Common mallow may have a sweet-sounding name, but it’s an aggressive weed that can quickly take over your Idaho Falls yard.
Often mistaken for ground ivy, this low-growing pest is much harder to eliminate due to its deep taproot and prolific seed production.
If you don't catch it early, mallow can survive even the hottest Eastern Idaho summers.
Identifying common mallow is the first step: look for rounded, geranium-like leaves with ruffled edges. Unlike many garden weeds, mallow is highly resistant to standard DIY sprays once it matures.
To truly banish it, you need a combination of pre-emergent barriers to stop seeds from germinating and professional-grade broadleaf treatments to kill established plants.
Here is how to identify common mallow in Idaho Falls, along with the best professional strategies to keep it out of your lawn for good.
This weed is easily recognized by its geranium-like leaves that have five or seven lobes. Its flowers seem small and drab compared to its dramatic display of leaves.
Common mallow is often mistaken for ground ivy. How to tell the difference?
Ground ivy leaves are opposite on the main stem and have rounded edges. Mallow leaves have deep, ruffled edges.
Also, if you crush a ground ivy leaf in your fingers, it smells like mint. If you crush a common mallow leaf, it smells like s’mores. (Just kidding. That would be cool, though.)
Mallow produces many seeds, so using a pre-emergent herbicide in the spring will help prevent them from germinating.
Unlike other weed control products that kill weeds that have already sprouted, pre-emergent herbicides work ahead of time, preventing seeds of unwanted plants like mallow from germinating. They target the weed seeds before they have a chance to germinate.
Timing is everything. It’s important to apply the pre-emergent herbicides early enough because if you wait too late, they won’t be effective. Lawn care services in Idaho typically start applying pre-emergent around April 1.
Missed your pre-emergent window? It happens.
Broadleaf herbicides applied in mid-spring through early summer, when the plant is young and actively growing, can help, but mallow is a tough one.
When you choose Lawn Buddies, you get one premium, six-visit lawn care program that includes everything your lawn needs to grow healthy and green, including weed control that’s perfectly timed throughout the year.
Most weeds are banished over the course of the six-step program.
But some extra-tough weeds like common mallow sometimes require a different herbicide, which is an additional visit on top of the normal lawn treatment.
Controlling weeds is a process, not a one-shot deal.
The best method of weed control is establishing healthy turf, including proper fertilization, watering, and mowing.
Weeds like common mallow hate a thick, healthy lawn. Dense grass crowds out weeds and blocks the sunlight their seeds need to sprout.
Weeds love to push through struggling lawns, taking over weak spots. So your best line of defense is to keep your grass thick, lush, and healthy with an annual lawn care maintenance program that supports strong roots. Then weed seeds will have a tougher time sprouting.
Weeds are the worst. Getting rid of them can be complicated.
But if you want simple, hassle-free Idaho lawn care that offers quality core lawn care services for a healthy green lawn, it doesn’t get easier than Lawn Buddies.
No puzzling over a weed control visit here or a fertilizer treatment there. No stressing about which complicated combination of lawn care services is best for your lawn.
You don’t have time to fuss with all that. Give yourself a break.
Lawn Buddies offers one premium, six-visit lawn care program that includes everything your Idaho lawn needs to grow healthy and green.
Fertilizer, weed treatments, and grub control, all wrapped up in six visits, each perfectly timed throughout the season, so your grass is green and strong and resists weeds.
Stop worrying about weeds like common mallow and partner with a company that makes lawn care easy.
Choose a professional lawn care service in the Idaho Falls, ID area that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan that tells you the cost up front.
Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started. Just fill out the form on this page, call us at (208) 656-9131 or read more about our services. Then you can kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.
Image Source: Mallow, Ground Ivy