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.
Pulling Weeds With A Gardening Tool
Pulling weeds by hand is time-consuming, back-breaking work. An alternative is to use gardening tools to help. You can use a regular garden hoe for shallow-rooted weeds, but for deep-rooted ones, I recommend you use a special tool called a winged weeder.
To remove weeds with the winged weeder, place the bottom tip of the blade right next to the stem, press down vertically to push the blade into the soil, and then tilt the weeder downwards towards the ground to pull the whole root out. Repeat this operation as necessary.
Note that using this tool is more time-consuming than using a regular hoe as you need to remove each unwanted plant individually, but it works better for deeper roots.
You can purchase these tools from any hardware store.
Keep Your Garden Edges Trimmed
Ever noticed many weeds collect at the edges of your yard or garden? Keep your grass and garden edges trimmed to cut down on invasions of weeds into your fertile garden soil. The places to watch are the not only the edges of your lawn but also around posts and fence lines as well as close to planting beds. Another idea is to grow perennials or ground roses that will shade those edges and make it easier for you!
Don’t Miss: What Is The Highest Rated Riding Lawn Mower
How To Keep Neighbors Weeds Out Of My Yard
Weed control is extremely important when it comes to yard maintenance. This is because weeds can take a toll on the entire appearance of your yard or lawn if not controlled time. Well, there are times when you will try hard to control weeds, but you find it quite difficult to eradicate them. This is especially true if the weeds are coming from your neighbors yard.
If your neighbors yard is full of weeds, then there are high chances that the weeds will invade your lawn.
So, how do you prevent your neighbors weeds from creeping into your yard? This article will cover some things you can do to prevent the weeds from growing on your carefully maintained lawn.
How Do I Eliminate The Weeds Without Destroying My Grass
The biggest challenge concerning getting rid of weeds in the grass is making sure that you kill the weeds and not the lawn. Many people dont actually believe that such a thing is possible with homemade weed killers, but even the mixtures mentioned above can be achieved with a little precision. Simply wipe the vinegar or salt concoctions on the leaves of the plants, rather than spraying and you should be fine. It might take a bit longer, though they say patience is a virtue.
Other, less invasive methods involve letting your grass grow taller while the weeds are coming up. The tall grass might do enough to block out the sunlight for the weeds. The stronger roots might even be able to choke out the weeds roots before they have a chance to do the same. Weeds are resilient little buggers though, so dont rely on your grass to do the work for you.
More invasive methods involve something called flame weeding, which involves using a long wand on the end of a propane tank to literally burn out weeds. We would not recommend doing this on grass, however, as it may cause a fire. Frankly, we wouldnt recommend this practice at all we just thought it would be neat to mention it.
Also Check: How Much Do Trugreen Lawn Specialists Make
Recommended Reading: How To Charge For Lawn Care Services
Does Salt Water Kill Weeds
Yes. The sodium chloride dehydrates the weeds and throws off the plants water balance .
If you mix it with water, you create an effective natural herbicide. However, salt is toxic for all plants, so it can easily kill other plants and grass around your weeds which is why we recommend you be extremely careful when using saltwater.
Fertilize Your Grass Annually
You May Like: Are Electric Lawn Mowers Good
Any Tricks For Killing Weeds In The Lawn Without Killing Grass
Pre-emergent and post-emergent herbicides are designed just for this. Both are made especially for weeds. So, the pre-emergent for crabgrass or post-emergent for dandelions were created just for those plants. They wont hurt your lawn.
If youre looking for natural ways to kill weeds, scroll on. And if you go that route, your lawn will be just fine.
Reasons Your Lawn Is Full Of Weeds
Starting out, you probably want to know just why weeds have overtaken your grass, so you can prevent it from happening again.
- Poor grass growth: Weeds thrive in thinning grass. The best way to keep weeds out is to have thick, tall, dense grass all over your lawn. If your grass is cut too short, its more susceptible to a full-on weed invasion. Setting your mower to the highest setting can help with this.
- Not enough water: Weeds tend to have robust root systems, and can easily compete with your grass for moisture. If you are not watering your grass enough, the weeds can absorb what water there is, taking it away from your grassroots.
- Compacted soil: If your soil becomes too compacted, whether from excessive foot traffic or poor soil composition, your grassroots wont have access to the nutrients, water, or air they need. This stressed turf makes for an exceptional weed breeding ground.
Also Check: How Much Does Lawn Turf Cost
Natural Methods To Get Rid Of Common Garden Weeds
FREE WEEKLY NEWSLETTER: Plants, Design Ideas, Gardening Solutions & More!
With so much controversy surrounding the use of chemical weed killers, especially those containing glyphosate, many gardeners are turning to more organic and natural weed control methods to deal with weeds even if it means more work. If you would like to get rid of weeds without harsh chemicals, here are 10 ways to knock them out.
Common weed killers to try:
Stand-up weeding tool. Photo by: Jari Hindstroem / Shutterstock.
Manually Remove As Many Weeds As You Can
Nobody likes to hear this, but when people ask me how to restore a lawn full of weeds, I tell them to grab their favorite pair of garden gloves and their best weed puller and get to work. Theres no replacement for your manual labor and attentive care.
Removing weeds isnt an overnight endeavor. If your lawn is overburdened with weeds, then manually removing them is probably your best bet. A gradual yet necessary task awaits you.
Heres a big weed removal tip. Instead of trying to tackle every single weed in your backyard in one go, have fun with the process and take your time with a slow, methodical approach. The tortoise wins the weed removal race.
Dont panic!
Start by identifying heavily weeded areas in your backyard, and spend 10-minute or 15-minute intervals attacking and manually uprooting the weeds every day. Discard the weeds into a paper bag, wheelbarrow, or lawn bag and throw them into your compost bin later on.
Before long, youll notice that your lawn has far fewer weeds. As a result, you can give new grass a chance to grow and overcome the previously weed-infested soil.
The good news is that you dont need to break your back in the weed removal process if you work slower and smarter.
Don’t Miss: How To Take Care Of New Lawn
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.
Also Check: What Is The Best Lawn Mower To Buy
Talk With The Neighbors
Diplomacy is always the best way to solve issues with neighbors, friends, and even relatives. Before starting to pull out neighbors weeds, it is better to start by talking to them about the issue. The neighbors should at least promise to deal with the weeds by themselves. When the neighbor fails to cooperate, you can now consider other methods of controlling weeds from your neighbors yard attacking your lush lawn.
Recommended Reading: Do They Still Make Lawn Boy Mowers
Organic Landscaping In Lawns Garden Areas
twomeows / Getty Images
The idea of weed control without chemicals conjures up nightmares of getting down on your hands and knees on a hot day and pulling out stubborn weeds by hand. But suppressing weed growth without compromising your organic principles need not be so primitive. Learn about a variety of measures to use to keep weeds from taking over your vegetable gardens, driveways, flower borders, planting beds, and lawn areas.
Use these measures in conjunction with each other for best results. Weed removal without resorting to potentially dangerous chemical herbicides can be tough work. Learn how to work smarter, not harder.
Keeping Weeds Under Control Doesn’t Have Involve Harsh Chemicals
After 20 years as a newspaper reporter, Deb Wiley melded her lifelong passion for gardening with her writing and photography experience when she became the garden editor for Midwest Living magazine. Since starting her freelance career in 2008, she has been a highly sought-after writer and editor for a wide range of magazine, book, and online projects. Deb’s goal is to educate and entertain her readers so they can experience the joys of home gardening. By making gardening approachable and do-able, she helps readers understand what it takes to enjoy growing a greener world.
No matter how much careful planning you do, it’s inevitable that annoying weeds will start popping up in your garden. When you spot them, don’t reach for a chemical weed killerthere are natural ways to kill weeds in an environmentally-friendly way. In the event you spot just a few weeds sprouting in your flower bed, you can try simply pulling them out, digging out as much of the roots as possible. But if you’re seeing more and more weeds taking over, a natural remedy can help you take back your yard.
Recommended Reading: Where To Get Lawn Mower Blade Sharpened
Cautiously Fertilise And Irrigate
As you pursue the best weed prevention method, dont forget that applying fertilise and carefully irrigation of your garden or lawn gets rid of weeds. Only fertilise the plant on the ground and irrigate or water only the roots of the plants. Dont spread fertilisers carelessly or water any empty space in your garden. This can be a ground for dangerous weeds.
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.
You May Like: Who Services Toro Lawn Mowers
Back To The Drawing Board
Sometimes, in extreme cases, weeds are so far gone in a lawn that theres nothing else for it but to rip it up and start again.
This is a viable option if youve tried everything else, and/or you dont want to go down the road of using harsh chemicals.
Like bankruptcy, but for lawns.
The advantages of killing off or removing a weed-infested lawn is that it will completely clear the problem, and give you a blank canvas on which to start again.
There are several ways to do this, but as using a grass killer herbicide would totally defeat the purpose of avoiding chemical use, the main options are by hand, using a sod cutter, or solarization.
Once the weed-ridden grass has been removed, you can then either lay new turf down, or you can try reseeding the entire area with new grass seed.
This article on lawn care after winter has a useful section on reseeding and overseeding.
Done correctly, you should have a brand-new lawn completely devoid of weeds.
But I wish it were easier done than said!
The almost overwhelming disadvantage to this option is that its going to be an extremely arduous process.
Regardless which method you choose, it will take a lot of time, effort, and perhaps most notorious of all money.
It might also put a strain on your relationship with your significant other. Trust me Ive been there, and this disadvantage is not to be overlooked.
Lifting and replacing a lawn is a huge undertaking that can be more trouble than its worth.
How To Get Rid Of Weeds Once And For All Without Ruining Your Lawn
The battle for weed-free grass is something almost every homeowner will deal with at some point. Weeds like crab grass, dandelions, ivy, clover, bluegrass, and chickweed are some of the most common culprits when it comes to sullying the appearance of a perfectly manicured lawn. While some accept weeds as a fact of life or opt for grass alternatives, others will try whatever they can to get rid of those unwanted plants. Luckily, it’s not quite as hard as you think. Try some of these preemptive tips and suggestions for regular maintenance, and look forward to a lawn that all of your neighbors will envy!
You May Like: How To Get Rid Of Ants In The Lawn Naturally
Effective Tips For Weed Control
If you want to be a great gardener, you need to know several ways on how you can keep your garden in tip-top condition. Your garden is one place in your homestead that should keep you busy when you are not undertaking work duties or home chores. It is also an incredible investment that can also increase the value of your home.
Gardening is a demanding undertaking that can take away your time, energy and money. It involves a lot of activities that demand ample time and dedication. Garden weed control is one of the daunting and demanding activities that you should always put into consideration. Weeds are a common bane that many gardeners complain about yearly.
Before you figure out the most suitable techniques on how to get rid of weeds in a vegetable garden, you have to grasp robust information about weeds. Weeds are unwanted plants in a garden that compete with garden plants or lawn grass for light, nutrients, space and available water.
To different gardeners, weeds can be poisonous, produce thorns, burrs or can contaminate garden harvests and can also be unpleasant. You have to figure out the best ways to get rid of weeds in your lawns or gardens.
Weeds are a great nuisance to many gardeners, you should always find helpful ways on how to stop weeds from growing. It all starts by understanding the different types of weeds that many gardeners and weed control experts complain about all the times. They include
