Weed Prevention
The best way to prevent weeds in any lawn begins with planting a high quality weed-free seed. The lawn bed should be prepared correctly, with old weed roots and seeds eradicated. Seeds should be sown densely and evenly. Any sprouting weeds that may have found their way into the young lawn should be removed by hand. Once the lawn is established, it should be fed regularly to keep it thick and lush, so that weeds have nowhere to grow. Bare spots are perfect homes for weeds to take root.
Do you “scalp” your lawn to avoid mowing too often? Seeds carried by the wind will find a home in exposed soil. Conversely, allowing your lawn to grow too high will allow a few weeds to go to seed, compounding the problem quickly. Is your lawn uneven? This can cause low areas of constant dampness that weeds will take advantage of. How often do you water your lawn? To prevent weeds, soak your lawn thoroughly and evenly, then wait until the ground is dry before watering again. Casual watering only encourages shallow roots and invites weeds and crabgrass into your lawn.
Weed Control – Broadleaves
The best way to get rid of the larger broad-leaved weeds such as chicory, dandelion, dock, paintbrush, peppergrass, and sorrel is to get out there and do some manual yard work. Get a knee cushion, put on your gardening gloves, and start pulling! Use a hand spade to dig out the stubborn ones. It helps if the soil is a bit damp, so you might want to water your lawn early in the morning or the prior evening.
Weed pulling is effective if there are only a few weeds. However, for a real weedy lawn, or for tougher weeds such as smaller creeping broad-leaved weeds, pulling and digging is nearly useless. These weeds include clovers, chickweed, ground ivy, knotweed, and spurge. Cutting your lawn down will not harm them; lime and fertilizer will only encourage them. The best treatment is to use chemical herbicides. In just a short time after treatment, the weeds will die and can easily be removed.
However, these chemicals can harm your lawn and ornamentals as well, so spot treatments are imperative. Weed killer can be applied as a spray or as a liquid. Use sprays only on windless days to prevent spray drift. Get as close to the unwanted weed as possible, and place a barrier such as a piece of cardboard in front of any plants you want to protect. Liquid herbicides can be more easily controlled. Attach a small brush or cellulose sponge to the end of a broom handle or stick. Pour weed killer into a can and dip the sponge or brush, squeezing out excess against the side of the can. Dab each weed with the liquid; one touch will do it.
Weed Control - Grasses
Annual uninvited grasses such as goosegrass, foxtails, bluegrass, and the worst offender—crabgrass—can be very problematic. These grasses reproduce by casting seed, which then germinates in the spring. In a vigorous, healthy lawn, these seeds may not germinate at all, or if they do, will have little light for growth. Crabgrass that has taken hold can be removed manually by pulling and digging, but for larger areas an herbicide or chemical sprouted crabgrass control might be necessary. This is usually applied two to three times at seven to ten day intervals; follow directions exactly. The challenge is protecting rest of the lawn while treating, due to the spread of the crabgrass.
Better yet, use a pre-emergence herbicide very early in the spring. This is only effective on germinating crabgrass seeds, not seedlings or the existing lawn. This type of preventative, usually DCPA or siduron, must not be overused. Follow the directions very carefully to avoid damage to the roots of the permanent grass. Many weeds flourish in infertile soil, so keep your lawn fertilized and fed regularly. A healthy, thick lawn leaves no room for undesirable grasses and plants to move in and germinate. By effectively controlling established weeds and preventing new ones and you too can have a beautiful, weed-free lawn.
