Millet in the lawn: control & prevention
Have you noticed long, wide blades of grass on your lawn? It could be millet. The weed stands out from the lawn with its striking blades and is immediately noticeable. Millet sprouts particularly often in summer and grows rapidly thanks to the higher soil temperature.
In this article, you will learn why millet grows on your lawn and how you can combat it. At the same time, we will explain how you can prevent millet and repair bare patches with the high-quality lawn seeds from RasenExpert.
Why does millet appear in the lawn?
Millet grows particularly well in high temperatures. It also needs bare patches in the lawn and acidic soil.
Learn more
Controlling millet in the lawn: How does it work?
Remove millet as soon as it appears. Young plants are not flowering yet and can be more easily dug out.
Learn more
How can I prevent millet in the grass?
The easiest way to prevent millet is to ensure that the turf is dense and has no gaps.
Learn more
Reseed bare patches with high-quality grass seed:
You should choose lawn seeds from RasenExpert because they form a particularly dense turf.
Learn more
Why does millet appear in the lawn?
Millet grows particularly well at a soil temperature of 20 to 22 °C. If your lawn is patchy, thinned out or newly planted, then the millet seeds will find the ideal conditions. Millet needs space to grow: if there are gaps in your lawn, the seeds can nestle in the soil and grow rapidly.
In addition, millet needs warmth to grow. Depending on the weather, it may start growing as early as the end of May in warm years. With its tall leaves, millet will quickly grow over your lawn and displace it over time.
Millet spreads through its seeds. So it is enough if millet grows in the immediate vicinity. The seeds reach your garden via the air and settle in the bare spots on your lawn.
If millet finds acidic soil (pH below 7), this stimulates its growth. Millet grows very well on acidic soil, while it inhibits lawn growth. As you can see, a wide variety of conditions can cause millet to spread in your garden.
There is good news, however: millet is an annual plant. It cannot survive the winter and dies from frost in winter. If the millet has already grown, you can wait until winter and the problem will resolve itself.
Before doing this, however, we recommend that you test the pH value of your soil. If the soil is too acidic, this will have a negative impact on the growth of your lawn in the long term. At RasenExpert, you can buy a pH soil test and determine the pH value in your garden within a few minutes.
Controlling millet in the lawn: How does it work?
Have you discovered millet in your lawn? Then you should act quickly, because the plant is best controlled when it is still quite young. There is no chemical agent that you can use against millet: herbicides are not effective against it.
So you have to remove the millet mechanically. You should consider the following tips:
Remove the plant completely:
You can easily remove millet with a weed puller. Make sure to remove the roots as well. It is especially important that you remove the millet before it flowers. Otherwise, you will spread the seeds everywhere and the millet will continue to spread.
Fertilizing the lawn:
If you fertilize your lawn, the millet will stand up. This makes it easier to remove or mow it. However, this step should only be done when the millet is not yet flowering.
Scarifying the lawn:
If you scarify your lawn, you can also remove millet with it. This works best when the plant is not too big and can be pulled out of the ground by your scarifier, roots included.
Avoid bald spots:
Millet cannot grow in dense grass. It needs bare patches: so make sure there are no gaps in the lawn. Re-seed immediately when grass has died so that you do not provide the millet with a breeding ground.
As you can see, there are a few things to consider when dealing with millet. You should definitely follow the rule of thumb to remove millet as early as possible. Then the plant has not yet produced any flowers and the seeds cannot spread any further. At the same time, you should try to strengthen your lawn with the best possible care.
How can I prevent millet in the grass?
Millet germinates best in bare spots. If you want to prevent its growth, a dense turf is the most effective way. Ideally, thanks to the right lawn care, your turf will grow very densely in spring. This will make it very difficult for millet to spread in your garden.
You can encourage a dense turf with a high-quality lawn fertilizer. Apply this at the beginning of spring: This will encourage the growth of your lawn and a dense turf will form. This will make it less likely that bare patches or gaps will appear over the coming months where millet can settle.
In short, with the right lawn care you can ensure that you have a strong lawn with a closed turf. You can find the right products for this at RasenExpert.
Reseed bare patches with high-quality grass seeds
Choosing the right seed is also crucial to preventing millet. Not all types of grass produce a dense turf that doesn't give millet a chance. That's why you should always make sure that the grass seed you buy is of good quality and that it is a suitable type of grass.
If you discover bare patches in your lawn, for example due to scarification or heat damage, you should reseed them immediately. Otherwise, millet will spread quickly and displace your lawn. Millet seeds can survive in the soil for up to 80 years: that's why a dense turf without gaps is essential for preventing millet.
If you need to reseed gaps in your lawn , you can use our express lawn seeds . They germinate quickly and grow particularly densely. You can use the seeds to fill in bare patches and at the same time ensure a dense turf.
If you need to lay a new lawn , you should also choose suitable seeds. These should suit the conditions in your garden and at the same time meet your needs. Our PREMIUM sports and play lawn, for example, forms an extremely dense turf. It is also highly resilient and is perfect as a family lawn.
Our PREMIUM ornamental lawn is also characterized by its dense turf. It is reminiscent of English lawns, has a lush green color and copes well with drought. Take a look at our high-quality lawn seeds and declare war on millet.
Frequently asked questions about millet on lawns
Yes, there are more than 600 types of millet. If you find millet in your garden, it is very difficult to tell which type it is from the young plant. In the early stages, they all look very similar.
Yes, millet in the lawn will die on its own. The weed is an annual because it is not frost-resistant. The first frost will cause the weeds to die. This will create a bare spot where millet can spread again in the spring. So don't forget to reseed any gaps in the lawn because new growth may start in the spring.
When caring for your lawn, make sure to fertilize it in the spring to encourage a thick turf. You should also reseed any gaps as soon as possible. Regular scarification can also help remove millet and other weeds.
Conclusion: Focus on lawn care
If millet is growing in your garden, you should focus on proper lawn care. Of course, you can remove millet and remove it with a weed puller, for example: However, lawn care is crucial to prevent it from getting to that point.
Fertilize your lawn in spring, reseed any gaps and check the pH of the soil. If you encourage the growth of your lawn, you will also prevent the growth of millet. So you benefit twice and will enjoy a beautiful lawn all year round.