Chickweed (Stellaria Media) is a weed with pointed oval leaves and small, white, star-shaped flowers. It is a low growing cool season annual weed that will begin growth in winter and can continue to grow throughout summer. It grows in lush dense mats, and has a shallow root system.
You can expect to find Chickweed in lawns, roadsides, and other disturbed sites. It prefers temperate climates and is commonly found in the southern states of Australia. The presence of Chickweed may be indicative of compacted soil. Chickweed favours moist soil and sunlight and will be seen growing abundantly in neutral pH soils and soil with high nitrogen.
“How do I get rid of Chickweed?” is a common question for Aussie Lawn Owners. It is essential that Chickweed is eradicated before it is able to seed to prevent Chickweed coming back.
If you catch it early in its life cycle removal is simple. It’s shallow root system makes hand pulling or hoeing a simple, but short-lived fix. Once the plant is removed from the soil it is important to spread a combination of weed killer and fertiliser to the area to ensure no seeds begin to sprout.
If you have found Chickweed in your lawn after its white flowers have bloomed, it is most likely it has already seeded for the year and will re-emerge next year, unless controlled with a herbicide.
When working with weed killers and fertilisers it is best to leave it to the professionals to avoid doing more damage to your lawn. The Coochie HydroGreen Lawn Care Program applies preventative and curative weed control to keep nasty weeds such as Chickweed out of your lawn.
Prevention of weeds is the best fix for weeds in your lawn. Maintaining a thick, healthy lawn and practicing good lawn mowing and care habits will prevent weeds from sprouting in your lawn. The Coochie HydroGreen Lawn Care Program features 6 annual visits where your technician will apply fertilisers and nutritional treatments to your lawn to keep it healthy and lush year round. Click here to learn more!