Doveweed (Murdannia nudiflora) is a fast-spreading and aggressive grassy weed that thrives in warm, humid environments. It often goes unnoticed until it has already spread extensively due to its grass-like leaves that blend in with turfgrass.
Understanding how to identify doveweed and keep it from spreading throughout your lawn is especially important to homeowners in the Southern United States, where the weather is often the ideal breeding ground for this weed. Keep reading to learn how to defend your turf against doveweed!
Doveweed is often mistaken for turfgrass due to its similar appearance to many turf types, but there are several distinguishing features that make it easy to identify. It is a low-growing, sprawling weed with long stems that creep along the ground. These stems allow doveweed to spread aggressively, forming dense mats that can quickly overtake a lawn.
The leaves of doveweed are long, narrow, and grass-like, growing up to four inches in length. They have a slightly thicker and glossier texture compared to most turfgrass species, which gives doveweed a unique sheen when viewed up close.
One of the most noticeable features of doveweed is its small, light purple to blue flowers that appear from late spring through early fall. Each flower has three delicate petals and grows on short stalks. While these flowers may not be immediately visible, their presence is the most obvious indicator of a doveweed invasion.
Key Characteristics
Once doveweed becomes established, it can form thick, smothering mats that prevent healthy grass from growing. Because doveweed grows so aggressively, it can quickly take over large areas of a lawn, leaving behind patches of weak or dying grass. Since its leaves resemble those of many warm-season grasses, homeowners often don’t notice it until it has spread extensively.
Doveweed retains moisture within its dense growth, creating an environment that promotes fungal diseases in lawns. Excess moisture trapped under doveweed mats can lead to lawn stress, yellowing grass, and increased vulnerability to other pests and weeds.
Doveweed also outcompetes turfgrass by rooting at multiple points along its stems, allowing it to spread horizontally rather than growing upright. This means that even mowing the lawn regularly won’t significantly reduce its spread. In fact, mowing can sometimes aid in its growth by cutting stems into smaller pieces, which can then take root and grow into new plants.
Doveweed is a summer annual, meaning it germinates in late spring or early summer, grows actively during warm months, and dies back when temperatures drop in the fall or winter. However, in warmer climates, particularly in Georgia and the southeastern United States, doveweed can behave more like a perennial, surviving mild winters and returning year after year.
The most common factor contributing to doveweed growth is excess moisture. This weed thrives in damp, poorly drained soils, making overwatered lawns, heavy rainfall areas, and low-lying sections of a yard prime locations for doveweed to spread.
In addition to moisture, thin or weakened grass coverage provides an opportunity for doveweed to establish itself. A healthy, dense lawn can naturally suppress weed growth, but when turfgrass becomes thin due to poor maintenance, disease, or stress, doveweed quickly fills in the gaps.
Warm temperatures (70℉ and above) and high humidity also play a crucial role in doveweed’s ability to thrive. Unlike many other lawn weeds that struggle in extreme heat, doveweed flourishes in the South in mid-to-late summer, allowing it to take over when other weeds have already completed their growing cycles.
If doveweed has already appeared in your lawn, manual removal is an option for small infestations. However, because doveweed spreads through both seeds and creeping stems, simply pulling it out may not be enough. To effectively remove doveweed, ensure you pull out the entire plant, including all roots and stolons. Hand-pulling is easiest when the soil is moist, as this allows for better root extraction, but digging the roots out is more efficient.
For long-term prevention, it’s essential to monitor your lawn regularly and take immediate action if new doveweed sprouts appear. Since doveweed seeds can remain in the soil for years, ongoing maintenance and early intervention are crucial to preventing future infestations.
Best Ways to Prevent Doveweed
If you need help dealing with doveweed, or any other lawn weed, in your Georgia lawn, reach out to Pro Outdoor Landscape Management today!
