Weeds may mar the appearance of your lawn, but they aren’t all bad news. In fact, they give you valuable information about the health of your soil. So before you spray them away with weed killer, make use of what they can tell you. Here, the lawn care experts of Nature Plus Lawn & Irrigation in Cincinnati, OH, explain what certain weeds can reveal about your soil quality.

Birdweed

A cousin of the morning glory, birdweed looks delicate, with its small blue or purple flowers. However, these plants point to compacted soil, often topped off by a hard crust that makes lawn care tough. While hardy birdweed can survive here, this type of soil can prove tricky for other plants.

Dandelions

If there’s one weed you can’t seem to escape, it’s the dandelion. If you have lots of these sunny yellow flowers on your lawn, it may indicate a high clay content in the soil. This can make it difficult for grass and other plants to grow. 

Clover

Clover is also a red flag if it’s running wild in your yard. This plant indicates low levels of nitrogen in the soil. While lawn grass struggles under these conditions, clover works with symbiotic bacteria that provide it with the nitrogen it needs to thrive.

Some weeds indicate good news about your yard, however. The appearance of horsetail, dock, or buttercup, for instance, points to a valuable wetland habitat. This means less watering for you. Such gardens also attract a wide variety of wildlife—a great bonus for bird watchers and animal lovers in general.

Weeds provide valuable messages about your soil quality. However, the most reliable way to assess this is with a professional test, which can measure diverse elements like pH levels. Once you know more about your soil, you can adapt your lawn care plan accordingly. If you’re in the Cincinnati, OH, area, Nature Plus Lawn & Irrigation will be happy to perform such an assessment. Visit their website or call (513) 755-9434 to find out more about their services.