How to fix the top 10 lawn problems will provide you with cures for some ailments that might be afflicting your yard, like crabgrass, dandelions, moss, and grubs. You also need to be on the lookout for other widespread nuisances, like those listed here. Remember, climate determines not only the type of grass that grows best in your yard but also problems that might beset your lawn.

	Ground ivy	Virginia buttonweed	Too little or too much water
U.S. regions where common	North, North-Central, South	Southeast	West
Description	Originally planted as an ornamental ground cover for shaded areas, ground ivy has become a common lawn weed. It grows in moist soil and shade as well as full sun. Also known as creeping Charlie, creeping Jenny, and gill-over-the-ground, ground ivy spreads by seed and by the vining stems that root at each node. One folk remedy is to kill ivy with a borax solution, but it is more harmful to desirable grasses and less effective than herbicides.	The No. 1 broadleaf lawn weed in Mississippi, Virginia buttonweed starts growing in early summer and continues to grow until frost. The small, fuzzy flowers confirm its identification. A perennial, it spreads as an expanding clump as well as by broken shoots or roots and seeds. The seeds are moved about by water, the reason this weed often appears first where water collects.	Summer-long irrigation is a fact of life in the West. Watering too much or too little directly or indirectly causes most lawn problems in the region. "At least 40 percent of the problems people have with their lawns relate to the type of irrigation they have," says Ali Harivandi, Ph.D., environmental horticulturist at the University of California Cooperative Extension.
How to prevent it	Pull out any plants that become established in or near your lawn. Maintain a healthy and vigorous lawn so that ground ivy has less chance of gaining a foothold.	Alter the grade or improve the drainage to minimize areas where water collects.	Don't rely on rain or portable or hose-end sprinklers. The latter are "often problematic, "because people put them on and forget about them," says Ali Harivandi, Ph.D., environmental horticulturist at the University of California Cooperative Extension. "And at best they miss corners."
How to fix it	The simplest, safest solution is to dig up the weeds and their roots and throw out both and the soil in which they grew. Then fill in the hole with clean topsoil and reseed the area in early fall. While herbicides with triclopyr or 2,4-D are effective solutions, the EPA considers 2,4-D a possible human carcinogen. If you use either herbicide, be sure to wear rubber gloves, eye protection, long pants, closed shoes, and a long-sleeved shirt. And follow the directions precisely.	If only a few plants have appeared, pull them by hand, taking care to remove as much of the root as possible. Hand pulling is effective when done consistently for a season or two. Killing the weeds and surrounding lawn with either glyphosate or glufosinate-ammonium also works, but you'll have to reseed or resod. Selective herbicides that contain 2,4-D, dicamba, and MCPP target the weeds without killing the lawn. But 2,4-D and MCPP are considered possible human carcinogens, and dicamba can cause reproductive problems, according to the EPA. So follow label directions to the letter and wear rubber gloves, eye protection, closed shoes, long pants, and a long-sleeved shirt. You cannot use these products on all types of grasses, so check the label before you get started. Repeat applications might be necessary.	Install an underground watering system with a programmable timer, and adjust the timer according to the seasons. With the more uniform watering a watering system can provide, your lawn will grow much better. If you have an underground sprinkler system, add electric valves and a timer to increase efficiency. If you have a timer but it's hard to adjust or use, replace it with a newer, simpler one. Rain and soil moisture sensors connected to the timer to override it add additional layers of control.
For more information	Planting a New Lawn	Using Herbicides Safely	Watering Basics