Dollarweed

Dollarweed is a perennial warm season weed also known as pennywort.  Dollarweed has a bright green leaf shaped like a lily pad with a stem coming from the center of the leaf.  This low growth habitat weed reproduces by seed, rhizomes and tubers.  When dealing with any weeds it can be difficult to eradicate them completely.  Grass weed management is the most realistic approach rather than complete eradication.

Prevention

Dollarweed is a water loving plant which can float like a lily pad.  Reducing the amount and frequency of irrigation on your lawn will discourage growth and spreading.  Increasing proper drainage can help with weed prevention. Proper maintenance of your lawn will also prevent weeds. Maintaining grass at the proper height, proper fertilization, and being free from insect or disease damage will also reduce weeds.

Control

Atrazine is a chemical used to control dollarweed.  It can be applied to st augustine grass and centipede grass up to twice a year.  Atrazine is most effective when applied in the fall and late spring on newly formed weeds.  Atrazine should not be applied to newly seeded, plugged or sodded lawns.  This chemical will adversely effect the growth of new sod and should only be applied to established lawns.  Bermuda grass and zoysia grass can use a three way herbicide for dollarweed control.  A three way herbicide contains  2,4- D, dicamba, and mecoprop and are found in a variety of broad leaf weed killers.