Zoysia lawns each tolerate different products. St. Augustine Floratam in particular is sensitive to several common weed killers. A licensed YardDoc technician matches the treatment to your specific turf so the weeds go and the lawn stays.
Almost always because the lawn is thin or stressed. Weeds move into the open space and light that thin turf leaves behind, and Central Texas makes it easy on them with hot summers, clay soil that compacts, and mild winters that let cool-season weeds grow while your grass is dormant. The fix works from both sides: thicken the lawn through proper fertilization and watering, and treat weeds on a schedule before they take hold.
The grassy weeds we see most around Austin are crabgrass, dallisgrass, nutsedge, and Poa annua. The broadleaf weeds are henbit, chickweed, clover, spurge, and dandelion. Each has its own timing and treatment, which is why identifying the weed comes before treating it. The sections above cover how to spot and handle each one.
Broadleaf and grassy are the two main types of lawn weed, and they are controlled differently. Broadleaf weeds have wide leaves and often flower. Common Central Texas examples are clover, dandelion, henbit, and chickweed. Grassy weeds look like blades of grass and blend into the lawn. Common examples here are crabgrass, dallisgrass, and Poa annua, also called annual bluegrass.
The difference matters because broadleaf weeds respond to selective broadleaf treatments, while grassy weeds are hardest to control once they are up and are best stopped ahead of time with pre-emergent. Sedges like nutsedge are a third group that needs its own treatment again.
YardDoc’s licensed technicians identify which type you have and treat it through the Lawn Care Program.
You can treat weeds yourself, but most Austin homeowners find that hardware-store products and hand pulling underwhelm, usually because the timing and the grass-type match are easy to get wrong.
The biggest gains come from putting pre-emergent down at the right soil temperature with a product that is safe for your turf, which is exactly what a professional program is built to get right. YardDoc uses commercial-grade products and licensed technicians who do the work in-house rather than handing it off.
Most lawns look noticeably cleaner within the first treatment cycle, with steady improvement as the lawn thickens and soil health builds over the season. Weed control is not a one-time fix, though. It is an ongoing process across the year, which is why our program runs six visits rather than a single application.
If you are interested in managing weeds and getting your lawn into great shape, ask about the YardDoc Lawn Care Program. One of our qualified technicians can implement a seasonal solution for your lawn.
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