It takes time and effort to force the weeds out of your lawn, but it is possible. Pulling, digging, chopping and cutting weeds will succeed slowly, but it is far easier to zap on a layer of herbicides. Both methods are successful, but each has its own advantages and drawbacks. Ultimately, weed control service comes down to your goals for your lawn and your family.

Weeds are Symptoms of the Problems

Weeds are a sure sign of problems in your lawn. They grow in poor conditions where other plants die. In good growing conditions, your grass will be able to crowd the weeds out over time. If weeds have established a foothold, your growing conditions are probably less than ideal.

Take Care of Your Lawn

Fertilize your lawn early in the spring to give your grass a head start on the later germinating weeds. Keep it watered to avoid heat stress that allows summer weeds a place to grow. Keep it mowed so weeds don’t have a chance to produce seeds. Over time, good lawn management will encourage grass growth and help crowd out weeds. If you still have weed problems, contact a good weed control service to complete the job.

Herbicides

Herbicides are a quick solution to the weed problem, but unless you have addressed the underlying growing conditions, weeds will come back. Herbicides are chemical poisons. In addition to killing the weeds, they interfere with the biological properties of your soil. If your children and pets play on the lawn, they are also exposed to the herbicides, with unknown effects. If you choose to use herbicides on your lawn, follow the label directions exactly and wait the required time before allowing people or pets to return to the lawn.

If your weed infestation is severe, herbicides may be the best choice for you. Choose a selective weed killer to deal with the kind of weeds present on your lawn. Broad leaf killers do a good job with most weeds, but will not kill weed grasses. Small areas of weed grasses benefit from cutting, but large areas may need to be dug up completely.

Natural Weed Control

Correcting growing conditions will go a long way towards controlling the weed population. Check your lawn area for problems and correct them. if possible. Additionally, be realistic in your expectations and don’t try to grow a lawn in poor soil, high traffic areas or rocky areas. You may need to correct the soil or bring in a layer of topsoil before planting. Grass doesn’t grow well in high shade areas. In shady areas consider an alternate ground cover or put in a planting bed.

Know your weeds and their ideal growing conditions. You may be giving them exactly what they want. If you keep your grass cut too close, you may be harming the grass and cutting away growth that would shade weeds and discourage them. Likewise allowing your lawn to grow too high before mowing gives them the opportunity to become established.

Start early. Try to remove weeds immediately when they germinate. At this point, their roots are not well established and they haven’t had time to spread or produce seeds. Pulling weeds early takes care of the current problem and diminishes future problems. Hold down the grass and soil surrounding the weed and grasp the weed at the stem close to the ground. Pull the stem and roots up and remove the pulled plant from the area. Well-established weeds may need to be dug up, removing all the plants and as many of the roots as possible.

Every lawn will have an occasional weed, but if your grass is healthy and properly maintained, weeds won’t have the opportunity to become established. A good weed control service schedule is your best ally in your fight against weeds.