How to Deal with Overgrown Weeds

How to get rid of overgrown weeds

Prior to grabbing the weed whacker, it is critical to be informed about both the turf and the weeds in your yard.

Know your weeds

A sage fighter once proclaimed, “Cherish your allies and stay even closer to your adversaries.” Unsurprisingly, this idea can also be applied to weeds. Take a picture of the weed and send it to the Cooperative Extension office near you if you don’t know what type of weed it is. Post the photo to an identification application for plants to find out what type it is.

Why is this important? Weed seeds that are not yet germinated can survive in the soil over extended periods of time, potentially spanning multiple years or even decades. It is not an exaggeration to say that, it is highly likely that there are more of what you are cutting down, ready to sprout. If you can identify the specific weed, you can look up the ideal way to stop it from growing or how to treat it if it does.

Know your soil

The key to having a great lawn is to take preventive measures and engage in regular upkeep. It is necessary to evaluate the soil regularly by conducting a soil test every few years.

A soil test is similar to a blood test for your lawn. The only way to find out what exists is to experiment with it. If it’s been a while since you have done this, now would be a good time to take care of it while lawn maintenance is on your mind.

Why is this important? If you don’t have knowledge of the nutrient levels and pH in the soil, you won’t be able to enhance it in a way that promotes denser grass and weeds that are less likely to take over. A soil test will provide a report containing the results and advice on how much fertilizer (nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium) and lime should be utilized. Your regional Cooperative Extension office can dispatch a sample of your soil to the state laboratory, usually at a reasonable cost.

Know what your weeds are telling you 

While you wait for the results from the soil examination you had done, let’s look at how the weeds in your garden may act as a form of soil analysis.

Weeds can be used as an indicator of the environment, as they tend to thrive in specific conditions. Look at them as a sign of a bigger issue: If something is not in harmony in your yard, they will alert you. Fixing the imbalances should lead to the death of existing weeds and fewer of them should be seen in the following year.

The following plants signify that the soil is tightly packed: Chickweed, Plantain, White Clover, Pigweed, Dallisgrass, Burdock, Stinging Nettle, and Dandelion.

Weeds that indicate acidic soil: Moss, sorrel, buttercup, plantain

Signs of soil with poor fertility are plantain, dandelion, white clover, crabgrass, thistle, carpetgrass, and yarrow.

Plants that suggest the ground is abundant in nutrients: Lamb’s quarter, stinging nettle, chickweed, pigweed, purslane.

If you only have one type of weed present, it may be difficult to determine the condition of your soil. If several different types of species show that the soil is acidic, it is likely that the soil test will confirm this. Always get a soil test to be sure.

Know your compaction level

Figuring out if the soil is too dense is an important element of grasping the characteristics of your soil. When constructing a house or undertaking any type of building, it is important to make sure that the soil has been firmly packed. Have you ever been advised against constructing a dwelling on unstable ground?

When you are cultivating grass, the soil needs to have enough open spaces to allow for the transmission of essential elements such as nutrients, water, and air.

What are the signs that your soil is too tightly packed together? Grab a screwdriver or a sharp knife. If you need to apply significant pressure to get the tool into the soil, it is likely that the soil is compressed.

Aeration is the most beneficial solution if your soil is packed down. Using a machine to make holes in the soil of your lawn allows for more efficient movement of nutrients, water, and air. This results in the roots becoming more robust and the grass to become healthier, allowing it to outdo any difficult weeds.

Putting your knowledge into action

Now that you have more information on your weeds and earth, devising a successful plan is simpler. Here are a few scenarios and how you can correct them:

Weeds next to a curb or driveway

Has crabgrass spread across the region close to your sidewalk or driveway? This is very common. The earth close to concrete surfaces is generally dense, shallow, and hot. These are prime conditions for weeds to pop up.

If you have a limited amount of space that is filled with a certain type of weed, you can concentrate on just that particular region. Try cultural measures first. If the weed is crabgrass, the potential source of the issue could be a lack of soil nutrients, mowing the lawn too short, and either not enough or too much water. That, along with a sparse layer of grass, provides an excellent environment for crabgrass to grow.

For small sections of weeds distributed across the lawn, many house owners will opt to use a common herbicide such as Roundup (glyphosate) with a sprayer to treat the area. It is essential to utilize spot treatment in combination with routine lawn care in order to achieve the most effective results over time.

Mow down the crabgrass seeds

Adjust your lawn mower to the shortest height and collect the grass trimmings in a bag. Throw the cuttings into the garbage or the municipality’s compost bin after you have finished. This removes as much of the crabgrass as possible.

Aerate or use a dethatching machine 

This may not be a requirement for all lawns, however, if you have thick soil or a thick layer of dead grass clippings, this will help to create a perfect environment for your grass seed to grow. A layer of plant material between the grass and the soil, known as thatch, can become an issue if it reaches a depth of more than a half inch. If that happens, it can prevent air, water, and fertilizer from penetrating the soil.

Add compost

Compost contributes organic material to the soil and improves areas with scanty soil. Employ the reverse side of a garden rake to even out the compost.

Add fertilizer

Using starter fertilizer will guarantee that your freshly planted grass is provided with the essential nutrients it needs to grow vigorously.

Spread the grass seed

Put the new seed in a spreader. Use the amount recommended on the bag. An inadequate amount of grass seed or an excessive amount of grass seed will produce an unhealthy lawn.

Press the seed into the compost

Employ the backside of a rake to push the fresh grass seed into the compost layer.

Water

Water the soil regularly, making sure it doesn’t become overly wet.

If the same weed is found in other areas of your garden, think about applying a natural or chemical pre-emergent before they start growing again next year. The most effective approach for preventing weeds from growing is to prevent them from germinating.

Weeds in flower beds

Although you may have a layer of either landscape fabric or mulch as a base, it is still possible for weeds to grow in your flower beds. Here are a few tips to evict these weeds:

• Get out your garden hoe or hand-pull.
• Put in a new layer of mulch. This will help prevent next season’s weeds from landing on bare soil. 
• A propane weed torch is another effective tool in the fight against flower bed weeds. 

Weeds in the garden

It is simple for lawns that are of a smaller thickness to have weeds growing in them. Garden beds without any type of plant that lasts for more than one growing season are more likely to be overrun with weeds.

Here are a few ways to manage weeds naturally in your garden:

Many homeowners who have a food garden prefer to use natural methods of weed control, regardless of if they practice organic gardening or not.

Spray the weeds

Using horticultural vinegar or a commercially available organic spray can help to keep weeds from taking over your garden.

Deprive them of sunlight

Cover crop residue, cardboard, or wood chips block out the sunlight that would otherwise reach weed seeds that are buried in the soil.

Weed eat the area

Employing a string trimmer is an efficient method to keep the weeds in and around your garden area under control. This also prevents seed-bearing weeds from setting seeds. Keep in mind that depending on your location, these tools may also be referred to as string trimmers, strimmers, weed whackers, or something else.

Torch the weeds

A propane weed torch is a good way to deal with any wild weeds growing near metal garden fence posts. Make sure the plants you want to preserve are not exposed to excessive heat.

Your Seasonal Guide to Weed Control

Weed control in the spring

Crabgrass and other weeds start to sprout up in the late spring, and become more evident in the summertime, but you can take steps to reduce or entirely get rid of them. You must employ pre-emergent herbicide for this job. Pennsylvania State University’s Center for Turfgrass Science states that pre-emergent herbicide is the most essential element of any successful chemical control program. These herbicides can be easily accessed in grocery stores and should be used 10-14 days prior to the time when weeds start to sprout.

Come springtime, you should think about utilizing post-emergent herbicides to tackle any grassy or broadleaf weeds that tend to arise in summer.

Dethatching and aeration in the spring

Clean up any leaves and sticks that have built up on your lawn during the winter by using leaf rakes and similar implements. Removing these decaying fragments allows for the straightforward utilization of pesticides and fertilizers.

Also, don’t neglect to puncture the dirt on a day when it is slightly moist but not soaked. This makes sure that oxygen, water, and nourishment from fodder get to the roots for a flourishing lawn.

Weeds and pest control in the summer

Weeds can become very noticeable during the summer months, even to the point of overshadowing the grass on your lawn if they’re not taken care of. Those who did not take advantage of the opportunity to use pre-emergent herbicide in the spring still have the opportunity to eradicate the weeds from their lawn. The two main strategies for eliminating weeds are by using cultural practices and using chemical treatments.

Cultural practices can provide a prompt solution if your lawn has only a few weeds. Bend down and pull out the weeds, such as dandelions and broadleaves, which are easy to pick. Using chemicals is the best solution if there are a lot of weeds in your lawn. Bauer suggests utilizing products that include fenoxaprop-P-ethyl (Bayer Crabgrass Killer for Cool-Season Lawns) or quinclorac (Bayer All-In-One Weed and Crabgrass Killer, Ortho Weed-B-Gon + Crabgrass Killer, others) as the main active ingredients. Make sure to only apply the herbicides when the temperature is below 85° F to prevent any further damage to your grass.

Also, don’t forget to take care of any common summer lawn pests. Certain species of bugs, such as turf caterpillars and grubs, can be quite detrimental, especially if they are given the opportunity to reproduce without limits. Keep an eye out for signs of a pest problem like wilting vegetation and an increase in feeding. If the pest problem appears to be severe, think about bringing in a lawn care business to assist you in getting rid of them.

Be on the lookout for potentially devastating insects, such as the sod webworm, which tends to arrive in June. These animals consume the blades of grass and can destroy your entire yard in a matter of days. Grub worms can wreak havoc on your lawn during the July and August months of the summer season. In many situations, these bugs cause the grass to appear charred, resulting in the loss of the verdant green color you’ve been striving to keep. Be vigilant for other typical outdoor nuisances such as aphids, carpenter ants, fleas, chinch bugs, and caterpillars.