Corn Speedwell 

Identifying Corn Speedwell

While it presents attractive, vibrant, white to blue flowers, Corn Speedwell produces rapidly through seed germination and root nodes. This rapid growth can prove unwanted in turfgrasses as it may outcompete your lawn and create ugly, patchy spots. Corn Speedwell is most found in the Spring and early Summer and is identified through white to blue flowers and heart-shaped seed pods. The lower leaves are rounded with the uppermost leaves growing sharper and in clusters. All parts of the plant are hairy. 

You can identify Corn Speedwell the following visual cues: 

• Grows in large, dense patches and can be found in both moist and dry soils where the turf is thin.
• Present in the Winter in a vegetative state until spreading rapidly in the Spring, flowering in the summer.
• Leaves, lower on the plant are round, upper leaves are sharper and grow in clusters
• Low, prostrate growth pattern with branching stems which turn upright, giving rise to flowers.
• Flowers are white to blue with a dark blue stripe.
• Fruits of the flower are heart-shaped and contain yellow seeds.
• All parts of the plant are covered in hair.

Why You Should Remove Corn Speedwell from your Yard

Corn Speedwell is well, speedy at taking over your lawn. Pun intended. Without proper care, maintenance and control, Corn Speedwell is one of the fastest growing weeds in the spring and summer and can make for an unsightly lawn. Much like a villain in the dark, this weed remains alive in the winter, staying in a vegetative state until spreading rapidly in the Spring and Early Summer until it flowers and produces seed. 

When and How to Remove Corn Speedwell

Increasing turf density through nitrogen fertilization, regular mowing, and the use of well adapted turfgrasses is an effective way to reduce the prevalence of Corn Speedwell. As is the case with many invasive weeds, proper and consistent care of turfgrass is the best and most effective way of curbing unwanted plants. If other means of intervention are needed, consider preemergence and postemergence weed control to suppress and control Corn Speedwell.