A radiant and lush lawn is not possible if it’s nothing but weed in there. That’s why you must know how to get rid of a lawn full of weeds if you want to enjoy the true beauty of a lawn.
If your lawn is full of weeds and dead grass, the most plausible reason is that you have skipped some reasons taking care of it. Or the previous owners did.
Nothing to be scared. Killing lawn weeds without harming the grass is possible. All you need is the right guide to follow. And in this article, you will learn how to get rid of weeds without killing grass.
How To Get Rid Of Weeds In Lawn Naturally?
Yes, there are some fertilizers enriched with chemicals to kill lawn weeds, but I don’t recommend this to try at first. Because wrong or excessive application may result in killing your lawn grass.
However, if you are talking about weed like creeping charlie, you can use herbicides containing dicamba to kill those creeping charlie.
Otherwise, you should try some natural solutions mentioned-below to fix a lawn full of weeds. Here is one you can follow step by step.
- Gather Necessary Items
Vinegar is a natural weed killer. To make an effective natural solution, you need to mix it with other items.
You will need dishwashing liquid soap to make the ultimate weed killer that won’t destroy your lawn. Make sure the vinegar is strong and it is strong if has 10 to 20% acetic acid.
- Prepare The Weed Killer Mix
Get a spray bottle put the vinegar inside it. Now place a few drops of any regular dishwashing liquid into the vinegar. The liquid won’t kill the weed but it will break the vinegar for better absorption.
- Application
Now, you have to apply the mix directly onto the weeds. The solution mix will kill the weeds but the soil will remain usable. It won’t kill your surrounding lawn grass.
But if you want to kill everything in your lawn area for a fresh start, you need another item: Salt! Also, your approach needs to be different.
Get a gallon and fill it with the vinegar of the same type mentioned-above. Mix 2 cups of salt (regular or any type). Mix the solution very well and add one tablespoon of the dishwashing liquid.
Now, spray or pour the solution onto the area of your lawn. This will kill everything and the salt will sterilize the soil to prevent future weed aggression.
Help My Lawn Is Nothing But Weeds: Why & What To Do? – Chemical Treatment
When your lawn is full of fuzzy dandelions or stringy ivy and other weeds, it may seem daunting to be able to get rid of them. Without the right guide, it is difficult and daunting.
Yes, you need some works to do but no matter how stubborn they seem, you will be able to get rid of them. Just have faith and follow this in-depth guide.
A lawn overrun with weeds simply indicates it’s not being maintained regularly and properly. If your turf is water-deprived and you don’t use your lawn mower regularly, it will encourage weeds to flourish there.
So, if you need something permanent to solve the weeds problem, you need to keep your lawn healthy. Now, let’s see what to with your lawn overrun with weeds in a step by step manner:
- Assess The Lawn Condition
There are different types of weeds and they need separate treatment. So, observe carefully what kind of weeds you are dealing with before you buy any products.
Crabgrass, Foxtails, Dandelions, etc. are the most common type of weeds and they are deceiving because they are grassy weeds. There are some grass-like weeds too like wild onion and wild garlic.
Some of such weed-killing products are weed-specific and some are general. So, the first step is to identify what kind of weeds have infested your lawn. Check the following points to assess your lawn condition:
- Grass Density: If there is empty space among the grass in your yard, such as empty spaces (dirt!) will be filled with weeds because of lack of regular watering. It’s just a natural consequence.
- Height of Thatch: Having thatch on your lawn does not mean it is always bad. As long as the various dead stuff and grassroots are lower than 0.6 – 1.3 cm thick, you have nothing to worry about. But if they got more than this threshold, they will choke your lawn grass.
- Weed Spread: How far the weeds have spread on your lawn. If the coverage area is more than 50%, it’s out of control! So, assess the affected area of your lawn surface.
- Depth of Grassroots: Any healthy grasses should have at least 15 cm long roots. Anything lower than means weak and shallow roots. In such a situation, weeds will spread quickly and easily.
- Pre-emergent Vs. Post-emergent Treatment
There are products to kill the lawn weeds but they are suitable as both pre and post-emergent treatment.
Depending on the situation of your yard, you may want to solve the problem before the growing season preferably in spring. That requires a pre-emergent treatment for your lawn.
To target the weeds for an established lawn, you will have to take post-emergent treatment.
- Read Instruction & Apply To Kill
It’s very important that you read the instruction carefully before you apply the product. Some weed killers are not pet-safe. An excessive or wrong application may burn your lawn.
So, read the timing and amount to apply.
Reading the instructions on the bag several times won’t hurt anything but will save you from a disastrous situation.
- Keep Up The Good Work
As I said, without regular maintenance, you can’t have a healthy lawn. That means you need to seed the lawn and aerate whenever necessary. Apply enough fertilizer and mow at once a season.
How To Renovate A Lawn Full Of Weeds?
Now that you know more than one approach to killing weeds in lawns, let’s learn how to renovate your lawn if its full of weeds. Here is the step by step guide to follow:
- Make Sure To Have No Weeds
I already talked a lot about how to get rid of a lawn full of weeds. Apply the natural method first. If it does not get the job done (which is rare), try the chemical-based lawn weed killer approach.
- Aerate Your Lawn
You need to make sure the air reaches deepest to the grassroots. You can use either a power tool or just hands for the aeration. Proper aeration will ensure an adequate supply of water and fertilizer to the roots of the grass.
There is no specific requirement on how you should aerate your lawn. However, if your lawn contains mostly clay, it is recommended that you start aerating from a horizontal direction keep doing so from one corner to the other.
- Planting New Grass Seed
Planting weed-free seeds are crucial to have a lush and green lawn. Irrespective of the size of your lawn, the ideal amount of seeds to spread is 15 per square inch.
But before you plant the seeds, make sure to rake the lawn to lift thatch and loose the soil. Remove all the debris and make sure the seeds have direct contact with the soil.
- Water Your Lawn
New grass needs more water than any established lawn. You should water the soil at least twice a week. Besides, if it’s summer does it more often. Morning watering is the best if you are wondering.
Of course, the amount of water the soil will be needed will depend on the area you are living in, the type of grass you have, and the soil type too. There is a simple way to determine exactly when your lawn needs watering.
Many people call it the screwdriver test. It’s called that because you push the screwdriver into the soil up to 6 inches deep. If it’s not moist, your soil needs watering.
Always use a lawn sprinkler to cover the maximum area. This will prevent washing away the grass seeds too.
- Regular Fertilizing
There are many types of lawn food available in the market. But for the new grass, you should only apply the starter fertilizer for new grass. The reason is pretty simple.
Starter fertilizer contains more phosphorous than regular fertilizers and it is vital to have that in more in the NPK ratio for grassroots to be healthy and strong.
Depending on your area you are living, you need to give fertilizer in the spring if you have warm-season grass on your lawn. But if you have cool-season grass, you need to give fertilizer during the early fall.
- Call A Professional
To my understanding, no one should be calling for professional help and spend money to fix their lawns. But, if nothing of the above solution does work for or the situation is beyond control, it’s helpful to get a professional opinion firsthand.
Sum Up
Still wondering how to get rid of a lawn full of weeds? You should not. To my knowledge, this the most in-depth guide on killing lawn weeds. Get to work and fix your lawn full of weeds and dead grass.
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