Plant Problem Diagnostic
How to Control Broadleaf Plantain
The short answer
Broadleaf plantain is a perennial forming a flat rosette of broad, oval leaves with prominent parallel veins. Hand-pulling or using a weeding tool works well on young plants and small infestations, especially when soil is moist so the whole root comes out.
Because plantain thrives in thin, compacted turf, the durable fix is proper lawn care: choose adapted grasses and fertilize, mow, and water to grow dense turf that shades out seedlings. Established plants regrow from crowns each spring, so remove them before they set seed.
How to identify it
Broadleaf plantain has a basal rosette of broad, oval leaves with five to seven prominent nearly parallel veins, and small flowers on erect, leafless spikes under a foot tall. It is broader-leaved than buckhorn plantain, which has narrow leaves.
- Flat rosette of broad oval leaves
- Prominent parallel leaf veins
- Leafless spikes of tiny flowers
- Perennial, regrowing from crowns each spring
Cultural and physical control
- 1Hand-pull young plants — Pull or use a weeding tool at the start of an infestation and on young plants, ideally when soil is moist so the taproot lifts out whole.
- 2Remove before seed — Take out plants before the spikes mature, since a single plant produces very large numbers of long-lived seeds.
- 3Build dense turf — Select adapted turfgrass and fertilize, mow, and water properly to encourage dense growth that outcompetes plantain.
- 4Relieve compaction — Because plantain favors compacted, thin soil, improving turf density and reducing compaction discourages it.
When to escalate
If plantain is well established across a lawn and hand-pulling is impractical, chemical options exist. For chemical options consult your county Extension and always follow the label.
Sources
Reviewed 2026-07-18. We cite university Extension, government, and established horticultural sources — and never invent pesticide rates or dangerous treatments.
- University of Maryland Extension — Plantain — Broadleaf plantain is a perennial rosette weed; hand pulling or a weeding tool is the primary mechanical control, viable on young weeds and when soil is moist.
- West Virginia University Extension — Broadleaf Plantain — Proper turf maintenance (adapted cultivars, fertilizing, mowing, watering for dense growth) is key to controlling broadleaf plantain.