Weed Identification Guide
Browse 22 lawn weeds that invade turf in Middle Tennessee. Identify what's growing in your yard so we can target it with the right treatment.
Smooth Crabgrass
Digitaria ischaemum
Smooth crabgrass (Digitaria ischaemum) is a summer annual grassy weed that germinates when soil temperatures reach the mid-50s Fahrenheit — which in M...
Large Crabgrass
Digitaria sanguinalis
Large crabgrass (Digitaria sanguinalis) is the coarser, more aggressive cousin of smooth crabgrass. It has wider leaf blades, hairy stems and sheaths ...
Dallisgrass
Paspalum dilatatum
Dallisgrass (Paspalum dilatatum) is one of the most difficult perennial grassy weeds in Middle Tennessee fescue lawns, and almost every homeowner who ...
Yellow Nutsedge
Cyperus esculentus
Yellow nutsedge (Cyperus esculentus) is a perennial sedge — not a grass, not a broadleaf — and it is the single most common summer weed complaint acro...
Purple Nutsedge
Cyperus rotundus
Purple nutsedge (Cyperus rotundus) is the harder-to-kill cousin of yellow nutsedge, and in Middle Tennessee it has a very specific geographic footprin...
Rough Bluegrass (Poa trivialis)
Poa trivialis
Rough bluegrass (Poa trivialis) is a cool-season perennial grass weed that stands out as lime-green patches in fescue lawns during spring. It thrives ...
Poa Annua
Poa annua
Poa annua — annual bluegrass — is one of the only annual weeds that is genuinely hard to control in Middle Tennessee fescue lawns. Unlike most annuals...
Henbit
Lamium amplexicaule
Henbit (Lamium amplexicaule) is a winter annual broadleaf weed that turns Middle Tennessee lawns purple-pink every March. It is often confused with pu...
Chickweed
Stellaria media
Chickweed (Stellaria media) is a winter annual broadleaf weed that shows up in Middle Tennessee lawns from fall through early spring. You will see it ...
White Clover
Trifolium repens
White clover (Trifolium repens) is technically a perennial — it lives for years and spreads by stolons — but it is most visible and most complained ab...
Dandelion
Taraxacum officinale
Dandelion (Taraxacum officinale) is the most universally recognized weed in the world — everyone knows the yellow flower and the white seed puff. What...
Wild Violet
Viola sororia
Wild violet (Viola sororia) is a perennial broadleaf weed that is concentrated in Franklin, Belle Meade, and older Brentwood neighborhoods — and is fa...
Ground Ivy
Glechoma hederacea
Ground ivy (Glechoma hederacea), also called creeping Charlie, is a shade-tolerant perennial broadleaf weed that spreads by stolons and forms dense, l...
Spurge
Euphorbia maculata
Spotted spurge (Euphorbia maculata) is a summer annual broadleaf weed that really gets going in Middle Tennessee toward the end of summer — late Augus...
Plantain
Plantago major
Broadleaf plantain (Plantago major) is a perennial broadleaf weed with wide, oval leaves that lie flat against the ground in a basal rosette. Its cous...
Goosegrass
Eleusine indica
Goosegrass (Eleusine indica) is a summer annual grassy weed that tends to pop up a little earlier than crabgrass in Middle Tennessee. It is identifiab...
Foxtail
Setaria viridis
Green foxtail (Setaria viridis) is a summer annual grassy weed identifiable by its distinctive fuzzy, cylindrical seed head that resembles a fox tail....
Johnson Grass
Sorghum halepense
Johnson grass (Sorghum halepense) is a tall, aggressive perennial grassy weed that shares the same origin story as dallisgrass in Middle Tennessee: it...
Kyllinga
Kyllinga brevifolia
Green kyllinga (Kyllinga brevifolia) is a sedge closely related to nutsedge, with a similar triangular stem cross-section and preference for moist, po...
Virginia Buttonweed
Diodia virginiana
Virginia buttonweed (Diodia virginiana) is one of the most adaptable and difficult perennial broadleaf weeds in Middle Tennessee fescue lawns. Its flo...
Quack Grass
Elymus repens
Quack grass (Elymus repens) is rare in Middle Tennessee but terrifying when it shows up — because there is no selective herbicide that can remove it f...
Nimblewill
Muhlenbergia schreberi
Nimblewill (Muhlenbergia schreberi) is the shade-dwelling doppelganger of Bermuda grass. It has a very similar fine-textured leaf pattern and grayish-...
Why Weed Identification Matters
Not all weeds respond to the same herbicides. Grassy weeds like crabgrass and dallisgrass require selective grass herbicides, while broadleaf weeds like dandelion and clover need broadleaf formulations. Sedges like nutsedge need sedge-specific chemistry entirely.
Applying the wrong product wastes money and can damage your turf. Accurate weed identification is the foundation of effective weed control — which is why our UT Certified horticulturist personally identifies what's growing in your lawn before recommending any treatment.
We serve Columbia, Thompson's Station, Spring Hill, and much of Middle Tennessee. Browse our library to learn what you're dealing with, then give us a call to eliminate it for good.
Got Weeds? We Can Help.
Our UT Certified team specializes in identifying and eliminating the weeds that plague Middle Tennessee lawns. Get a free quote today.