Blog - Lawn Buddies

How to Get Rid of Black Medic Weed in Your Idaho Lawn

Written by Chase Coates | Jun 19, 2023

Some weeds try to trick you by being cute. 

We see you, black medic, with your fluffy little yellow flowers shaped like cute pom poms.

Don’t be fooled. Black medic weed is one of the bad guys, a tough weed that can be tricky to treat. 

How to get rid of black medic? Better yet, how to keep it out of your lawn in the first place?

Take a look.

Black Medic Identification: What it Looks Like

Black medic weed has the teardrop-shaped leaves that are often found on clover, but has pom pom-like yellow flowers. It’s called black medic because the seeds turn black when they’re ready to drop.

Black Medic in Your Lawn: A Cry for Help

Black medic is like a pesky warning sign that your lawn isn’t healthy. It tends to sprout in thin, weak lawns, or lawns with compacted soil. 

Black medic weed loves compacted soil. You’ll often see it growing by the roadside or next to sidewalks, where soil has been compacted by wheel and foot traffic.


So, think aeration. Those tiny cores of soil that aeration removes helps break up compacted soil, allowing water, air and other nutrients to reach the roots so your lawn will breathe easier. 

Annual aeration is a great way to help prevent black medic in your lawn. 

How to Get Rid of Black Medic 

Black medic weed can be tough to control, but lawns that are on a comprehensive lawn care program that includes weed control don’t usually have a big problem with this weed. 

How to kill black medic weed? Lawns that have a lot of black medic will likely need a special herbicide to completely knock it out.

Be Patient: Weed Control Takes Time

Don’t expect your yard to be weed free after one treatment

Sorry — it doesn’t work that way. 

Different types of weeds emerge at different times throughout the year, and need to be specifically targeted at different times.

That’s why a comprehensive lawn care program is your best bet. Not only does it target weeds at just the right times, but a high-quality program also includes products that improve soil health and plant health, which will reduce the amount of weeds.

High quality fertilizer  — not the cheapest stuff on sale — is key, too, to help your lawn grow thick and healthy to better crowd out weeds like black medic. 

When you choose Lawn Buddies, in Idaho Falls or Boise, ID, you get one premium, six-visit lawn care program that includes everything your lawn needs to grow healthy and green, including weed control that’s perfectly timed throughout the year.

Most weeds are banished over the course of the six-step program. But some extra-tough villains like black medic weed may require a different herbicide, which is an additional visit on top of the normal lawn treatment.

Controlling weeds is a process, not a one-shot deal.

Help Prevent Weeds with a Healthy Lawn

The best method of control for weeds like black medic is establishing healthy turf, including proper fertilizing, watering, and mowing. 

Weeds hate a thick, healthy lawn. Dense grass crowds out weeds and blocks the sunlight their seeds need to sprout.

Weeds love to push through struggling lawns to take over weak spots. So your best line of defense is to keep your grass thick, lush and healthy with a lawn care service annual maintenance program for healthy, strong roots. Then weed seeds will have a tougher time sprouting.

Is Your Lawn Ready for a New Best Friend?

Stop worrying about weeds like black medic and partner with an Idaho lawn care company that’s expert in weed control.

Choose a professional lawn care service in Idaho Falls or Boise, ID area that bundles your yard’s most-needed treatments into one convenient, no-fuss plan that tells you the cost up front. 

Welcome to one premium, six-visit lawn care program that includes everything your Idaho lawn needs to grow healthy and green.

Fertilizer, weed treatments, and grub control, all wrapped up in six visits, each perfectly timed throughout the season, so your grass is green and strong and resists weeds.

We’ve got your back. 

Got a few minutes? That’s all you need to get started.
Fill out the form on this page.
Call us at (208) 656-9131.
Or read more about our services

Then kick back and relax in your healthy, thriving yard.

Image Source: Black medic weed