However, industry professionals and lawn care experts know fall is one of the most beneficial times to remove and treat weeds. Weed control in the fall is crucial to laying the groundwork for a healthy garden in the spring.
As the weather cools, many weeds prepare to go dormant, but some seeds will still germinate if left unaddressed. In the fall, apply pre-emergent herbicides to prevent weed seeds from sprouting. Additionally, remove any existing weeds to prevent seed dispersal. This will help reduce the weed population, making it easier to maintain your garden in the spring.
By taking these steps for fall weed control, your yard will be better equipped to be even healthier come next spring.
Fall weeds are getting ready for winter
If you weaken plant systems sufficiently, harsh winter conditions can complete the task for you. Weakened weeds will die off before more favorable spring conditions arrive.
Weeds are going to seed
Many annual weeds start producing seeds in fall. If removed or treated now, these weeds can’t reseed, preventing new weeds from sprouting in spring.
Fall weeds are easier to spot
As summer transitions into fall, your grass may lose its vibrant color while weeds continue to remain bright green. This contrast offers a clear identification advantage, making it an ideal time to spot and pull weeds.
Everything’s going to the roots
Perennial weeds store energy in their roots for the next year. Killing off or removing above-ground plant parts prevents the plants from making and storing enough energy to survive until the following year.
How can you remove fall weeds?
Determine if weed control products are necessary.
Remove weed flowers before spraying or avoid spraying directly on flowers to protect pollinators.
Identify your weeds.
Some common summer annual weeds are crabgrass, knotweed, and prostrate spurge. Winter annuals and perennials include bluegrass, henbit, dead nettle, chickweed, dandelion, dallisgrass, creeping Charlie, ground ivy, plantain, and nutsedge.
Try hand pulling weeds
Especially if they are weak or dying. Summer annuals are weaker this time of year, so it is often easiest to pull them.
Patch bare spots or overseed thinning areas.
When hand-pulling dying weeds, it’s important to seed bare patches. This will help your lawn crowd out any new or returning weeds come spring. Don’t forget to properly water the seeds for success.
Revisit zones in spring
This is to determine if any additional seeding or planting is needed to fill bare spots.
Annual weeds vs. perennial weeds
While fall is the best time to remove most weeds, not every weed should be treated in the same way.
Annuals
There are two types of annuals: summer and winter. Winter annual weeds are just starting to sprout. Because they are still small, they are much easier to remove and treat now, before they grow large and develop deep roots.
Summer annual weeds, however, should not be treated now. Summer annuals are already declining, making any weed control treatment at this time wasteful and ineffective.
Instead, hand-pull these and save your weed control efforts for those tougher-to-remove perennial weeds.
Perennials
This category of weeds is impressive in their ability to return year after year. They regrow from root fragments, and establish themselves quickly. These characteristics also mean that these weeds are difficult to remove from your lawn if the entire root isn’t extracted or if weed control isn’t timed correctly.
Fall is the best time to remove perennial weeds. The plants are most vulnerable to spot treatment now because they’re sending energy stores to their roots. Any spot treatment applications will kill above-ground tissue, reducing the energy stored in the roots over winter—effectively killing the plant.
Bonus for your yard – fallen leaves provide habitat for animals
In addition to fall weed control, fallen leaves and the soil underneath offer crucial habitat for all kinds of creatures, including salamanders, frogs and rodents. Shepherd noted that this shelter is especially important for the smallest animals, mainly insects and other invertebrates.