Friday, March 22, 2024
HomeEditor PicksHow To Dig Weeds Out Of Lawn

How To Dig Weeds Out Of Lawn

- Advertisment -

How Do You Get Rid Of Grass Thorns

Garden and Lawn Help : How to Pull Weeds

If youre finding grass thorns then your lawn has probably been invaded by one of several types of burr weeds, such as burr medic or spurweed. These weeds are not very competitive. So keeping your lawn thick and healthy usually prevents them becoming established. And their roots systems are shallow. So you can easily dig the plants out.

To get rid of the spiky balls these weeds leave in your grass, try regular mowing at a low setting. Make sure you have a bag attached to collect the debris, which will include the prickly burrs.

How To Get Rid Of Weeds In Lawn: Tips For Weed Killing

Weeds can be a major headache for any homeowner. Not only do they look unsightly, but they can also be challenging to get rid of. This blog post will discuss some tips for getting rid of weeds in your lawn. We will also provide some guidance on preventing weeds from growing in the first place. Keep reading for more information!

Contents

The Basics Of Removing A Lawn By Hand

There is a grass removal routine that produces cleaner cuts, makes this heavy job less backbreaking, and smooths the transplant process. Having the correct tools such as a sod cutter and a sled takes you a long way toward successful completion.

Due to the weight of the grass layer, it is best to have a carrying device that hugs low to the ground. Using a conventional wheelbarrow means lifting the sod an unnecessary foot or two, only to drop it a foot or two back to the ground. It is a time- and energy-wasting routine that you can eliminate with a ground-level, sliding device like a sled, contractor’s bag, thick sheet of plastic, or garbage can lid.

A folding garden cart is the best of both worlds. This flexible device lays flat on the ground to allow you to tip the grass layer onto it, then turns into a wheelbarrow so that you can wheel the grass layer away.

Don’t Miss: Renting A Riding Lawn Mower

Weed When The Weedings Good

The old saying Pull when wet hoe when dry is wise advice when facing down weeds. After a drenching rain, stage a rewarding weeding session by equipping yourself with gloves, a sitting pad, and a trug or tarp for collecting the corpses. As you head out the door, slip an old table fork into your back pocket because theres nothing better for twisting out tendrils of henbit or chickweed. When going after bigger thugs, use a fishtail weeder to pry up taprooted weeds, like dandelion or dock.

Under dry conditions, weeds sliced off just below the soil line promptly shrivel up and die, especially if your hoe has a sharp edge. In mulched beds, use an old steak knife to sever weeds from their roots, then patch any open spaces left in the mulch.

Sprinkle In Some Salt

Common Lawn Weeds and How to Get Rid of Them

Similar to vinegar, salt is an effective weed killer that demands caution when used around grass and other plants. Both rock salt and table salt work when combined with ingredients like dish soap and vinegar, as either a preventative measure or for DIY weed control. For this natural weed killer recipe, follow the steps below.

  • 1 tbsp liquid dish soap

To make this simple weed and root killer, mix the ingredients in a large bucket, then add to a spray bottle for more comfortable use. Spray directly onto the weeds, or in areas where you know weeds may pop up soon.

Add vinegar and salt directly to old tree and shrub roots to kill them. Drilling holes in the stump for easier access to the interior helps make the process go a little faster but realize that it will take some time to die completely.

If you want to avoid harming innocent nearby plants, use the same technique when using plain vinegar and wipe the solution along the surface of the weed itself.

Recommended Reading: Wild Violet Control In Turf

Read Also: Husqvarna Hu800awdh (22) 190cc Honda High Wheel All-wheel Drive Self-propelled Lawn Mower

Let Sleeping Weeds Lie

Every square inch of your garden contains weed seeds, but only those in the top inch or two of soil get enough light to trigger germination. Digging and cultivating brings hidden weed seeds to the surface, so assume weed seeds are there ready to erupt, like ants from an upset anthill, every time you open a patch of ground. Dig only when you need to and immediately salve the disturbed spot with plants or mulch.

In lawns, minimize soil disturbance by using a sharp knife with a narrow blade to slice through the roots of dandelions and other lawn weeds to sever their feed source rather than digging them out. Keep in mind that weed seeds can remain dormant for a long, long time.

How To Get Rid Of Weeds

Learn how to kill weeds in your lawn without killing your grass.

Most lawn weeds are opportunists that take root wherever they can find the space and catch a few rays of sunlight. If you already have a weed problem on your hands but arent sure what types are popping up on your lawn, read about some of the most common types of weeds.

For those of you who are ready to fight the good fight, heres a step-by-step guide that will help you get rid of weeds when they start growing on your lawn.

Don’t Miss: How Much Weed And Feed For 1 2 Acre

How To Restore A Lawn Full Of Weeds

Read our handy guide on how to restore a weedy, patchy lawn to its former glory.

If your lawn is patchy and full of weeds, it will never be the envy of the neighborhood. What youre after is a lush, green lawn with even grass and no dandelions poking their way through. That may sound hard to achieve, but it isnt too difficult if you follow these steps.

If you only have a few pesky weeds punctuating your lawn, you may be able to dig them up by handpaying careful attention to make sure you get them roots and all. But if your lawn is overrun with weeds, you may need to start from scratch. Heres our how-to guide on restoring a lawn full of weeds.

Once your lawn is nice and green, we recommend hiring a professional lawn care company to help you maintain it to keep it weed-free. Our top recommendation goes to industry leader TruGreen.

The Best Weed Control: Pull Or Kill

How to Easily Dig Out Large Bunch Grass with a Grub Hoe

Spring is when weeds will start sprouting up in your lawn, so you need to start thinking about weed control. For starters, you should decide whether youre going to pull or kill any weeds in your lawn.

Weeds grow at faster rate than most other plants, so when they start to take over your lawn, they hog the nutrients and leave the grass in an unhealthy state. In extreme cases, weeds can even start to compete for space on your lawn and kill the weaker plants that are in their way.

To prevent this from happening, you have to tackle weeds early and remove them from your lawn. To do this, there are two main methods: Pulling and Killing.

Pulling Weeds

To pull weeds from your lawn, you have to dig down beneath the roots of the weed and remove the entire patch of soil that they occupy. This can be an effective way to remove stray weeds from your lawn, but when you run into bigger problems, it can become a very labour-intensive process.

Not only is it difficult work, but many weeds have thorns or other physical features that make them difficult to remove.

This also isnt a guaranteed way to prevent weeds from sprouting on your lawn in the future. First off, its impossible to anticipate weeds on your lawn, so when removing already-grown weeds from your lawn, there may still be some getting ready to sprout.

In fact, pulling weeds can sometimes cause this.

Killing Weeds

Service Areas

OFFICIAL CONTEST RULES

  • Contest Sponsor. The contest sponsor is Hometurf Lawn Care Inc. .
  • You May Like: When To Overseed Fescue In Georgia

    Keep On Top Of Mowing

    Want to know how to get rid of lawn weeds? Frequent mowing, to the right length, will help

    Knowing how to mow a lawn properly is a skill that most grass-owning-gardeners need to know.

    One of the most important things to remember is to not cut it too short, or when it’s frosted or wet, all of which can damage the turf. But mowing it in the right conditions, to the right height, will encourage strong, healthy grass. This will be better-equipped to out-grow weeds.

    If your lawn is already speckled with the likes of creeping thistle or common ragwort, then regular mowing is also a good way to get rid of them.

    Be sure to add a clippings bag or box to your best lawn mower before you start mowing. That way, you’ll be less likely to spread the seeds around, which would only lead to further weed growth. Removing all the seeds and cutting back the plant again and again in this way will weaken the weeds and prevent them from setting new seeds. Eventually , your lawn will have much less weeds overall.

    Cobrahead Original Hand Weeder

    With a tempered steelhead and a dual-tine design, this tool can easily dig up weeds with minimal effort. Its great for tough or thick grasses, and because of its lightweight design, you can easily maneuver it to the root.

    Use caution as this tool can also tear up your lawn if you get too aggressive. If you really want to remove pesky weeds, check out the Cobrahead original hand weeder it works great for tough ground cover and more.

    Read Also: Toro 20340 Review

    Natural Methods For Weed Removal In Your Lawn

    If you dont like the idea of using chemical herbicide on your lawn then here are some natural methods you can try:

    Pulling Weeds By Hand

    Sometimes, the traditional way is the best. If you only have 1 or 2 plants to remove, then weeding by hand is usually quick and effective.

    Use a trowel to dig down around the plant and remove it from the ground. Make sure you take the roots as well.

    If you want to make the job easier, you can use a weed puller. This tool allows you to stand as you pull the weeds out of the ground.

    The main drawback of removing them by hand is that it takes a lot of hard work if you have a lawn full of weeds.

    And because some lawn weeds grow back quickly if you leave any of the root system behind, it can be difficult to completely get rid of them without taking great care.

    A common problem weed thats very difficult to control by hand once its well established in your yard is nutsedge.

    Vinegar

    Another natural method that people often recommend is vinegar. This burns the weed on contact, killing every part it touches. Pour it into a handheld sprayer and then apply it to all visible parts of the plant.

    Youll have to use a strong acetic acid solution of somewhere between 10-20% concentration. Normal table vinegar isnt usually powerful enough for the job.

    But there are two problems with using vinegar.

    Perennial Broadleaf Lawn Weeds

    How to Maintain a Healthy, Weed

    These perennial varieties need to be controlled aggressively, or they can take over your lawn, as they come back year after year.

    Broadleaf Plantain

    A short stalk with broad leaves and five veins at the base makes it easy to identify Broadleaf Plantain in your lawn.

    The flower shoots erectly and appears almost prickly but the flowers are soft.

    Broadleaf Plantain looks almost like a badly unfolded cabbage, with dark leaves that are thick and leathery, and a tower head.

    Low fertilizer application and compacted soils will foster a great environment for plantain weeds, so fertilizing your lawn and aerating your turf are effective at discouraging its growth in your yard.

    Control Methods Manual removal of Broadleaf Plantain is more difficult than annual broadleaf weeds. The root goes deeper, and the leaves grow near to the ground which makes it more challenging to pull the root.

    You can use tools like the Fiskars Stand Up Weeder to uproot these weeds they work well if you only have a few instances of weeds in your lawn and dont mind keeping on top of them manually once a week.

    Chemically, you can use herbicides such as Roundup, Hi-Yield Ferti-Lome, Broadleaf Weed Killer, 2,4-D, MCPP, and others.

    I generally encourage homeowners to take a manual approach for low instances of weeds, and use herbicides to spot treat large weed infestations.

    Buttercup

    Recommended Reading: Does Harbor Freight Sell Lawn Mower Tires

    Also Check: Grass Rust Fungus

    Strengthen The Grass With Balanced Fertilizing And Aeration

    Establishing a healthy lawn is a crucial step for getting rid of weeds

    The growth of weeds can signal a lack of nutrients in your lawn. For example, lesser trefoil and clover will thrive in poorer conditions, whereas grass will become weak. So, if you want less weeds, then itâs a good idea to give your lawn some TLC. Remove as many weeds as possible first, and then apply a healthy dose of a suitable lawn fertilizer, following the instructions on the packet. The best time to do this is generally in late spring, and then again in autumn.

    However, for the best results, aerate your lawn a day or so before you fertilize it. Aerating the soil will ensure that the nutrients can make their way deep down into the roots of the grass, increasing uptake. Some people choose to overseed their lawn after aerating too, which helps to establish dense, lush growth.

    Aerating is simple just wiggle a garden fork back and forth in the ground in straight lines up and down your plot, or use a specific aerator tool. This process also helps to break up compact soil and improve drainage, which again, is good for lawn health .

    Read Also: When To Overseed In Georgia

    Identify The Weeds You Have

    In order to make a successful game plan, youll need to know just what kind of weeds youre dealing with. Weed treatments are designed to target specific weeds, so what may work on your broadleaf weeds may leave your grass-like weeds A-OK.

    Weeds come in multiple categories, either broadleaf, grass-like, or grassy.

    Broadleaf

    • Common types: Clover, ground ivy, dandelions, chickweed

    Grass-like

    • Appearance: Similar to grass, with hollow leaves in a triangular or tube shape
    • Common types: Nutsedge, wild garlic, wild onion

    Grassy

    • Appearance: Resembles grass, grows one leaf at a time
    • Common types: Foxtail, annual bluegrass, quackgrass, crabgrass

    Weeds can be broken down further into categories based on their life cycleannual, biennial, or perennial.

    • Annual: Produces seeds during one season only
    • Biennial: Produces seeds during two back-to-back seasons
    • Perennial: Produces seeds over many seasons

    Don’t Miss: How Much Is Trugreen Lawn Service

    Lawn Care & Maintenance

    If you dont take good care of your turf, its not unusual to see weeds take over your entire lawn.

    The most important thing you can do to keep weeds out of your lawn is to make sure it grows in perfect health.

    A thick, lush lawn leaves less opportunity for weeds to establish themselves. And crowds out any that start to grow.

    Here are some lawn maintenance tips that help to keep weeds away:

    Will Vinegar Kill Prickly Weeds

    How to Control Weeds on Your Lawn

    When used in the right way, vinegar kills most prickly weeds. Vinegar is a contact herbicide that quickly kills the parts of the weed that you spray it on. To kill the prickly weed above ground, make sure the plant is well soaked. Its also a good idea to soak the soil with vinegar around the weed. Why?

    Because if you dont kill the roots the prickly weed will often grow back. You might have to apply vinegar to the root zone a few times. But eventually, it should kill the weed and prevent it from regrowing.

    Some people claim good results using table vinegar. But its less likely to damage the weed, particularly if the plant is mature. Instead, try using vinegar with a higher concentration of about 20% acetic acid.

    Because vinegar is non-selective, it will harm your grass and any other plants it touches. So be careful when using it.

    Make sure to wear protective gear when using high-strength vinegar. It doesnt just burn weeds, it can also burn your skin.

    Recommended Reading: Does Ace Hardware Sharpen Mower Blades

    Fertilizer With Weed Remover

    Another option for chemical weed control is a combination product of lawn fertilizer and weed remover. This fertilizer is spread on the lawn and is said to be beneficial to the grass while killing the weeds. Such fertilizers often do not deliver what they promise. The concentration and application method is often insufficient to effectively kill the weeds, but they can be contained. This granular fertilizer with weed eliminator should be applied when the lawn is moist. This allows the chemicals to stick to the leaves and work better.

    How Do You Get Rid Of Bindweed

    Don’t be deceived by bindweed’s pretty blooms, its vines will quickly take over your hedges and flowerbeds

    Bindweed produces thread-like vines that wrap tightly around other plants, and eventually strangles them. It’s easy to spot with its trumpet-shaped flowers, but don’t be tempted to leave it. Soon after the first flush of blooms are over, it will take over and ruin your flowerbed ideas.

    ‘Bindweed is an especially clear example of the need to get in quick,’ says Graham Rice for Amateur Gardening. He reckons that for every foot of twining bindweed stem above ground there’s the same amount of invasive root underground. ‘Keep pulling away the top growth,’ Graham says, ‘excavating as much root as you can.’ Eventually, the roots will exhaust themselves trying to make more shoots. If you’re digging downwards to try and remove the roots, go deeper than you might expect.

    Getting rid of bindweed takes patience, willpower, and several attempts to pull it up, as any root left behind will sprout again. ‘You have to keep at it, and that’s where most of us fail,’ Graham adds. Allow the shoots and leaves to develop and they’ll fuel underground spread day by day.

    Read Also: How To Advertise Lawn Care

    RELATED ARTICLES
    - Advertisment -

    Popular Articles

    - Advertisment -