For the following reasons, weeds appear to grow faster than desirable garden plants: Weeds usually sprout from the soil’s existing root systems or seeds when spring approaches, and the dormant root systems have stored energy for rapid growth. Your yard’s dormant weeds have acclimatized to your garden soil, and any desirable plants take time to acclimate to the soil conditions. Some weeds come with short life cycles, lasting 5–6 weeks, and grow fast to move from seed to flowering plant in this timeframe.
Existing weeds can be native plants flourishing in the local ecosystem, thus growing quicker than desired non-native plants. Weeds are opportunistic plants and have an advantage over our plants and grasses because of these factors. (Learn How Long Does Weed Killer Take To Dry)
Therefore, your lawn and garden may appear to be invaded by the fast growth of weeds that appears to happen overnight. In our guide, you can learn more about the speeds at which weeds grow. By the end, you’ll have more insight into what you can do to stop these pesky weeds from taking over your yard.
How Do Weeds Grow So Fast?
Weeds, like other plants, require oxygen, sunlight, water, and space to grow.
Many weeds are tolerant to harsh environments and adapt quickly to changes in growing conditions.
Dormant weeds can have existing seeds that germinate earlier in the growing season than seeds from your desirable plants. In addition, certain weed species sprout vigorously as soon as temperatures reach the minimum for plant growth.
Cultivated plants and grasses may grow later than weeds, making it desirable for your desired plants to sprout in the soil where weeds have already taken over. However, those quick-growing weeds may prevent sunlight from reaching your young shoots.
Weed species are well adapted to local climates and vary between regions; thus, this makes it challenging to stop weeds.
Because of this, weeds thrive in low-water regions, unlike any other plant that could suffer. One example is the Yellow star thistle, which can deal with long dry spells.
Meanwhile, even if you have plants and grass in the same conditions, yet you care for them, they may be less drought-resistant, and their growth could be affected.
Weeds thrive because they adapt, so don’t think mother nature can help you get rid of weeds like it would with more desirable plants.
How Quick Can Weeds Grow?
Given the right conditions, weeds can grow 2–3 inches in 24 hours.
A couple of inches of fresh growth on all the blades converts a small weed to more of a nuisance and eyesore. (Read What To Do With Pulled Weeds)
Many weeds have a short life cycle, such as Chickweed, which lives for 5-6 weeks and has a full life cycle during this period.
The weeds sprouts with rapid germination, flower, seed, and dye.
Because such weeds have short life cycles that last only a few weeks, gardeners need to be vigilant and take steps to kill weeds sooner rather than later.
If you stop monitoring your garden for a few weeks, you could spot being overrun with flowering chickweed among your plants.
Can Weeds Grow Overnight?
Weeds grow faster in the right conditions. It isn’t uncommon for 1–2 inches of overnight growth given the correct conditions, such as rain and as temperatures rise in warm weather.
You can go to bed with weeds seemingly controlled, only to be greeted by a weed infestation in your garden or lawn.
The good news is that most lawn grasses and desirable plants thrive in warm, damp weather.
If you fight back against the weeds, your other plants and your healthy lawn should be able to benefit from the warm weather of the local climate and grow strong enough to block future weed invasions.
Why Are Weeds Growing So Fast?
Weeds grow faster in our lawns and gardens because many species have large deep roots, providing them with an energy boost come spring.
Weeds thrive because local weed species adapt to their environment. Like all living things, weeds compete for resources to grow and reproduce.
Weeds sprout and from then, they grow quickly because of their competitive genetics, thus offering rapid growth and reproduction once moisture conditions are ideal.
Many weeds can outgrow surrounding plants because of their ability to adapt to various environmental conditions and can appear to grow overnight.
For instance, Poison Ivy is a noxious weed that spreads quickly by underground stems (rhizomes) and seeds across Minnesota. By twining on larger plants and trees, it swiftly grows tall. This suffocates nearby plants and prevents shorter plants from receiving sunlight.
Poison ivy thrives in its habitat by monopolizing resources when rival plants die.
Weeds also have very efficient seed-dispersing systems, making them dominating in reproduction, and because of this, they are often found all over the place.
Human activities, unfortunately, accelerate weed growth. For example, disturbing soils through plowing, clearing, mowing, or burning promotes weeds to grow. (Find Weed And Feed Safe For Dogs)
Many weeds withstand soil disturbance that would otherwise kill many crop plants and turf.
How Do Weeds Spread
Weeds may be found almost anywhere because they have evolved systems to take advantage of their surroundings to distribute their seeds effectively.
Weed seeds are distributed in a variety of ways, including:
- Mechanical,
- Air and water
- Animals,
- Human activity
Mechanical
Weeds grow faster than other plants as they are effective seed spreaders. In addition, some weeds have long stems with flowers that are attracted to passersby, such as hikers.
Curlycup Gumweed, for example, has vivid yellow flower heads wrapped in sticky resin that helps seed transfer and thus weed growth in other areas not associated with where the original plant was found.
Tumbleweed is another plant that breaks off, and once it curls and rolls in the wind, seeds are scattered across the local ecosystem.
By Air
Most weeds generate tiny, light seeds.
For example, dandelion seeds produce puffballs. Many children love to blow these and watch them float. From this, weeds sprout a great distance away from the original plant, and in any direction, the wind takes the seeds.
It would be easier to manage weeds if they had larger seeds more susceptible to gravity.
By Animal
Aside from weed seeds attached to animal fur, seeds can spread when eaten and excreted. Birds’ digestive tracts can store viable weed seeds for 8-12 hours.
Birds spread weed seeds. Many weed species’ seeds can survive for thousands of miles in the intestines of birds.
By Water
River and water currents help weed seeds spread.
They thrive in marshy areas and thus affect streams and wetlands across the country. These weeds develop dense clusters that fill wetlands and slow-moving water bodies.
Human activity
Some weeds have crossed borders because of human activities like imports and exports.
Parthenium ragweed was discovered in shipments of tainted cereal grains in the early 1960s.
It became a significant threat to native cultivated plants and adjacent regions. Parthenium ragweed is spreading globally. It causes asthma, eye discomfort, and hay fever in humans.
Some weeds sprout from existing seeds or root systems in the soil.
Dormant root systems have lots of stored energy to help shoots grow quickly in the spring, unlike cultivated plants that need to start from scratch.
Some weeds grow fast from a long-lived root, which are called perennials.
Perennial roots are long-lived, and perennial weeds grow faster and are more of a challenge to get rid of than annual weeds.
If the minor nuisance weed sends out blades or leaves in every direction, the 2-inch growth becomes a major weed.
How To Stop Fast Growing Weeds
You may wonder how do weeds grow with no help from a gardener, thus making it hard to control garden weeds.
But that doesn’t mean to control weeds is entirely impossible.
The warm, wet weather offers ideal soil conditions for desirable plants and most lawn grasses.
If you keep weeds under control when your plants are young, they’ll be able to grow strong and long enough to resist weeds growing in the future.
After this, it’ll become much easier to take care of your weeds issue.
Here are a few tips to stop fast-growing weed naturally:
- Grasp them by the roots and take them out by hand, as was done in the old days.
- Some weeds are challenging and may require a sharp object, such as a knife, to uproot them and ensure they don’t grow again.
- Weeds are killed by drowning them in boiling water, which shrivels their leaves and roots, ensuring that even the toughest weeds perish.
- Underground weeds can be smothered by a good landscaping fabric, making it difficult for airborne weeds to thrive.
- If you plant dense grass, weeds will have no area or resources to grow on your lawn.
- Like any other plant, weeds require nutrients, light, and water to thrive.
- This implies that it will drain nutrients from your shrubs and surrounding plants wherever a weed grows.
- Weeds tend to absorb nearby soil nutrients, causing plants to wither and perish as they grow and thrive.
Salt and Vinegar
One of the best and quickest ways to get rid of garden and lawn weeds is to combine vinegar and salt.
- Mix a cup of regular table salt, a gallon of vinegar, and 1 to 2 tablespoons of regular dish soap.
- Fill a spray bottle with the mixture and spray it straight on the weeds.
- The vinegar and salt will have killed and dried up the weeds within a few hours.
- Larger weeds may require multiple sprayings. It’s advisable to use a plant sprayer if you have a vast area to cover.
Flame Weeding
Flame weeding is a technique that includes passing a small flame over annual or perennial weeds. These devices are usually available at your local hardware store or garden center and comprise a flame torch, and all you need is a propane tank.
Ensure the flame weeder’s wand stays away from your other plants and shrubs.
Here are a couple of common weed examples you may come across.
Chinese Privet
This weed thrives in dry or moist soil, can tolerate both sun and shade, and grows in cracks in the road or pavement. (Read When To Spray Weed Killer)
Birds typically eat their berries, then disperse the seeds in their feces.
Hyacinth
This is the most frequent weed in your grass or driveway.
The plant thrives in various temperatures and habitats but is more common in warmer climates, like the south or southwest. Luckily, these are easily controlled with herbicides.
Nutgrass
Nutgrass thrives in diseased or lawns lacking essential nutrients. So the quickest way to get rid of it is by eliminating weeds and enhancing your lawn’s health.
