Weeds: what to do
Spring is here at last! As the grass comes back, so will the weeds in your lawn, gravel driveway, and flower beds. Dandelions, quackgrass and other weeds stubbornly reappear each year. The following tips can help you fight back.
Healthy grass = fewer weeds
Healthy lawns have fewer weeds. The three things to remember are aeration, fertilizer and seeding.
Aeration: Compact soil may prove a fertile breeding ground for weeds. Aerate your soil, for example with an aerator roller or a spading fork.
Fertilizer: Use freshly cut grass as a natural fertilizer. Mow it and leave it! Your lawn will love it.
Seeding: A well-planted lawn is less likely to leave room for unwanted weeds. Replenish your lawn with grass seed. Handy tip: Mix grass seed with clover seed.
Not again! Weeds!
Weeds have once again taken root. Does your lawn have more weeds than grass? Never fear! There are plenty of ways to get rid of them.
What to do:
- Tear them out: Although it’s easier with some than others, this is still an effective and environmentally safe method since no chemicals are involved.
- Water, vinegar and sun: Mix one part water and two parts vinegar in a spray bottle. Wait for a sunny day, spray the mixture onto the weeds, and wait. Sunshine combined with vinegar burns weeds.
- A combination of water, salt, vinegar, dish soap and sunshine has the same effect as in the tip above.
- Boiled egg cooking water: Boil some eggs and pour the cooking water over the weeds for an effective, natural weed killer.
- Baking soda: Sprinkle baking soda on weeds growing between paving stones or in gravel.
List of weeds
Weeds are easy to recognize, but difficult to name sometimes. Here’s a partial list of common weeds that grow on grassy lawns, between paving stones and in gravel.
- The classic: Dandelion
- Compacted soil: Broadleaf plantain
- Unwanted grass: Quackgrass
- Purple blossom: Creeping Charlie (ground ivy)
- Cobblestone King: Crabgrass
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See also:
4 tips for sowing grass in spring
How to keep your houseplants healthy