If you have oak trees, you've probably dealt with saplings coming up in your lawn. Some years they aren't so bad—a few here and there that you can easily hand-pull as they appear. Other years, however, your lawn can look like a tree farm with saplings popping up everywhere you look.
When there are too many to pull by hand, what do you do?
The Herbicide Dilemma
There are herbicides that will take care of oak saplings, but here's the problem: most of the time these saplings are growing right in the middle of your lawn. Using a broadleaf herbicide strong enough to kill woody saplings risks damaging your turf in the process.
For homeowners in Midlothian, Prosper, and throughout the DFW area dealing with heavy sapling years, this creates a frustrating situation. You want to eliminate the saplings, but you don't want to create dead spots in your lawn doing it.
The Simple Solution: Mow Them Down
Here's the magical fix you've been looking for—just mow them down.
That's it. It really is that simple.
Oak saplings are surprisingly easy to control with consistent mowing. When you cut them off repeatedly, you're preventing them from photosynthesizing and building the energy reserves they need to survive. Each time you mow, you weaken them a little more.
It will likely take several mows—typically three to four—to kill them off completely. But if you stick with your regular weekly mowing schedule, they will eventually disappear. No herbicides needed, no risk to your lawn, no special equipment required.
Why This Works
Young oak saplings depend on their leaves to produce energy through photosynthesis. When you mow, you remove those leaves before the sapling can store enough energy in its roots to recover. After a few consecutive mowings, the sapling exhausts its energy reserves and dies.
This approach works best when you catch saplings early and stay consistent with weekly mowing. If you let them grow tall between mows or skip weeks, they have time to recover and the process takes longer.
For homeowners in Prosper, Waxahachie, and throughout North Texas with oak-heavy properties, this simple technique saves time, money, and frustration during heavy acorn years.
When Hand-Pulling Still Makes Sense
If you only have a handful of saplings, hand-pulling is still a perfectly good option—especially if you catch them when they're small and the soil is moist. But when your lawn is covered in them, don't stress about pulling each one. Just mow and let the mower do the work.
Watch the video below to learn more about this simple solution for oak saplings in your lawn.
For professional lawn care in Midlothian and Prosper, contact Vista Lawn and Pest.
