Lawn Guardian

How to Get Rid of Carpetweed

Mollugo verticillata

broadleaf weedUSDA zones 3–10Active: summer

Summer annual forming flat, mat-like whorls. Germinates late but spreads quickly in thin, warm-soil areas. Often found in driveways and garden beds too.

How to identify it

Whorls of 3-8 smooth, spoon-shaped leaves at each node; tiny white flowers; flat, radiating growth pattern.

Treatment options

Cultural (prevention): Maintain thick turf

Carpetweed invades thin, warm-soil areas. Dense turf prevents establishment.

When: Fill bare spots; maintain turf health

Organic: Hand pulling

Shallow-rooted and easy to pull. Remove before seed set.

When: Pull in summer before flowering

Chemical: Broadleaf herbicide (2,4-D)

Standard broadleaf herbicide controls young carpetweed.

When: Apply to young plants in early-mid summer

Active ingredient: 2,4-D — e.g. Trimec

Grass safety: always match herbicides to your grass species — products safe on Kentucky bluegrass can kill St. Augustine or centipede. Lawn Guardian checks this automatically against your lawn profile.

Stop carpetweed at the right moment, automatically

Lawn Guardian turns this guidance into a schedule timed to your USDA zone and this week's actual weather — and adapts every time you log what you've done.

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Related weeds

Sources: Purdue University Turfgrass Science: Use Growing Degree Days to Better Time Your Applications · University of Missouri Extension: Cool-Season Grasses: Lawn Maintenance Calendar · University of Minnesota Extension: Pre-emergent Herbicides for Crabgrass Control in Lawns