Warm-season grasses make ideal lower-maintenance lawns. They typically form beautiful dense, green carpets that make competition from weeds difficult. Unfortunately, southern broadleaf weeds like dollarweed, dandelion, bindweed and others are often up to the challenge.

"The nearly year-round growing season makes weed particularly aggressive," says John Pailthorp, Spectrum Brands Senior Marketing Manger. "Plus, hot temperatures combined with the characteristics of many popular southern grasses makes them sensitive to some types of treatments. But with the proper maintenance and products made specifically for southern grasses, anyone can enjoy a beautiful weed-free lawn."

It's a turf war out there, and if there's a bare spot on the soil, nature will send something green-weeds-to fill the spot! That's why the best and first defense against weeds is a healthy, thick lawn. If your turf is struggling, have the soil tested to identify any nutrient, pH or compaction problems. Then, ask your Home Depot garden center expert how to correct them with a steady program of fertilization, watering, and insect and weed control.

Warm-season grasses may retreat in the cooler months, but fighting the weed battle is a year-round job. First, prevent annual grassy and broadleaf weeds from germinating with an early season application of a pre-emergent control. To avoid staining of sidewalks, use a non-staining formula such as Vigoro® Ultra TurfT Crabgrass Preventer and Weed Control.

Broadleaf weeds actively growing in dormant turf can be controlled with a "selective" broadleaf weed killer (one that targets only the weed, leaving the surrounding turf unharmed) such as Vigoro® Ultra TurfT Lawn Weed Control. If it's time to fertilize bermuda grass, bahia, fescue, perennial ryegrass and zoysia, you can combine the two jobs with weed & feed formulations, such as Vigoro® Ultra TurfT Weed & Feed or Vigoro®  Ultra TurfT Weed & Feed for Bahia and Mixed grasses. All these products will control over 200 broadleaf weeds. Apply in the early morning when the lawn is wet from dew, so granules stick to the weed leaves. Then, avoid watering and traffic in the area for a day or two to keep from knocking granules off the leaves.

For St. Augustine, centipedegrass, zoysia and carpetgrass, products like Vigoro®  Ultra TurfT Weed & Feed with Atrazine and Vigoro®  Ultra TurfT Centipede Weed & Feed control more than 50 weed types. Use these products when the lawn is dry, and water in after application.

• Set the mower higher. Taller grass will shade out and discourage weeds.
• Don't overwater in the spring. Excessive shallow watering promotes weed-seed germination
• If you regularly core aerate your lawn, do it in the fall. Springtime aerating may bring dormant weeds seeds to the surface.