Identifying and controlling millet in your lawn

When the weather is warm and the sun beats down, a weed known as millet can thrive. This coarse, wide-leafed grass stands out clearly from your lawn grass, so when you spot it, it’s time to act. 

Because, left to its own devices, millet can quickly spread, encouraging bald spots in your lawn in a short space of time. And before you know it, your lawn is seriously compromised.

In this article, I’ll explain how to identify and control millet in your lawn, exploring how to eradicate it and prevent its spread. 

Ready? Let’s go!

What is millet?

Millet (aka proso millet/broomcorn millet/red millet) is a highly nutritious, edible grain that’s mainly farmed in Asia and Africa, but it’s also grown in the UK. The crop grows flat and wide in its initial stages, displacing your lawn grasses by casting it in shadow when it appears in your garden turf.   

When it matures, the plant produces clusters of edible seed heads. And when these small, round grains are cooked, they become soft and fluffy, making it an excellent replacement for quinoa or brown rice.

So, how does this crop appear in your lawn?

The origins of millet in the lawn

Millet is commonly found in bird feed. So, if you offer sustenance to your feathered friends, you will likely find millet in the lawn! This is because millet seeds often leak from the feeder, which finds its way into your lawn. 

Alternatively, millet seed travels intact through the bird’s digestive system, so if they’ve been eating it, they’ll drop the still fertile seeds through their droppings. And, of course, birds tend to excrete while in flight, distributing the seeds as they go. 

Each plant produces up to 25,000 seeds in its life cycle, so if there’s a millet field or meadow nearby, millet will likely appear in your lawn. 

How to recognise millet in your lawn

Millet leaves are light green, forming many side shoots. This creates a small nest of flat, broad leaves — about the same width as a dandelion but without the prongs. 

And this nest of leaves spreads over your existing lawn grass, starving it of daylight. 

If you mow regularly, the plant will unlikely grow its distinctive seed ears. But if the seed heads develop, the weed can quickly spread as the seeds get carried in the wind. 

The ideal growth conditions for millet

This voracious weed favours sunny weather and warm soil. Millet is in its element when the temperature exceeds 20ºC, which is problematic because your lawn grasses stop growing after 25ºC, allowing millet to compete for turf. 

Millet also enjoys acidic soil, so I recommend spreading Lawn Lime to neutralise the acidity, making the earth more hospitable to your lawn grasses. 

Ultimately, the popularity of millet as a food crop is its undemanding robustness — it grows in poor soil without a great deal of intervention. And this makes it an annoying weed in the garden. 

The best defence against lawn millet

It’s easy to spot millet in a young lawn because of its nest shape as it establishes. However, avoid using weed killer with a new lawn — it’ll kill your fresh grass. 

So, if you spot millet in a young lawn, dig it up — more about how to remove it manually later. 

How to pull it up

In general, pulling up a weed is unlikely to remove the plant because many have robust roots. 

However:

Millet has relatively shallow roots, so it’s usually sufficient to gather the “nest of leaves” and pull it out of the ground. The roots are typically shallow and flat-growing and usually come out of the soil with a jerk. 

Always wear gloves when weeding to avoid triggering skin reactions, and dispose of the weeds in the green bin. 

So, removing the young plant is relatively undemanding, luckily. 

Preventing millet in your lawn

The best defence against lawn weeds is a robust lawn care regime because a well-fed, regularly mown lawn will be dense enough to prevent weeds from taking root. 

Some tips:

1. Mow your lawn regularly — your lawn starts growing in spring once the soil temperature exceeds 10ºC. So, mow regularly once your grass has started to grow – this boosts your lawn’s vitality, which prevents weeds such as millet from establishing. 
2. Scarify in spring — scarifying is the process of removing the moss, weeds, and thatch layer that grows over the soil surface, suffocating your grass plants. Raking out the thatch allows your lawn to breathe. While your grass will look thin and sorry for itself immediately after scarifying, it bounces back with much greater density within a few weeks. Always overseed after scarifying for best results. 
3. Sow bald spots — weeds are opportunistic, taking root wherever there’s exposed earth. So, overseed any bald spots that appear in your lawn to prevent weeds from establishing. 
4. Fertilise your lawn— a well-fed lawn is dense, robust, and resistant to pests, weeds, and disease. So, ensure you feed your lawn with a high-quality slow-release fertiliser at least three times a year. 
5. Lower the soil’s pH — millet loves acidic soil, so spread Lawn Lime to neutralise acidity, making the earth less hospitable to weeds like millet and more beneficial to your grass plants, which prefer neutral soil. Use a home-testing kit to test the pH, and act quickly if you identify acidity. 

FAQs

Any questions?

I hope I’ve provided all the information you need to control millet in your lawn. But if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to get in touch. 

Or explore our comprehensive Help & Advice section for expert lawn and gardening tips. 

Thanks for reading!  

Louis Hooft

Founder & Lawn expert

Introducing Louis Hooft, the founder of MOOWY and your reliable expert. With a profound love for stunning lawns and extensive experience in garden maintenance, Louis is here to assist garden enthusiasts in achieving a greener and livelier outdoors than ever before. Count on Louis for invaluable tips, clever tricks, and top-notch products to make your garden flourish!