Scroll below to learn more about the weeds that could be attacking your lawn.
The weeds are separated into two categories: Grassy Weeds and Broadleaf Weeds. These photos and descriptions will help you figure out what weeds may be in your lawn. Contact Richter's Beautification to help you to identify and treat the weeds in your lawn with both our Weed Control Program and the care of an experienced technician. 

Grassy Weeds

Tall Fescue

Characteristics:
  • Bunch-like growing patterns
  • Individual stems in bunches
  • Can reach 3-4 ft in height
  • Large, dark green leaves

Dallis Grass

Characteristics:
  • Coarse, grows in bunches
  • Firework burst or star shape​
  • 2-6 inch stems grow from center point
  • Minimal long stems with seed heads
  • Seeds are dormant in winter, sprout in early spring.

Large Crabgrass

Characteristics:
  • Micro-hairs covering all parts.
  • Leaves with wavy edges
  • Mostly a deep green color
  • Summer annual that emerges every spring
  • Can indicate heightened soil temperatures

Smooth Crabgrass

Characteristics:
  • Smooth Crabgrass is the most common summer weed- 90% of crabgrass in MI is smooth crabgrass.
  • Wavy-edged leaves
  • Light green color
  • Summer annual that emerges every spring

Quackgrass

Characteristics:
  • Light green-blue green blades
  • Rough on top surface of blades
  • Flowers resembles wheat
  • Turns brown in summer
  • Grows quickly in spring and fall

Yellow Nutsedge

Characteristics:
  • Very grass-like appearance
  • Triangular stem with three leaves
  • Perennial that is symptomatic of poorly drained soil
  • Will grow faster than surrounding grass
  • Seed heads appear July-October

Broadleaf Weeds

Broadleaf Plantain 

Characteristics:​
  • Grayish-green oval leaves 
  • Grows in rosettes that sit tight to the ground
  • Thin seed heads sprout in clusters in the center
    • These stalks appear from early summer to september.

This weed tends to overwhelm and suffocate your grass. 

Clover

Characteristics:
  • Compound leaves with 3 leaflets
  • Lighter colored triangle in the center of individual leaflets
  • Little teeth on edge of leaves
  • Appear from May to September.
  • Flowers small white and purple flowers.

Spurge

Characteristics:
  • Low-growing
  • Reddish & somewhat hairy stems
  • Broken stems produce milky white substance much like a dandelion
  • Often found in: parking lot islands, crevices, and poorly drained bark mulch.
  • Summer annual

Common Purslane

Characteristics:
  • Red stems
  • Thick leaves, resemble a jade plant
  • Flowers yellow buds that only open when sunny
  • Low-growing summer annual
  • Prefers sidewalk crevices, mulched flower beds and any type of soil.

Dandelion

Characteristics:
  • Lance-shaped leaves in rosettes.
  • Flowers in bright yellow
  • Flowers become fluffy seed-heads
  • Seedlings are capable of germination anytime throughout their growing season
  • Present from early spring to fall.

Wild Violet

Characteristics:
  • Flowers from a deep violet to complete white
  • Heart-shaped, waxy leaves
  • Dense root system
  • Perennial often found in shaded areas, preferring moist soil.
  • Flowers appear mid-may

Ground Ivy

Characteristics:
  • ​Also known as creeping charlie
  • Round leaves with bumpy edges
  • Square stems
  • When broken, leaves give off a minty smell.
  • Flowers blue/purple funnel-shaped flowers.

Oxalis

Characteristics:
  • Most notable for its bright yellow flowers.
  • Grows upright, but appears as a creeping vine.
  • Stems/leaves are purplish/reddish
  • Perennial 

Black Medic

Characteristics:
  • 3 petal leaflets similar to clover
  • Flowers very small bright yellow
  • Grows low to the ground
  • Hairy stems
  • Common May- September.

English Daisy 

Characteristics:​
  • Daisy-like flowers 
  • Leaves can be both smooth and hairy
  • 2-inch stalks 
  • Grow in dense clusters
  • Grow quickly in spring and fall