Create a Weed‐Free Lawn Without Using Harmful Chemicals
With a little extra effort you can have a weed-free lawn without using chemicals. Weeds cannot grow in a healthy lawn as they are crowded out. The time and effort becomes less and less over the years and eventually will become maintenance free.
Contents
Steps
- Take soil samples to a local nursery or send them into a testing center. The test will show your nutrient and pH levels, and how much organic matter is present.
- Use the results to target specific organic spreads to maintain correct levels for growing grass.
- Use corn gluten meal in the spring and fall as a pre-emergent for weeds. The corn gluten will also give a small amount of slow-release nitrogen, making it a good weed and feed combination.
- Water your lawn or go out after a rain and remove weeds by hand, making sure to get the root system or else the weed will grow back. Use a dandelion tool to remove dandelions.
- Re-seed the entire lawn (in Fall and/or Spring) if necessary, paying particular attention to bare spots. Use a grass mix with a higher percentage of Rye grass (rye grass is a quick growing annual [there is also a perennial rye] that will help to establish the other slower growing perennial grasses).
- De-thatch and aerate your lawn in the Spring. Continue to re-seed once a year till lawn is thick. If you adopt a more sensible method of fertilizing and watering your lawn, it will eventually be unnecessary to de-thatch or aerate. For details, see the WikiHow article How to get and maintain a healthy lawn
- Keep your lawn mower at higher settings during the Summer months; the higher grass shades out weeds.
Tips
- Be patient--it may take several years to achieve a maintenance-free lawn.
- Sharpen your lawn mower blade at least once a year.
- Make sure to change the oil in your mowers to prevent damage to the mowers
- Many consider annual over seeding of the entire lawn to be the single best weed prevention you can have.
- If your lawn gets too much rain try planting bushes or flowers to soak up some of the rain.
- For more detailed information on how to maintain a healthy lawn, see the WikiHow article "How to get and maintain a healthy lawn."
- In spring and fall, consider spreading about {{safesubst:#invoke:convert|convert}} of compost over the existing grass to provide nutrients.
- "Over seed" bare spots to get complete coverage.
Warnings
- Some weeds such as Creeping Charlie may need to be removed with chemicals; treat them in the fall when nutrients are stored in the root system. If you do need to treat with chemicals, use a granule, you are less likely to contaminate aquatic life as you would with a liquid. Read and follow all label directions.
