I live in the Maryland area and my grass is full of weeds. Currently we have not received a steady flow of rain for months. I would like to get rid of the weeds and put down more grass seeds. But because it has not rained much if I put down weed killer or grass seeds I will need to water them every day which will cause me to have a high water bill. Do you have any suggestions?
Derrick from WA
Derrick,
There are several things you can do to get rid of weeds and give your lawn a facelift. If your lawn contains less than 50% weeds, instead of looking for ways to combat the weeds, consider trying to create better conditions for grass to grow. This time of the year, lawns naturally go through a dormant period corresponding to the hot dry conditions of late summer. Improving your lawn in the fall and spring will work with the natural growth cycle of grass and take advantage of seasonal rains.
Prepare for fall by aerating your lawn now. This will help to reduce soil compaction and allow nutrients to get down to the roots of the grass. Ideally, you should try to do this a couple of times before the end of September.
In the fall, fertilize by adding a 1/2 inch of organic matter in the form of compost. Spread this evenly over the lawn and then water it thoroughly. Use a slow release fertilizer to increase the likelihood that the nutrients will be used for root growth. Root growth is the main activity of grass in the fall-strong roots being necessary for vigorous blade growth next spring.
Next spring, over seed with a grass variety appropriate to your growing area. Keep the seed moist by watering in between spring rains. You may need to over seed more than once before you see a significant change in composition.
During the summer months, maintain a grass height of at least 3 inches. This allows the roots to go deep (blade length is proportional to root length) and allows grass to become well established-eventually choking out most weeds. Leave the grass clippings on the lawn as fertilizer. They are a great source of nitrogen (the most important grass nutrient).
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Cut your lawn at 3 inches and you will not get so many weeds and won't have to water as often. I hate to see people use chemicals just so it can run off into the drain systems.
I agree...use any natural method to control the weeds..as said in the previous comment ..the run off from chemical fertilizers is harmful in many ways. I read that using vinegar can kill weeds.. Protect our Environment!!! we get enough chemicals from so many sources as it is.!!!s
Maintaining the lawn is expensive. What we do is to stick with the "Scotts" program (4 types of chemicals a year), and water 3 times a week. It will probably take you 1-2 years to get a totally beautiful lawn. It's costly.
My whole yard AND veggie garden are organic, and have been for nearly 37 years. In my lawn, anything green that doesn't have prickers or thorns, is welcome to stay and grow however it will. If a thistle or Burdock tries to start, I dig it out, not grab some chemicals. If it tries to persist, I pour boiling water onto it's spot in the lawn. It might take a couple doses to kill it, but at least I'm not putting some kind of poison or chemical in the soil. Dandelions are MORE than welcome in my lawn, as the Goldfinches, Indigo Buntings, Pine Siskins and other birds eat the seeds.
So, I'll take 'weeds' over a chemically maintained, lush grass lawn any day !!!!!!! A lot of people are too quick to grab poisonous/toxic chemicals for all sorts of things...lawn and garden weeds, insects, household cleaners, etc., when a little extra work and organic means are SOOOOO much better for our environment. We have to stop poisoning our planet !!!!!!
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