How To Get Rid Of Weeds In Your Lawn

Your Lawn Is Not Getting Enough Sunlight

While grass needs approximately 5 to 7 hours of direct sunlight each day to thrive, there are some varieties of weeds that can grow in shady conditions. For instance, ground ivy and wild violets will pop up in shady areas and can quickly take over. If your lawn is not getting enough sunlight, you may need to look into pruning your trees or even removing them to allow more light to get through. This will help your grass to thrive, naturally choking out weeds.

If you want to keep your trees and still have heavily shaded areas, you might consider alternative solutions such as adding some flower beds or mulched areas where you cant get grass to grow thick and healthy.

How Do You Get Rid Of Lords

Lords-and-ladies is easy to identify by its clusters of poisonous red berries

A British wildflower and tuberous perennial, lords-and-ladies or cuckoo pint is a nuisance in the garden, thriving in shady spots.

‘Remove it by digging it out or by dabbing it with a systemic weed killer,’ advises the Amateur Gardening experts. The herbicide will be taken into the plant, and the roots and shoots will soon die.

Weed Little And Often

Set aside a dedicated time every week to tackle weeds in the garden to make it easy to keep on top of things.

It’s a known fact that weeding can be therapeutic, so take it as an opportunity to step back from your busy schedule and unwind. Not only will you be doing the garden a favor, but also yourself.

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A Comprehensive Approach To Get Rid Of Weeds In Lawn

To sum it up, there is no single answer on how to get rid of weeds in your lawn. If your only approach to getting rid of the weeds in your lawn is to use the same, inferior products again and again, then youre only treating the symptoms and not actually making any real progress. Its like being stuck in an endless game of lawn care whack-a-mole, where you never actually get ahead.

Instead, getting rid of weeds requires a multi-faceted approach that includes good habits such as aeration, overseeding, regular watering, proper mowing, and a lawn care program that promotes good soil health.

The efforts that weve talked about will help you produce a healthy lawn that is going to choke weeds out naturally by getting to the real root of the problem instead of just treating symptoms. In time, you may even require less weed control products if your healthy lawn is thick and thriving. Even so, there will always be those difficult-to-control weeds that could crop up making it equally important that a professional is regularly servicing your lawn and keeping an eye out for trouble.

While we know that weeds can be a huge source of frustration, they dont have to be. By choosing the best program you can get on track to a healthy lawn that will keep the weeds out of your lawn and off your mind.

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How Do You Get Rid Of Ground Elder

Ground elder grows fast, but isn’t too tricky to tackle once you know how to get rid of weeds like these

Ground elder is another vigorous grower and will spread across your plot quickly when given the chance. However, its roots are only shallow, so it can be easily removed by hand. Watch out for leftover fragments though shoots can grow even from the smallest pieces of root. You can also cover the weeds with black polythene to starve them from light, as suggests the RHS.

Alternatively, spray with the weed killer glyphosate, which travels down to the roots killing the whole plant. Don’t be tempted to plant the variegated version, adds the Amateur Gardening experts its seedlings will be plain green.

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Overseed Every Spring & Fall

Your lawn is an organic entity which means it grows and it eventually dies. Overseeding your lawn is the process of spreading grass seed across your property. For best results, seed right after you aerate your lawn and use the same type of grass seed that your lawn currently is. Water generously and your lawn will thank you!

Make A Vinegar Weed Killer At Home With Dish Soap And Salt

If you do not have any extra vodka lying around, or you simply do not want to part with it, you can also whip up a vinegar weed killer using vinegar, dish soap and salt. You have two options here: You can fill your spray bottle with vinegar and add a few drops of natural dish soap and a pinch of salt, or you can fill your spray bottle with vinegar, add the dish soap and skip the salt. Which one you choose really just depends on your future plans for the area of your yard that is currently covered in weeds. Either of these homemade herbicides will kill the weeds, but if you choose the salt option, it will also most likely make the soil unamenable to growing desirable plants in that area for at least a few months.

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How Do You Get Rid Of Annual Meadow Grass

Annual meadow grass is often a result of a slightly-neglected lawn maintenance routine, but can be easily eradicated

Annual meadow grass, otherwise known as Poa annua, is a course type of grass that grows around the world from all across the Northern Hemisphere to the most southern tip of South America.

It can spread into borders from poorly-maintained lawns and mulches of grass clippings. As the RHS explains, you can identify it in your lawn by the flowering, which can occur below the height of cut. The small, pale seed heads will give your lawn a peppered look.

To prevent it, the best thing to do is to take on a good lawn care routine. You can also try to remove larger clumps by hand. Lay fresh soil where needed and scatter in new grass seed, to fill in any gaps.

For specific tips on killing grass in flower beds, our practical guide will come in use.

Attack Crabgrass Without Killing Your Lawn

The best way to kill crabgrass growing in your lawn is to use a lawn-safe crabgrass spray designed for your grass type. Quinclorac and Tenacity-based weed killers are the best options for getting rid of all grassy weeds in your lawn. Just choose the type that is safe for your lawn.

• Use an all-in-one weed control spray to kill broadleaf weeds and crabgrass in lawns. However, its not safe for St. Augustine and Centipede grass.
• To kill crabgrass growing in St. Augustine and Centipede lawns, use this weed killer.
• Always review the product label for directions before spraying your lawn.

Pest grasses are among the toughest weeds to control because chemical herbicides designed to kill common weeds may not affect crabgrass. However, its still possible to spray your entire lawn with a product that wipes out crabgrass without damaging your desirable grass.

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Homemade Weed Killer Safe For Grass

Corn gluten meal is a safe method to apply a weed killer that will not kill grass. This byproduct of the corn milling process prevents new weeds from forming by inhibiting the weeds from germinating and developing into fully grown plants.

This natural weed killer is not only safe to use around animals, but it also adds nitrogen to your lawn. The chemical is a common element used in fertilizing, which means your grass and other plants will get a little boost to their growth as well.

How To Control Bindweed

Like all weeds, bindweed needs to be removed immediately. Handpicking is one of the easiest ways to do so. Just grab hold of the plant and pull it out. You can also use a pair of scissors to snip off its stems. Finally, you can use herbicides to eliminate bindweed. Be careful though some types of herbicides can harm nearby vegetation.

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How To Control Poison Ivy

Poison ivy is a common problem for many people. Its not always easy to control it, but there are some ways that you can do so. You may be able to prevent the spread of poison ivy by using these tips:

Spray A Salt Solution Onto The Weed Leaves

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How To Remove Weeds From Your Lawn

There are 2 options for removing weeds from your grass, first is to manually dig out the weeds or the second is to apply a chemical weed killer. You can use both methods if your lawn is established but do not use a Feed, Weed and Moss Killer on a newly seeded lawn.

To dig out we can use techniques such as aerating and scarifying the lawn or digging out the weeds with a spade and patching with grass seed.

Alternatively, you can apply chemicals such as Feed, Weed and Mosskiller which will provide nutrients to the grass and root system while killing off any undesirables in the lawn. Be sure to the instructions within the bag when applying. This weed killer usually takes around two weeks to work and can be easily recognised by the moss and weeds turning black. Simply scarify out the dead grasses and reseed if necessary.

Can You Spray Weed Killer On Grass

There are several weed killers that are formulated to be safe for grass but harmful to weeds. These herbicides work by including ingredients that target broadleaf weeds and pest grasses, but dont attack your lawn grass. The best weed killer for your lawn depends on the type of grass you are growing, but a grass-safe spray can be easily found for every grass type:

• Use this Quinclorac-based weed killer for lawns where you are growing Bermuda, Kentucky Bluegrass, Zoysia, Fescue, Ryegrass, or Buffalo Grass.
• Choose this weed killer spray for St. Augustine and Centipede grass lawns.

• Kills weeds without harming your lawn.
• You can expect results within only a few hours.
• Easy-to-use on a variety of grass types.

When you use the correct weed killer for your lawn, your grass wont be harmed but the weeds will be wiped out in just a few days. This allows your lawn to thrive.

• Will kill weeds, but not your lawn.
• Contains Atrazine.

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Losing The Battle Against Weeds

Sometimes all of your hard work just isnt enough to control weeds in your lawn and garden. If you feel like weeds are taking over your yard, give ABC Home & Commercial Services a call. We can help you with all of your lawn care needs, including fertilizing, watering, mowing and weeding, as well as to advice you on what natural alternatives to chemical products might work on your landscape.

Creeping Charlie Glechoma Hederacea

Also called ground ivy, creeping Charlie has characteristic foliage that is bright green and scalloped along the margins. This perennial plant produces stems that root at the nodes, allowing it to spread rapidly and making it difficult to control once established. As with henbit, practice defense by maintaining a dense, vigorous lawn and selecting the best adapted turfgrass for your area. Hand removal is the best way to get rid of any creeping Charlie that establishes. Remove as much of the trailing stems as possible when weeding, and over time, you will exhaust the energy stored in the roots. Creeping Charlie is most common in shady lawns.

How to prevent creeping Charlie: Overseed cool-season grasses as necessary to maintain a dense turf. Iron-based weed killers can also be effective at managing creeping Charlie.

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Do You Have To Pull Weeds After Spraying

You will see results in a day or two after spraying. After the grass and weeds die, you’ll have remove them by hand, which is difficult, but much easier than pulling a live weed. A downside of these chemicals is that they may not kill the weeds entirely.

The root of the plant may still be alive so as you are pulling up the dead weeds try to pull up the root as well.

How To Control Chickweed

The best way to control chickweed is to use a herbicide called glyphosate. Glyphosate kills both the adult plant and its seedlings. It works well on many types of weeds including chickweed. However, it cannot kill any living organisms so it must be used carefully.

Follow the label directions exactly and apply glyphosate only where it is needed. Do not spray glyphosate directly onto the leaves of your lawn. Instead, spray it at least 6 inches away from the plants.

If you want to prevent chickweed from spreading into your garden, you may need to dig up the entire area and destroy the root system. Then make sure you thoroughly clean the area using a strong weed killer

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How Do You Get Rid Of Dandelions

Dandelion seedheads may look pretty, but they’re a pain for gardeners

The thick taproots of the dandelion delve deep into the soil and cracks between paving slabs, making them tricky to remove. If tiny pieces of root remain after digging the soil, they’ll re-sprout and take over.

To get rid of dandelions, it’s best to dig them out with a garden fork, especially before the bright yellow daisy-like flowers turn into fluffy ‘clocks’ and release their airborne seeds.

For larger areas, a plastic sheet with mulch on top will prevent dandelions from getting a foothold. If you’re looking for info on how to get rid of dandelions in a lawn, our dedicated guide has all the tips you need.

How To Control Thistle

Thistles are a common weed in the United States, and they can be difficult to control. They grow quickly and have an extensive root system that makes it hard for herbicides to get into the soil. If you want to try to control thistles yourself, here are some tips:

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Make A Homemade Weed Killer With Baking Soda

Looking for more budget-friendly ways to eradicate weeds? Try this trick, with something that you probably already have in your cupboards.

Since baking soda is a powder, you’ll need to wet the plant in order to make the powder stick. Then, sprinkle one teaspoon of baking soda over the weed’s leaves and let it work its magic. This is a great method if you want to target specific weeds that have popped up amongst flowers or plants that you don’t want to harm. Reapply in four to six weeks if the weeds have not disappeared.

If you’re looking for ways to prevent weeds from growing in your paving, then sprinkling baking soda in the cracks can stop them from appearing in the first place. Repeat every couple of weeks.

When To Get Rid Of Wild Violets

Using herbicide to eradicate wild violets is best undertaken in the fall. At this time, the herbicide will be transported down to the taproot as the plant stores nutrients for winter. Thus, you have a good chance of the herbicide killing the plant down to ground level with a fall application. If you use herbicide in the spring or summer, it might only temporarily kill the surface leaves, allowing the plant to rebound.

• Garden fork
• Protective clothing and breathing mask
• Pump-style garden sprayer

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