Your lawn is one of the first things that people notice about your home. The way your lawn looks helps to create a first impression, so you always want it to look its best. Unfortunately, even the most meticulously cared for lawns can develop unsightly weeds that detract from the appearance of the yard, but you can deal with them to get your yard looking picture perfect again.
If you’re wondering how to kill weeds in your lawn, read on to discover four effective techniques.
Technique 1: Crowd Them Out
In order for weeds to grow in your lawn, they need to have enough space to take root. If you have just a few weeds, you can often eliminate them without having to use sprays or tools. By simply crowding out the weeds with healthy grass, you can have a picture perfect lawn. Follow these steps to improve the growth of your grass and fill in those spaces where weeds love to hide.
1. Fertilize Your Lawn Right. Lawns require fertilizer to thrive, but fertilizing too often can actually do more harm than good. In the Atlanta area, you should typically fertilize your lawn when the grass first begins to turn green in the spring, again early in the summer and one more time at the beginning of fall.
2. Water Enough. Many people make the mistake of watering their lawn frequently but only in small amounts. This can actually create optimal conditions for weeds to grow. Instead, water once per week, applying an inch of water during each watering. A simple way to know how much you’ve watered is to put an empty tuna can outside in the path of your sprinkler. When it’s completely full, you’ve watered a full inch.
3. Let It Grow. When you mow your grass too short, you limit its ability to manufacture its own food and grow thick and lush. Depending on your species of grass, you should let it grow to a height of 2 to 4 inches before breaking out the lawn mower.
Technique 2: Pull Them Out
If you make improvements to your lawn care and still find that weeds are thriving, your next step in discovering how to kill weeds in your lawn is to try removing them by hand. This technique is best done when you only have a small to medium amount of weeds. Follow these tips to get the best results.
1. Do your weeding after it has rained. It might be messier to dig in the dirt when it’s moist, but you’ll have a much harder time removing weeds if you wait until the ground is dry.
2. Use a trowel or a garden fork to dig underneath the weed. Make a circle around the entire plant to loosen the dirt. Then, take hold of the weed and pull the entire plant out.
3. If you get resistance while trying to remove the weed, dig more. You don’t want to leave any roots behind, as the plant could continue to grow.
4. Avoid putting weeds on your compost pile. This could end-up reintroducing weeds into your lawn or into your flowerbeds.
5. Plant grass seed immediately in the spot where the weed once resided. Make sure to water the grass seed frequently, so that the soil stays moist until the seeds germinate and the grass is about an inch high.
Technique 3: Spray Them
Need to know how to kill weeds in your lawn once the problem is severe or your weeding efforts aren’t producing results? When you have stubborn weed problems, the best approach is to use an herbicide product to kill the unwanted weeds. Follow these steps to get the best results.
1. Identify your weeds. You first need to know which type of weed you’re dealing with, as some herbicides are only successful at controlling specific types. The three main types are
– Broadleaf weeds – If a weed consists of individual leafy growth like a dandelion or clover, it is a broadleaf weed.
– Grassy weeds – These pesky weeds grow in blades like grass and often pop up in the spring.
– Grass-like weeds – This type of weed looks similar to grass but upon closer inspection will be identifiable as another type of plant. Wild onions are one of the most common of the grass-like weeds.
2. Choose Your Application Method. You always want to choose the applicator that will cover the smallest area possible to get the job done efficiently. The three main options are:
– Pressure sprayers, which are used for spotty weed growth
– 1 to 2 gallon tank sprayers, which are ideal for patches of weeds
– Dial sprayers, which can be used to treat a very large area
3. Select Your Herbicide. Next, you’ll need to choose the right herbicide for your needs. Some of the things to consider include:
– Systemic Versus Contact – Systemic herbicides must enter through the roots, while contact herbicides enter the plant through the leaves and stems.
– Selective Versus Nonselective – Selective herbicides only kill weeds, while nonselective herbicides will kill any plants that they touch, including your grass.
– Pre-emergent Versus Post-emergent – Pre-emergent herbicides are used to prevent weeds from growing in the first place, while post-emergent herbicides are designed to kill existing weeds.
4. Follow the Instructions. Make sure to read the instructions on the herbicide carefully and follow them exactly to get the best results.
Now you know how to kill weeds in your lawn, so you’re ready to get your yard looking great. In need of equipment to get the job done? Northside Tool Rental has everything that you need to control weeds and handle all of your DIY landscaping projects this summer. Our affordable rates mean you can get top-of-the-line equipment to use for lawn care without having to invest in purchasing machinery or tools that you might only use a few times. We have five locations to choose from in Atlanta and a wide variety of lawn and garden tools and equipment. Contact us today to learn more.