Weed Control - Tips for a Weed-Free Lawn

Weeds can ruin the look of your lawn. They can also be damaging to your lawn's health, because they compete with grass for water and nutrients. To have a weed-free lawn, you need to come up with a weed control plan.

Types of Lawn Weeds

There is no single weed control technique that works on all lawn weeds. Your best chance at defeating the lawn weeds that attack your lawn is by figuring out what type of weed they are. Most weeds fall into three general categories:

• Unwanted Grasses (Example- Quackgrass)
• Broadleaf Plants (Example- Dandelions)
• Sedges a.k.a. Grasslike Plants (Example- Yellow Nutsedge)

By knowing what type of weed you are fighting, you can choose the proper herbicide or lawn maintenance technique needed to fight it. For additional help on determining what type of weeds are wrecking havoc on your lawn, call your local county extension office or visit your local public library to borrow a lawn weed reference book.

Organic Weed Control

The easiest way to keep your lawn weed-free is by performing regular lawn maintenance. A lush, healthy lawn is less likely to have weeds because there is simply no room for them. Weeds tend to pop up in sparse unhealthy grass. By mowing regularly and fertilizing your lawn properly, you can control weeds without ever having to use herbicides or hand weeding.

Though mowing and fertilization is important, lawn irrigation can also play a major role in weed control. The amount of water your lawn needs will depend upon what type of grass you have, but in general, your lawn needs one inch of water per week to maintain a healthy, lush appearance. If you need to manually irrigate your lawn, water infrequently, but deeply. This will promote strong roots in the grass, while preventing weeds from germinating.

If after all of this, weeds continue to pop up in your lawn, you can try weeding your lawn by hand. When digging weeds from the soil, it is essential that you also pull out every last bit of the root system. If the plant is removed, but the root is left behind, a new plant will grow in its place.

Herbicides

Herbicides can be an effective method of weed control. However, you will want to make sure that you choose the right type of herbicide for the weeds in your lawn. Remember, no method of weed control is right for all weeds. You will also want to take into account the plants that you want to keep. Many herbicides will kill not only the weeds, but also grass, flowers, trees and anything else it comes into contact with.

Always read the labels of herbicides carefully. You will want to choose an herbicide that is labeled safe for other plants. You will also want to make sure that the herbicide is specifically formulated for the weed or weeds that you want to kill.