yup. it’s that time of year when weeds begin to infiltrate like mad. grassy weeds and broadleaf weeds alike begin popping up wherever they can – in planting areas and in the lawn. in planting beds the weeds are never quite as bad as in the lawn. that’s just my personal opinion – others may disagree, but i find that i have a way easier time getting on my hands and knees and weeding around plants than i do weeding in the lawn. for one thing, it is easier to see the weeds that you are dealing with when they are in planters. second of all, you can move plants out of the way and get under most flowers and shrubs well enough to pluck them out by the root.
clover at the base of a palm tree
but weeds in the lawn are a whole other story. i have given weeding lawns by hand my best shot in the past. i have literally spend hours pulling clover out of a fescue lawn by hand. it actually feels like you are making progress at some point too. until a few days go by and the clover comes back even stronger. sometimes i even use a screwdriver and gently pry the roots loose. i do advocate weeding by hand as much as possible. but sometimes the problem is just too big to overcome by hand weeding.
clover in a fescue lawn
i combat many weed problems by using a pre-emergent herbicide, which should be applied to planting beds and lawns prior to any sign of weeds. this is especially effective for grassy weeds in lawns – like crabgrass, which can become a total nightmare if left untreated year after year.
as far as the broadleaf weeds go – clover, dandelion etc.., there is a simple solution if weeding by hand is just to time-consuming and maddening. the answer – use chemicals. i hope to not ruffle the feathers of staunch eco-friendly “green” people out there – but come on, sometimes you have got to fight fire with fire. i am all for making as little of an impact on the earth as possible, so i advocate using chemical methods only when absolutely necessary.
ok, follow directions below – and no, i am not being paid by ortho. this is not some cheesy advertisement and i did not sell out. this is simply what gets rid of clover very inexpensively in lawns.
broadleaf weed killer and hose end sprayer
pour weed killer into hose end sprayer container
set dial to appropriate amount per gallon
attach hose to sprayer
spray lawn with herbicide
*please follow specific directions for whatever herbicide you decide to buy – remember to be very careful when using chemicals. follow directions on labels, that’s what they are there for.
