bill f asks: i need help with weeds and week grass?
i’m a new home owner with 2 kids & 2 dogs so id like to make my lawn durable and weed free any suggestions
The answer voted best is:
Answer by Kay
The problem with weeds is if you pull weeds, they just come back like nats. The only way to rid of weeds is using Round Up weed killer. The problem with Round Up or any weed killer, it will kill all things around it, the grass, flowers, vines. So, if you have weeds that have taken over your lawn, best to start all over which is what I have done. Use weed killer on those pesty weeds. It takes about a week for it to fully kill them and their roots. Grass will die and after 2 weeks, you can start over with new grass seed or sod.
For the smaller areas in my yard, I did that and put mulch over it for flower beds. The grass is now brand new and pretty.
There are different types of grass out there. How much space do you have for your lawn? Large yard or small yard? That would help.
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Crummy lawns and lots of weeds are generally the result of one or more of these problems:
— trying to grow the wrong grass species for the climate
— trying to grow the wrong species for soil type and amount of sun (grass just doesn’t grow in deep shade, for instance)
— soil compaction (particularly with dogs and kids and damp or wet ground)
— bad mowing practices (especially scalping the lawn)
— bad watering practices (especially a little water often instead of deep watering as needed)
— poor soil fertility or pH problems.
Going into fall is usually the best time of year to renovate an existing lawn or start over again. If you do decide to start over again, you might want to consider leaving half the backyard alone so you don’t have to wash the dogs every time they come back in — then renovate the half you left the next year).
Right now, do your homework. Virtually every state has a series of extension publications on growing a nice lawn and what species are good in your state. Do a search for your state name and “lawn care” or “lawn species” and restrict it to .edu sites. (If your state doesn’t have much, try neighboring states). Get a soil test for potassium, phosphorus and pH. Do soil shake tests. Cut some sod and take a look at it in profile, looking for insect pests and thatch.
http://www.finegardening.com/how-to/articles/hows-your-soil-texture.aspx
http://www.extension.iastate.edu/Publications/PM1755.pdf
http://www.agry.purdue.edu/turf/pubs/ay8.htm
Choice of species you plant can make a big, big difference in the amount of work you’re going to be doing. For instance, a bentgrass lawn will need to be mowed nearly every day to keep it in great condition. On the other hand, if you’re in the western prairies or plains or other hot, dry area, buffalo grass makes a great lawn that only needs to be mowed once or twice a year. There are also some types of grass seed that have a fungus in them — called an endophyte — that helps naturally ward off some diseases and insects.
Get hold of an older book with some really good information called “Rodales’ Chemical Free Lawn and Garden” by Carr — your library should be able to get it, or you can pick it up cheaply used. Read the first few chapters on soil, water, light and growing conditions, and the last chapters on lawns. They’ll help you understand what a good lawn needs to flourish. Even if you don’t choose to go organic, but want to use a bag of 10-10-10 on your lawn, it’ll still help you understand what you need to be doing when, and how to read what you’re seeing in your lawn.
Anyhow — here’s the book — if your library doesn’t have it, print off the worldcat information and ask them to interlibrary loan it for you, or hop over to a site like abe.com and invest a couple of bucks in a used copy:
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/30972746&referer=brief_results
http://www.worldcat.org/oclc/22810546&referer=brief_results