Native Plants
Q. Who is Mr. Smarty Plants?
A: There are those who suspect Wildflower Center volunteers are the culpable and capable culprits. Yet, others think staff members play some, albeit small, role. You can torture us with your plant questions, but we will never reveal the Green Guru's secret identity.
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Ask Mr. Smarty Plants
Ask Mr. Smarty Plants is a free service provided by the staff and volunteers at the Lady Bird Johnson Wildflower Center.
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Friday - April 06, 2007
From: Corpus Christi, TX
Region: Southwest
Topic: Turf
Title: Removal of chickweed from lawns
Answered by: Damon Waitt
QUESTION:
How do I get Cerastium arvense L. - field chickweed out of my lawn? How can I kill them without hurting my grass? I don't have a clue as to how they got into my lawn, but my lawn is the only one on the block that has these white flower weeds, both front and back yard!ANSWER:
Fortunately, chickweed can be mechanically removed by hand weeding, cultivatiion, and mulching. If established, it is best to pull them up from the ground with their roots. Be sure to properly dispose of the material in bags to keep it from proliferating. When mowing, bag your clippings to prevent seed from spreading. Also, chickweed tends to thrive in moist areas so good drainage can help prevent its growth. Herbicides should only be used for a very large infestation. A number of herbicides kill broadleaved weeds (like chickweed) without harming grasses. Be cautious. Broadleaf weed killers work on all broadleaved plants, so take care when spraying around trees, shrubs and flowers. Mr. Smarty Plants is not in the business of recommending herbicides but you can Google broadleaf weeds if you decide to go that route.More Turf Questions
Need name of company with experience in Habiturf installation in Round Rock, TX.
January 24, 2012 - Dear Mr. Smarty Plants,
I read the article about "NATIVE LAWNS: HABITURF™ A MULTI-SPECIES MIX FOR NORTH, WEST AND CENTRAL TEXAS"
Do you know any landscape companies/groups in Austin - Round Ro...
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Process of converting from lawn to wildflower meadow in New Jersey
March 17, 2006 - I live in northern New Jersey and have an acre of property which is currently a grassy lawn. I would like to make a meadow where the lawn is. What is the process to convert from a lawn to a meadow? Th...
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Garden problems from Centreville VA
July 23, 2011 - Plants die, trees won't grow. I've replaced the soil (6") twice. Replaced grass twice and planted new plants and tree. After two yrs, the tree is still the same size and the flowering bushes nea...
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Did my neighbor's zucchini affect my apple tree from Oak Lawn, IL
October 26, 2009 - My neighbor planted zucchini plants near a flowering non-fruit producing apple tree in my yard. Soon afterwards in July the tree began to shed leaves. Could the zucchini plant have caused this?
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Native grass lawn for San Antonio
June 25, 2011 - Dear Mr Smartyplants, I live outside of San Antonio and my question is in regards to putting in a native grass lawn. What type of soil should I put down? I've sprayed herbicide and was planning on ...
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