Lawn Problem Spotlight: Yarrow
For anyone that’s into having a herbaceous border around their garden or growing a wildflower area at the far end of their lawn, Yarrow (aka milfoil), can be a wonderful addition to the view from your kitchen window. For everyone else, however, the sight of wild yarrow popping up in your lawn is little more than a common weed that can crowd out your grass, especially in areas that have a nutrient deficiency.
Here’s everything you need to know about yarrow, including how to rid it from your lawn:
What exactly is yarrow?
One quick stroll around your lawn and you’ll know whether or not you have a yarrow problem thanks to their green, fern-like-and-feathery appearance of this perennial plant that has an almost mat-like way of spreading. But wait until late-spring or early-summer and you’ll find it even easier to spot this weed thanks to the small white flower heads that tend to appear from June until October.
But while they are a seriously wonderful addition to any flower-rich garden because of the way they attract such a wide plethora of insects, from bees to butterflies, they can crowd out your grass. Yepp, like so many weeds, yarrow loves pretty much every condition, thriving on dry, sandy, nutrient-deficient soil and lawns that have been scalped with the mower. But here’s the worst part: they are so good at regrowing thanks to their underground stems that are able to creep across your lawn and outcompete your grass if you’re not careful.
What’s the big problem with yarrow?
In a word, they’re opportunists. They’re a weed that has a real thing for dry, sandy soils that don’t get enough nutrients, which makes them a real problem during any dry-patches, heatwaves and droughts. But what makes this such an effective weed is the speed in which yarrow can establish itself in a lawn that has been weakened by a lack of rain, watering and fertiliser.
What is the best way to control yarrow?
We would ask whether you want the good news first or the bad news, but everyone picks bad so here we go: yarrow is almost impossible to control once it has a foothold in your lawn. As such, the best thing you can do to stop yarrow having a party amongst your turf is keep up with a good lawn care routine because the healthier your grass the better it is at protecting itself.
That said, there are two ways you can take on a yarrow problem, starting with cultural control methods.
Cultural Method No.1 – Top Dressing:
Apply a proprietary top-dressing in early-spring to encourage healthy grass growth – using a rake to work it into your soil – as a way of crowding out any yarrow. Just make sure you don’t go over the top with it as that will prevent you from being able to mow your lawn properly, which is another great method of control.
Cultural Method No.2 – Fertiliser:
When the growing season gets under way, try feeding your lawn a fertiliser to make sure your grass gets all the nutrients it needs to thrive and survive, which is always the best defence against a fast-spreading weed like yarrow.
Cultural Method No.3 – Cut n’ Rake:
With growing season in full swing, one of the best ways to deal with yarrow is to mow your lawn regularly, and then rake it and then mow it again a few days later, which will help prevent your yarrow from flowering and producing seed. The way this works is simple: it weakens the yarrow and strengthens your lawn.
Cultural Method No.3 – Watering:
Like we said above, probably a few times in fact, yarrow loves a bit of dry soil, which means a great solution is to keep your lawn nice and moist by doing watering your lawn pretty heavily once a week during any dry or humid periods to keep your grass roots nice and strong.
As for using chemicals to eliminate any signs of yarrow, we would only recommend this for a large infestation. The trick is to use a selective herbicide that’s able to eradicate this particular weed. What’s more, this could require more than once application in order to be successful. It’s also worth noting that the kind of products you find in a garden centre won’t be as effective as the professional products we use at Joe’s, so feel free to give us a call and book in your free analysis.
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