Broadleaf Weed Control in Your Lawn & Garden

Broadleaf weeds is a general term used to describe non-grass weeds that have no woody growth. They usually have wide leaves that often lay flat or hug the ground, especially in a lawn situation.

Some of the most common broadleaf weeds found in Aussie lawns and home gardens are Bindii,  Dandelion, Cudweed, Cat's Ear, Clovers, Oxalis, Lamb's Tongue (Plantains), Chickweed, Thistles, Fleabane, Capeweed, Creeping Buttercup, Wireweed and Dock.

Broadleaf weeds can be found growing in the lawn and garden at various times throughout the year. Some weeds, like Capeweed, favour the warmer months, while others, including Clover and Bindii, grow vigorously during the cooler months. Some weeds are annuals (live and die within a year), and others are perennials (lives for longer than a year). Some perennials have a dormant period where they die off but then come back again the next season.

For the control of common broadleaf weeds in lawns like Couch and Kikuyu, spray the entire lawn with Yates Weed'n'Feed, available in both a hose-on applicator and in the Click & Grow Garden Care System. For Buffalo lawns use Yates Weed'n'Feed Buffalo Lawn or Yates Lawn Weed Killer Bindii & Clover Buffalo Lawn, which have been specially designed to be safe for buffalo lawns. Yates Weed'n'Feed products have the added benefit of providing nutrients to green the lawn.  Please ensure you have read and understood all label instructions prior to every use.

To control broadleaf weeds in a garden, carefully spot spray individual plants with a non-selective weedkiller like Yates Zero Weed Killer 490 g/L Super Concentrate. For a glyphosate-free option spray plants with Yates Zero Triple Strike Garden Weedkiller. Reapply if regrowth occurs. With non-selective weed killers be careful not to spray nearby lawns or plants as it may injure or kill them. To avoid overspray, when spraying keep the nozzle as close to the weed as possible.

New weed seeds can be accidentally brought in on your clothes, shoes, pet, vehicles and tools, and then dropped onto the lawn and garden. So when you are out and about, and you notice you have seeds on you (especially Bindii and Farmer's Friends/Pitchforks) pick, wash or brush them off before returning home.

Control all weeds growing on your property, and suggest (politely) that your neighbours too control weeds in their lawn and garden. This will help reduce the amount of weed seeds that may enter and spread on your property.

Control weeds as soon as you notice them. When there are only a few weeds here and there, it's much easier to battle and get on top of a minor weed problem. If you let the weeds take over, you're in for a war!

Grow a healthy garden. This will help nearby plants to shade out weeds, and there'll be more competition for water and nutrients. Yates Dynamic Lifter Plant Food & Soil Improver can be used on most plants, it's ideal for promoting growth, and improving the health of plants and soil.

After weeds have been controlled in garden beds, apply a layer of mulch, such as Yates Dynamic Lifter 4 in 1 Mulch, over the soil surface. Mulch helps to reduce weed growth, as well as protecting the surface of the soil and helping to retain soil moisture. 

Grow a thick and healthy lawn with Yates Dynamic Lifter Lawn Food - it gently feeds the lawn to promote green growth and improves the structure and quality of the soil. 

Don't mow the lawn too short. In summer, keep the lawn a little longer, around 8 cm tall. This will reduce the amount of seeds that can germinate because there will be less light, water and nutrients for them.

Rather than endlessly spraying a lawn that is more than a quarter overrun with weeds, to save time and stress, it might be worth considering installing a new lawn.