Weed Control Glossary for Lawn Perfectionists

• Annual Weed: A type of weed that completes its life cycle (germination, growth, reproduction, and death) within one year.
• Aquatic Weed: Weeds that grow in or around water bodies, such as ponds or streams.
• Atrazine: A common pre- and post-emergent herbicide used to control broadleaf weeds and grasses.

• Biological Control: The use of living organisms, such as insects or fungi, to suppress weed populations.
• Broadleaf Weed: Weeds with wide, flat leaves, such as dandelions or clover, often targeted by selective herbicides.
• Burn-Down Herbicide: A fast-acting herbicide used to kill existing weeds, often in preparation for planting.

• Chemical Control: The use of herbicides or other chemical agents to manage weed growth.
• Contact Herbicide: A herbicide that kills the parts of the plant it directly contacts, without affecting the roots.
• Cover Crop: A crop planted to cover soil, suppress weeds, and improve soil health.
• Cultural Control: Non-chemical methods such as mulching, mowing, or crop rotation to suppress weeds.

• Dicot: Plants, including many broadleaf weeds, that have two seed leaves (cotyledons).
• Dithiopyr: A common pre-emergent herbicide used for crabgrass and other annual weed control.
• Dormant Weed: Weeds in a non-active growth phase, often during colder months.

• Emergent Weed: A weed that has sprouted and is visible above the soil surface.
• Eradication: The complete removal or destruction of a weed species from an area.

• Foliar Herbicide: A herbicide applied directly to the leaves of weeds for absorption into the plant system.
• Forb: A broad category of herbaceous (non-woody) flowering plants, often including many broadleaf weeds.

• Glyphosate: A widely used non-selective herbicide that kills most plants on contact.
• Ground Cover: Plants used to cover soil and suppress weeds while improving aesthetics and reducing erosion.

• Herbicide: A chemical substance used to kill or inhibit the growth of unwanted plants or weeds.
• Herbicide Resistance: The ability of certain weed species to survive herbicide applications that would normally kill them.
• Holoparasitic Weed: A parasitic plant that completely depends on its host for nutrients, such as broomrape.

• Integrated Weed Management (IWM): A holistic approach that combines cultural, biological, mechanical, and chemical control methods.
• Invasive Weed: Non-native weeds that spread aggressively, often disrupting local ecosystems.

• Leafy Spurge: A perennial broadleaf weed that spreads via seeds and extensive root systems, often found in pastures and grasslands.
• Leaching: The process by which water carries herbicides deeper into the soil, potentially affecting non-target plants.

• Mechanical Control: Physical methods like pulling, mowing, or tilling to manage weeds.
• Mulch: A layer of material placed on the soil surface to suppress weeds, retain moisture, and regulate temperature.

• Non-Selective Herbicide: A type of herbicide that kills all plants it contacts, both weeds and desirable plants.
• Noxious Weed: A legally designated weed that poses significant harm to agriculture, ecosystems, or human health.

• Perennial Weed: Weeds that live for more than two years, often spreading via underground roots or stems.
• Post-Emergent Herbicide: A herbicide applied to weeds after they have emerged from the soil.
• Pre-Emergent Herbicide: A herbicide applied before weeds germinate to prevent them from sprouting.
• Prostrate Weed: A weed that grows low to the ground, spreading outward rather than upward.

• Quackgrass: A perennial grassy weed with extensive underground rhizomes, difficult to control manually.

• Residual Herbicide: A herbicide that remains active in the soil for a period after application, providing long-term weed control.
• Rhizomes: Underground stems that allow certain weeds, like Bermuda grass, to spread rapidly.

• Selective Herbicide: A herbicide that targets specific types of plants, such as broadleaf weeds, while leaving grass unharmed.
• Soil Sterilant: A type of herbicide that renders soil infertile for plant growth, used in industrial or non-landscape areas.
• Spot Treatment: The application of herbicide to individual weeds rather than over a broad area.
• Surfactant: A chemical additive that helps herbicides stick to and penetrate the surface of weed leaves.

• Tillage: The mechanical turning of soil to uproot weeds and prepare the ground for planting.
• Toxicity: The degree to which a substance, such as a herbicide, can harm plants, animals, or humans.

• Underground Propagation: A method of weed spread via roots, rhizomes, or tubers beneath the soil surface.
• Upland Weed: Weeds that grow in non-wetland areas and are adapted to dry conditions.

• Vine Weed: Weeds that grow in a trailing or climbing habit, such as bindweed.
• Volunteer Plants: Unintended plants, often weeds, that grow from previous seed or rootstock in a cultivated area.

• Weed Seed Bank: The collection of viable weed seeds present in the soil, capable of germinating under favorable conditions.
• Weed-Free Zone: An area maintained to be free of weeds through regular control practices.
• Winter Annual Weed: Weeds that germinate in the fall, grow through the winter, and die in the spring or summer.

• Zero-Tolerance Weed Policy: A strategy aiming to completely eliminate weeds in a specific area, often in high-maintenance landscapes.