skip to main content

weed filled lawn

12 years ago

I recently bought a house to live in. I have heard from neighbors that over the last three years, the only care the lawn received is mowing. The lawn is currently about 50% grass, and has lots of clover patches and dandelions. After mowing it looks like a nice green lawn from afar, but while walking on the lawn, you can see the big areas of clover leaves. I have included pictures of the lawn here (about 1/3 acre):

http://s1064.photobucket.com/albums/u377/treeleaves/

I am in the mid Ohio area and we are getting regular rains now, with temperatures in the 60-70s. I am thinking of spraying a weed killer (the types that you attach to a garden hose), and then applying a granular weed and feed mix 1-2 weeks later. I am expecting to see bald spots in the yard where the clover leaves are now. At the end of Fall, I will aerate and seed the lawn so that by spring the new grass hopefully fills in the remaining space. Does this sound ok? I am new to lawn care and so would appreciate any help!

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (6)

tiemco
12 years ago
I see clover, chickweed, bittercress, dandelion, and some funky grassy weed. I would spray the lawn with Weed B Gone max, and Weed B Gone Clover, Chickweed and Oxalis Killer. Those two will take out the majority of weeds. Buy the concentrate and use either a tank sprayer of hose end sprayer. I would urge against using weed and feed. For Ohio you should think about fertilizing in Mid to Late May, not twice in spring like that jerk on TV keeps telling you to do. Also the way you apply weed and feed is on a wet lawn and you let it sit for an hour or two, which is a bad idea with fertilizer. Do yourself a favor and kill weeds with weed killers, and fertilize with fertilizers.
dchall_san_antonio
12 years ago
It looks like your lawn needs fertilizer badly. It should look much nicer about mid June after you have fertilized.

Highly agree that weed n feed is not a good idea. That's one of those 'too good to be true' products. It really has more unsatisfied customers than satisfied.

The best way to control weeds is to control watering and to raise your mowing height. Dandelions, for example will die without doing anything once your grass grows up tall. The tall grass pushes the dandelions leaves up and it apparently doesn't like that. To control watering all you have to do is to water longer and less frequently. Weed seeds need continual moisture to sprout. If you water longer and let the surface of the soil dry out between waterings, the weeds cannot germinate. That won't control them all but once you get rid of the ones you have, then the watering and mowing height should keep them out.

As an aside, if you want to show more detail in your lawn pictures, take the pictures on a cloudy day or when the sun is just going down (full shade). Here's an example of a pic in the shade...

{{gwi:86010}}
Related Discussions
Lawn weeds and new lawn
Q
Comments (2)
Any chance of deciding that the clover is something desirable? I bought some clover for my lawn (in my case, it was strawberry clover, which looks a lot like white clover but does better in my alkaline soil). Clover adds nitrogen from the atmosphere and is drought tolerant. If you really want to kill it, something that will kill all the plants will probably work, but there are probably seeds already, so you may want to kill it, then water daily for a week or so to get the existing seeds to sprout, then kill again. I would not turn the soil over or bring in new soil. There's no way to know what weeds are under the surface or in the soli you might buy.
...See More
Lawn Overgrown by Weeds-Lawn dead-what should I do?
Q
Comments (9)
While bermuda can be beautiful, it is a hassle to keep it looking nice. It is one of the few grasses that should be mowed at the mower's lowest setting. Partially due to that, it should be mowed twice a week during the summer to keep from scalping it every week. Bermuda also needs as much water as all the other lawns if you want it to be green. The idea that it needs less water depends on your tolerance for brown grass. When bermuda gets very dry it becomes dormant and turns brown. When St Augustine dries out completely, it dies. Thus you have to water St Aug to keep it alive but you could stop watering bermuda altogether and it would remain alive but brown. Bermuda also needs monthly doses of high nitrogen fertilizer to stay green. This is to say that you can have a bermuda lawn but if you are not willing to maintain it, it is going to look raggedy. It can also thin out and become a haven for weeds. Back in the 50s, before the modern herbicides became inexpensive, when you bought grass seed you got a mixture of a fescue, Kentucky bluegrass, rye, and even clover. The idea was that one of the grasses would dominate in almost any soil and you could have a green lawn with multiple species of plants. That approach is one you might consider. You are in the transition zone meaning that you would be able to grow almost any grass.
...See More
Need help rehabbing a weed filled lawn
Q
Comments (6)
A rototiller would work, but it would ruin your life for the foreseeable future. Nobody notices this when they rototill a veggie garden, but the soil structure gets destroyed. As the new soil structure develops it creates a bumpy surface. That doesn't matter in a garden but on a lawn it will break you and your lawn mower. So don't rototill. Where do you live? What kind of grass do you want to have? Can you post a picture of the yard as is? We all have vivid imaginations and might be thinking it's worse than it is. Is it as bad as this?
...See More
All of a sudden the lawn is filled with weed
Q
Comments (5)
Weed seeds will be blown into your yard, and seeds can also be spread by wildlife. Different weeds grow at different times, Spring is usually a prolific time. A local certified nurseryman will be able to identify and recommend a herbicide. Fertilizer will not control weeds. There are companies that combine fertilizer with pesticides. I use a pre emergent fertilizer combo in the fall and a weed and fertilize combo in the spring.
...See More
treeleaves
Original Author
12 years ago
Thanks for the feedback! I learned a lot from reading up on your comments. Should I use a granular or liquid fertilizer (I am guessing granular will be better?).

Would the Gilmour 362 Professional No Pre-Mix Sprayer be a good way to spread the weed killers:

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00002N67I/

Here is a link that might be useful: Gilmour Sprayer
garycinchicago
12 years ago
Home Depot (and etc) will sell an Ortho Hose End Sprayer for about $10. You're going there for the Weed Be Gone(s) anyway, right? ... Plus, the instructions on the herbicides match the equipment at hand then!
treeleaves
Original Author
12 years ago
Yes, I will be going with the Weed Be Gone products. Thanks!
tiemco
12 years ago
Yes, granular fertilizers are better for home lawns for many reasons. Don't forget to water them in, or you could get fertilizer burn.

Related Stories

HOUZZ TOURS Houzz Tour: From Overgrown Weeds to Picturesque Farmhouse Expanse

By Mitchell Parker

This once-neglected 100-acre South Carolina site now features a lake, a wood-filled farmhouse and a far-reaching view

GARDENING GUIDES Great Design Plant: Bugle Weed, a Quick Ground Cover

It’s highly adaptable, suppresses weeds, reduces erosion and provide weeks of bright flowers. Just watch for invasiveness

EDIBLE GARDENS Natural Ways to Get Rid of Weeds in Your Garden

By Abundant City

Use these techniques to help prevent the spread of weeds and to learn about your soil

GARDENING GUIDES Let's Weed Out 4 Native Plant Myths

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Plant wisely for a garden that supports pollinators and requires less work

URBAN GARDENS Experiments Aplenty Fill Vancouver Edible Garden

By Vanessa Brunner

Lush and brimming with test landscape plantings, a Canadian garden appeals to the eye and the palate

GARDENING GUIDES 5 Ways to Naturally Win the Weed War

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Show irksome weeds no mercy with these tricks for combating them sans chemicals

GARDENING GUIDES Weed War: When and How to Use Chemical Herbicides

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Before you spray, arm yourself with knowledge about which weed killers — natural or synthetic — are right for your yard

GARDENING GUIDES 5 Weed-Smothering Ground Covers

Let these landscape plants do the dirty work of choking out weeds while you sit back and enjoy the view

GARDENING GUIDES What’s in a Name? See 6 Wildflowers That Aren’t ‘Weeds’ at All

By Benjamin Vogt / Monarch Gardens

Dispel the stereotypes of weeds and try these wildlife-supporting native wildflowers in your garden

GARDENING GUIDES Tackle Weeds the Natural Way

By Jocelyn H. Chilvers

Instead of dousing your yard with chemicals to wipe out weeds, let time and nature work their magic via smothering and solarization

Sponsored

DelCo Handyman & Remodeling LLC

Franklin County's Remodeling & Handyman Services

More Discussions

Sowed a month ago, but little to no germination

5

plastic netting implanted in lawn!

2

Every spring and fall with pre-emergent, but still lot weeds???

3

Plastic netting in lawn starter

2

Help for lawn in Zone 3! This is its second spring.

1