Unusual weeds growing in Iowa lawns since derecho - KCRG

CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (KCRG) -A nuisance growing in your lawn may be the result of the 2020 derecho. A lawn care company in Cedar Rapids says it's started finding ag weeds in yards since the storm, something the company never had to treat prior.

"Ag weeds that grow out on the side of highways and pastures and the two most prevalent ones that we've seen after the derecho was horseweed and field pennycress which is a tall 2.5 foot white flower," Tim Hargis explained, Owner of Spring-Green Lawn Care.

Peggy Chute of Marion has lived in her home for nearly five years, including during the 2020 derecho.

"I mean I am still doing derecho damage inside my home with dry wall issues, painting and that," Chute said.

But a new problem bloomed outside last spring, she found field pennycress all over her backyard.

"They bloomed white flowers and then green leaves all over, I had thistles, I had everything. A lot of the things I'd never seen before," Chute told TV9.

Hargis went to Chute's home four times to treat the weeds. He believes the 140 mile per hour winds in the Cedar Rapids area during the storm are the blame. Hargis had to bring in new product just to get rid of ag weeds in yards last season. The company dealt with an influx in typical yard weeds as well.

"Especially in Marion and Cedar Rapids and Hiawatha, you know we had customers that's been with us 10 or 11 years that never got dandelions and they got them last year," Hargis said.

Spring-Green says their calls for service regarding weeds went from 150 in 2020 to nearly 800 last year, the majority of those were in the Cedar Rapids metro.

"I think we killed all of them but that's not to say they aren't going to come back. But this time we've got a plan if they do come back we know what to use this time," said Hargis.

It's an after effect from the storm he hopes he's gotten to the root of.

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