The weather is finally warming up more and we can get out into our landscapes again. As we get outside more, we will find one plant that is having a great year, Henbit. This purple blooming weed shows its ugly face very early in the spring. This is the weed that will cover fields with large expanses of purple blossoms. It is also quite prevalent in our lawns and gardens.
Henbit
Henbit is a member of the mint family, which means that it has square stems. It has leaves that are rounded with a scalloped edge and they are arranged oppositely along the stem. It has a small purple flower with darker colored purple spots on the lower petals of the flowers. Henbit is often confused with creeping Charlie or ground ivy, which is a perennial weed from the same family with purple colored flowers as well. The differences between the two are that creeping Charlie is a perennial, blooming later in the year with flowers that are bluer. Henbit also has a more upright growth than creeping Charlie which grows more prostrate along the ground.
Lifecycle
Henbit is a winter annual. This means that henbit only lives for one growing season, but it’s development is different from something like crabgrass which is a summer annual. A winter annual is a plant that germinates in the fall and grows a bit before basically becoming dormant for the winter months. Very early in the spring, henbit will start to grow again, produce flowers which produce seed for the growth to come next year and then it dies. A winter annual dies as soon as the weather starts to warm up in the late spring. A summer annual, like crabgrass, germinates in the spring and goes through its lifecycle through the summer months, dying with the first frost in the fall.
The problem with henbit is that by the time we see it, or rather see the flowers, it is too late to treat it. As stated, henbit dies when the weather warms up, so why spray it with a chemical when it is going to die in a few weeks anyway. Once it blooms it is already producing seed for next year, so killing the existing plants does nothing for the future generation of this plant. However, pulling the plant would be a fine management practice in the spring months.
Managing Henbit
Henbit tends to grow in areas of bare soil such as around sidewalks and driveways. Henbit is also found along house foundations or in a garden area with exposed soils. If we can improve grass growth in these locations or use other plants or mulch to cover the bare soil, it will help reduce the spread.
Use a pre-emergent herbicide for crabgrass and broadleaf weeds in the fall to stop germination and reduce the population next year. You can use products containing prodiamine (Barricade) or dithiopyr (Dimension). Finally, using any broadleaf post-emergent herbicide later in the fall after the henbit has germinated, such as 2,4-D, will kill it as well.
Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by Nebraska Extension or bias against those not mentioned.
If you have any further questions please contact Nicole Stoner at (402) 223-1384, nstoner2@unl.edu, visit the Gage County Extension website at www.gage.unl.edu, or like my facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/NicoleStonerHorticulture and follow me on twitter @Nikki_Stoner
Nicole Stoner
Extension Educator
Gage County
April 2024