July 01, 2024
Weed control can be frustrating and time-consuming. It also feels never-ending – they’re everywhere! Although some weeds may look harmless, they can cause serious trouble for your healthy grass. If not dealt with effectively, they can completely take over your beautiful lawn. But how do you remove lawn weeds without damaging your turf?
Whether you’re tackling one solitary weed or an entire infestation, we’ve gathered the best advice and solutions on how to kill weeds without killing your grass.
Like any other living organism, weeds survive off sunlight, water, food and oxygen. Rainfall followed by bright sunshine are the perfect conditions for weeds, and because lawns have little shelter from the elements, they are the ideal location for weeds to settle in. Thankfully, you can easily remove them without harming your grass. In fact, our suggestions often result in a healthier, brighter, weed-free lawn.
To tackle your weed problem, you need to understand what types of weeds you’re dealing with. There are two: annuals and perennials. Annuals will appear and die in a single growing season, but perennials are persistent and return yearly.
The most common types of lawns include daisies, dandelions, buttercups, bindweed, common ragwort, creeping Charlie, clovers and moss. All of these impact the condition and appearance of your lawn, but they can all be easily dealt with.
Although some, like daisies and buttercups, may look sweet and reminiscent of our childhoods, they are weeds. The problem with weeds in your garden and growing on your lawn is that they consume all the goodness within your soil. While they grow more robust, your beautiful flowers and luscious lawn struggle to survive. Resulting in dull–coloured turf, a thin sward, or dead grass.
If there are only a few weeds, this won’t be a big job and a lot kinder to your turf. Digging weeds out by hand ensures you’re focusing your attention on that individual weed and can ensure you have the entire root.
With your weed, be mindful not just to remove the leaves, as the root will still be there, and that’s where the problem lies. Hold the weed above the ground firmly and tug the plant out. You can use a garden fork or weeding tool to dig into the soil and under the weeds to fully lift the roots. Be sure to fill any holes with earth or grass seed to stop weeds from returning.
2. Look at your lawn’s health
Strong, thick, healthy lawns are naturally more efficient at diminishing weed growth, fighting off weeds and taking valuable lawn space for themselves to thrive. You can support your lawn’s health by fertilising it or overseeding thin or bare patches. You can also start aerating and scarifying your lawn to boost its resilience against weeds, as this will allow more water, sunlight and nutrients to reach your grass roots.
3. Reseed any patches
Bald or bare patches of grass are welcoming weeds to set up home. To kill weeds, you need to suppress the available space, making it hard for them to set seed and grow. If you notice thinning spots of grass, overseed the area so fresh grass fills up the area. Not only will your lawn look fuller, but it helps prevent weeds from appearing.
4. Use a weed–killer with lawn feed
These days, many weed-killer solutions have lawn feed mixed in with them. This saves time and energy, enabling you to do two jobs in one. These solutions can be sprayed or sprinkled across your lawn, ideally between April and September, when weeds are actively growing. You should only require a couple of applications per year to see results, and be mindful that if you have kids or pets, do not use the lawn until the solution has thoroughly soaked in.
5. Keep on mowing
A quick and easy way to kill weeds whilst protecting your turf is by simply mowing it! This will prevent them from growing, but it doesn’t always remove those perennial weeds by the root, meaning they could return. If you have a mulch setting on your mower, turn this off; this spreads your cuttings across your lawn, and you’ll be essentially spreading weed seeds farther.
6. Use a specialised weed–killer
With so many weed-killer brands, it’s hard to know which is best for your lawn without killing your grass. General-purpose weed killers can be quite aggressive and tend to damage your healthy turf, along with the weeds.
A specialised weed-killer that includes herbicides targeting specific weed species will be far more beneficial. If you can find one with a moss-killer or lawn feeder, too, you’ll be giving your lawn a boost whilst removing troubling weeds – it’s a win-win! Read the label carefully, as it should specify what types of weeds it’s aiming for.
Spring is the ideal time to kill weeds. This is when they start to appear, so you can actively dig them out before they get too big or apply weed killer to the area. Remember to fertilise around the area to encourage new, sturdier grass growth.
If you notice lawn weeds are rife during the summer. Aim to treat the areas in the morning or evening when it’s coolest – you don’t want to risk scorching the area if you’re using a weed killer.
If you keep on top of weed control and maintain the health of your grass, then yes, de-weeding will help. With time and persistence, your turf will grow more resilient and suppress weeds from returning. However, if you notice your lawn consists of more weeds than actual grass, it may be a quicker and better option to start with a fresh slate and returf your lawn.
By digging up your weed-invested lawn and laying beautiful, fresh turf, you can ensure all weed roots are removed from the soil underneath. It’ll then be easier to deal with the odd weeds that may appear rather than battling with an entire lawn full of them. With our wide range of turf options, you’ll be sure you find the perfect match for your garden.
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