When it comes to maintaining a stunning green lawn, weeds are public enemy number one. Many homeowners struggle with how to control weeds without damaging their lawns simply because they’re tangled in so closely with the grass they want to preserve.
But here’s the good news: controlling your weeds doesn’t have to damage your grass. With a few of the right techniques and tools – as well as a little persistence – you can cultivate the lawn of your dreams with no weeds to be seen.
Read on for a step-by-step guide on how to control weeds while protecting the health of your lawn (in a way that won’t make you want to tear your hair out).
Step One: Understand the Enemy
The first step to controlling your weeds is knowing what you’re up against. There are two sides to the lawn care equation: what kind of grass you’re trying to grow and which kinds of weeds you’re trying to discourage.
The most common lawn weeds in New Zealand are dandelions, broadleaves, and the small yellow flowers known as creeping buttercups. You might want to get rid of all of these or just one of them, so take the time to inspect your lawn and identify what you’re dealing with.
- Dandelions are perennial, meaning they return each year as long as their root systems are still in place (which is why they take well to deeper removal methods).
- Creeping buttercups are a year-round weed that flower in warmer months, so spotting them as early as you can will help get a handle on them quickly.
Step Two: Go After the Weeds
Broadly speaking, you’ve got a few options for getting rid of these weeds. The two most common approaches are pulling weeds by hand – or manual extraction – and using herbicides or other selective weed killers to target the plants you don’t want growing while leaving your grass alone.
We recommend using both methods to really get the weeds out. Manually extracting large plants like dandelions and crabgrass is helpful because it rips their root systems out, making it much harder for them to come back. Then, using a herbicide or weed killer that’s recommended for your kind of grass can spot-treat the smaller weeds that are tougher to pick out by hand.
How to Pull Weeds by Hand
The best way to pull weeds is to invest in a pair of sturdy garden gloves and simply get to ripping. You want to get your hand as close to the base of the plant as you can and rip upward, which helps to rip out the roots along with the top of the weed. This prevents the weed from growing back.
How to Pick Your Weed Killer
One of the most important decisions when it comes to how to control weeds is the choice of which weed killer to use. There are a variety on the market of different strengths, concentrations, and uses, all of which should be carefully applied with the use of PPE and away from children or pets.
You can go to your local Bunnings or Mitre 10 to pick up a high-quality weed-killing solution. The most important thing is to know what kind of grass you’re growing and which weeds you want to kill so that you can pick the right poison.
Once chosen, apply the weed killer by following the instructions and warnings on the label carefully. This can be dangerous if done improperly, so step lightly and make sure to give your weed killer plenty of distance and time to do its work.
Step Three: Care for Your Lawn
Once you’ve ripped out the largest of the weeds and spot-treated the smaller patches in your lawn, you’ll likely be left with one or two brown patches as well as some bare patches where the soil is exposed.
From here, your best course of action is to care for your lawn in a way that forms a strong barrier against the recurrence of weeds. This includes mowing the grass down short but not so short as to damage the underlying soil. Keep your lawn well-watered and fed, with the occasional application of mulch to any bare spots that crop up to encourage grass to regrow.
A healthy, dense lawn with strong growth will cast shade over any weed seeds that make their way in, making it much harder for them to take root and grow.
As you can see, the breakdown of how to control weeds without killing your lawn is as easy as one, two, three!
Enjoy a beautiful garden without getting your hands dirty.
Wondering how to control weeds without putting in hours of work? Say goodbye to unsightly weeds and overgrown gardens. Our team is highly skilled at rejuvenating areas that have succumbed to weeds to create an immaculate garden.
Curious about how we can help? Enquire about our routine lawn services today, or book us for green waste removal to cart any clippings and torn-out weeds away safely.
