What's the Solution?

A. Mouse-ear chickweed

Incorrect. The weed pictured is common chickweed, most often recognized for its broad, pointed, oval-shaped, smooth leaves and white star-shaped blossoms. A species of the Caryophyllaceae or Pink family, this cool-season annual thrives in cool, moist sites and typically disappears under high-temperature stress.

Common chickweed reproduces by seeds and creeping stems, which grow from the nodes and produce shallow, fibrous roots. It is often mistaken for mouse-ear chickweed when not in flower. Mouse-ear chickweed, a cool-season perennial, grows noticeably hairy or fuzzy leaves, while the leaves of common chickweed are bright green with a smooth surface. Come spring, star-shaped, white flowers with five notched petals begin to form. Common chickweed adapts well to different mowing heights and will grow in areas that are poorly drained with heavy shade.

To control common chickweed by using a preemergence application, we recommend one of the following treatments on labeled sites:

• Dimension® 2EW specialty herbicide at 1 to 2 pints per acre (2.2 to 4.4 teaspoons per 1,000 square feet)
• Gallery® specialty herbicide at 0.66 pounds per acre (0.25 ounces per 1,000 square feet)
• Snapshot® specialty herbicide at 100 pounds per acre (2.3 pounds per 1,000 square feet) (ornamentals only)

Another option for common chickweed control on golf courses would be to apply Kerb® specialty herbicide at 1 to 2 pounds per acre as a preemergence or early postemergence application.