Purple weeds in the lawn (henbit?)

Email the author | Follow on Twitter
on May 04, 2007 at 9:21 AM, updated May 04, 2007 at 9:23 AM

By George Weigel/The Patriot-News

Q: Purple weeds are growing EVERYWHERE in my lawn. This is the first year I have ever noticed them. Can you tell me more about this plant as I have heard other people commenting on it as well.

A: You're most likely seeing henbit, which is a common weed that blooms purple in April into May and invades both lawns and garden beds. It's a winter annual weed, which means it sprouts from seed in cool weather. This year it was popping up in January already.

A good way to ID this plant (besides the flowers) is to check the stem. It's square. The leaves also kind of wrap around the stem in what's called a "whorl," then there's bare stem, then another whorl and so on up to the flowers at the top. It's a lamium family plant, if you care.

As a young annual that doesn't have the deep roots of a perennial weed, henbit is fairly easy to yank out. Do it ASAP because when the flowers mature, they spew seed for the next generation of henbit babies. Each plant can produce 200 seeds.

For chemical people, a granular weed and feed product over the lawn should knock out the bulk of this weed. Or you can spot-spray them with a liquid broad-leaf weed control formulated for use in lawns.