This is a question you may be tired of asking. Maybe you have driven past the well manicured neighborhoods and you have seen the lawns that look like they have never seen a weed before. How did they get that way? The homeowners spend an awful lot of money on lawn care products, landscaping tools and lawn seedling.
Even if you have the money, keeping Lawn Weeds out of your yard is nearly impossible. Lawn Weed seeds can be blown into your yard from miles away. If your lawn is Weed free and you see one sprout up in your yard, pull the whole Weed, roots and all as soon as you notice it. You will need to check out the spot to make sure that you got all of it. A new Lawn Weed can pop up directly from a piece of a root.
To effectively pull a Lawn Weed, you must first thoroughly water the area around the plant. then use a spade to loosen the soil around the roots. Use the tool to lever out the root of the ground. Add more water or wiggle a little if it feels like the root is going to break.
If you have a big lawn and have Lawn Weeds popping up pretty regularly you may have to pull out the big guns and resort to a herbicide. Some of the popular ones are RoundUp ,Bonide, and Scotts.
Herbicides can be effective but sometimes they need help getting absorbed into the soil to fight the root systems. Sometimes an All-purpose spray Adjuvant is needed to help. Some spray adjuvants actually help water get wetter. I know that may sound funny but what that really means is that it helps herbicides and pesticides absorb into the ground more efficiently.
Regardless of what you do Lawn Weeds do not have to own your lawn. How to kill Lawn Weeds ?
- Pull them by the root.
2. Use a Herbicide
3. Supercharge your herbicide with a all purpose spray adjuvant.
How to Kill Lawn Weeds With A Spray Adjuvant?
It may seem contradictory, but water does not always “wet” well. This is because water (H2O) is a polar molecule: It has both positive and negative ends. When these ends are linked by an electrical charge, a chain forms and droplets occur. This is called hydrogen bonding and is the cause of surface tension.
Surface tension is not easy to see when looking at a glass of water or an agricultural pond. However, it is obvious when water is placed on a water-repellent surface like a waxy plant leaf. Water is NOT SOLUBLE in wax and remains on the leaf surface.
Water molecules form chains within themselves and pearl into small drops. Surfactants outweigh the effects of beads or surface tension. One end of the surfactant molecule is soluble in oily or waxy substances, and the second end is soluble in water.
When a surfactant is added to water and oil, its molecules align at the corresponding ends of the interface and contract the layers, reducing beads or surface tension. This is visible on the leaf surface, as surfactant molecules contract water and wax (on the surface of the leaf), causing the droplet to spread.
Lawn Weeds can grow from one inch of a leftover pulled root. Using a spray adjuvant breaks the water tension and allows the herbicide to penetrate deeply into the soil and attack leftover root systems.
Fighting Dandelions in Your Lawn the Natural Way
Along with warmer days, gentle rain showers, and robins’ return to our lawns, dandelions are harbingers of spring. Their bright yellow flowers seem full of optimism and renewed life–as long as you do not have a lawn grass that is filled with them.
Many people reach for the herbicide at the first signs of dark green, toothed leaves, yellow blossoms, and white puffballs. However, there is no need to resort to such drastic measures. With a little bit of effort, you can conquer your dandelion problem without using any chemicals.
Read More: Get Rid of Garden Weeds Properly With These Tips
The Problem with Herbicides to Kill Lawn Weeds
Herbicides can definitely help your lawn grass lawn seed if it is overrun by weeds, but for some scattered dandelion plants, they might be overkill. People often recommend a “weed and feed” herbicide and fertilizer combo for lawns with dandelions because they believe that dandelions attract bees.
The bees can pose a hazard for bare feet in the summer. However, bees are not attracted to dandelions the way they are to other weed plants, such as clover. Most dandelions reproduce asexually, which means that they do not produce any nectar that lures bees to spread their pollen. Instead, each plant can pollinate itself. Aesthetics is the main reason to get rid of dandelions in your yard.
Beef up Your Lawn’s Defenses
The best way to keep dandelions from getting established in your lawn is to ensure that it is as healthy as possible. Healthy lawns are dense carpets, providing little space for weeds like dandelions to grow. To ensure that your lawn is at its healthiest, water it deeply a couple times a week in the summer if you live in a dry climate. This will encourage your lawn grass to send its roots deeper down into the soil. You can also apply an inch of compost to your lawn in the fall, ensuring that it gets a healthy start in the spring.
An Ounce of Prevention for Your Lawn grass
Dandelion plants are not particularly difficult to get rid of by hand, especially if you have the right tools. The plants’ root system features one big taproot, which tends to break off if you just pull on the plants’ leaves. You need to remove the taproot to prevent the dandelion from growing back. To do this, you can use either a dandelion weeder or a long, pointy trowel.
Shove your tool into the soil right beside the dandelion’s root, and use the tool like a lever to pop the dandelion out of the ground. Your job will be much easier if you wait to weed until after it has rained. Soon, you’ll be admiring your lawn’s smooth, weed-free beauty.
- Use Ortho WeedClear Weed Killer for Lawns Ready-To-Spray to kill weeds down to the root, without harming your lawn (when used as directed); you'll see visible results in hours
- KILLS WEEDS: This lawn weed killer kills over 250 common weeds, including dandelions, clover, poison ivy, chickweed, and dollarweed (see product label for complete weed list)
- LAWN FRIENDLY: It contains three proven ingredients that target common lawn weeds, so it won’t harm your grass (when used as directed)
- RESULTS YOU CAN SEE: Visible results in hours; rainproof in 1 hour upon drying; people and pets may enter the treated area after the spray has dried
- EASY TO USE: To apply, connect your garden hose to the sprayer and set the nozzle to your desired setting
