Weed-Free Lawn Tips

With spring comes new beginnings -- which is often just the thing if you are hoping for a green lawn this year. Yet, weeds also take advantage of the new beginnings of spring to invade your lawn. The following tips can help you avoid this problem and get your lawn off to a healthy start.

Tip #1: Dethatch and reseed

The first key to fewer weeds is making sure the grass can thrive, since weeds will quickly take advantage of any bare or sparse spots in the lawn. If the thatch layer, which is the layer of dead plant material on top of the soil, is deeper than 1/2 inch, call out a landscaping company to have it removed. An overly thick layer of thatch smothers grass, but the deep tap roots of many weeds can still root through it. After dethatching, reseed the sparse areas and keep the ground moist until the grass fills in.

Tip #2: Apply a pre-emergent herbicide

Annual weeds typically spring up from seeds that dropped the year before. You can prevent this by applying a pre-emergent herbicide, sometimes called a spring herbicide, before the weeds begin to sprout. These herbicides kill annual weed seeds and seedlings, but don't harm your perennial lawn grass. They only work on weeds that haven't yet emerged from the soil, so they tend to be most effective when applied in late winter or early spring.

Tip #3: Feed the green

Once the annual weeds have been killed and your reseeded lawn is growing in well, it's time to feed the grass so it is lush enough to choke out most weed problems. A spring fertilizer typically contains plenty of nitrogen, which encourages lush grass foliage growth. Apply the fertilizer on a day when you expect light rain, or water lightly after application. This is so the nitrogen doesn't burn dry grass. Within a few days, you should notice lusher, greener grass.

Tip #4: Lay down a broadleaf killer

Some annual and many perennial weeds will survive the pre-emergent herbicide application and will still invade your lusher lawn. Fortunately, you can usually take care of them with a broadleaf weed killer. Broadleaf killers do not harm grasses, only weeds with broad leaves. There are whole lawn treatments or spot treatments, so choose the one that seems to match your needs the best.

For more help, contact a landscape company for a thorough lawn treatment designed to tackle the weeds that are plaguing your grass. Reach out to local companies like Ross Tree Company. 

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