Help! My Lawn Is Nothing but Weeds (How to Fix Your Lawn)

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Taking care of your lawn is important, and you likely want to ensure that your lawn looks the best that it can. As a homeowner, it’s something that you’re going to take pride in, and this can make it annoying when it seems to be full of weeds.

Some homeowners have such significant lawn issues that it seems like their lawns have more weeds than they do grass. In this situation, you might feel like all is lost, but you don’t need to despair.

Keep reading for tips on how you can turn things around. You’ll learn how to effectively get rid of weeds while cultivating the best grass for your lawn that you possibly can.

Getting a beautiful lawn is something that will require effort, but you’re going to get good results if you know what needs to be done. Reading on will give you the chance to change things so that you can finally start being proud of your lawn again.

Determine the Extent of the Problem

The extent of the problem is going to play a role when figuring out what needs to be done. For instance, if your lawn just has a large patch of weeds somewhere, you might be able to dig those weeds up to solve most of your problems.

However, if your lawn is very patchy and seems to have weeds throughout, things are going to be different. Assess the situation to see how bad things really are, and once you have a firm grasp of things, you’ll be able to make the right choices.

A few weeds can be dug up and disposed of without it being that big of an issue. You’ll actually be able to get your lawn back to normal without having to go to great lengths if the weeds seem to be localized to one specific spot, but this might not be the case if you feel that the problem is more severe.

Sometimes the most practical thing to do when your lawn seems to be mostly comprised of weeds is to start over again. Keep reading to get more information about what you can do to get a good lawn again in this scenario.

Figure Out What Type of Weeds You’re Dealing with

You might already know this, but there are quite a few different types of weeds that you could be dealing with. It’s going to be better for you to try to determine what types are present before you make decisions about what to do.

Below you’ll find some specific information about weed types so that you can figure things out fast. So long as you can take the time to observe them, you should be able to determine what you’re dealing with.

Broadleaf Weeds

Broadleaf weeds are very common and they are characterized by their broad and flat leaves. There are many different subcategories when it comes to these weeds, and many of them you’re probably very familiar with already.

For example, dandelions are considered to be broadleaf weeds, and so are clovers that you might find in the ground. Ground ivy and chickweed will also fall under this category, and that is why this is very likely going to be what you’re dealing with.

Grass-Like Weeds

There are also grass-like weeds that will look really similar to grass, but they’re going to have hollow triangular or tube-shaped leaves. Some people don’t notice these types of weeds at first because they just assume that they are part of the grass until they inspect things further.

The common types of weeds that are associated with this style are wild onion, wild garlic, and nutsedge. When you look at things closely, you’re going to be able to tell that you’re dealing with weeds.

Grassy Weeds

Don’t be confused by the naming convention because this weed category is distinct from the one above. Grassy weeds are considered to be weeds that appear to be like grass, and they also happen to grow one leaf at a time.

Your common types of weeds that will be under this banner include crabgrass, quackgrass, annual bluegrass, and foxtail. It should be pretty simple to pick these types of weeds out since they are quite distinct.

Further Differences Between Weed Types

It’s also worth noting that there are further differences between weed types to be aware of. You can classify weeds in three different categories known as annual, perennial, and biennial.

Annual weeds are only going to produce seeds during one season while biennials will produce seeds two seasons in a row. Perennials are going to be capable of producing seeds for many seasons.

Find the Proper Herbicide to Use

Next, you’re going to be able to use the information that you gathered to find the proper herbicide to treat your lawn with. Generally, you’re going to be choosing the herbicide based on the types of weeds that you want to kill as well as what part of the life cycle the weeds appear to be at.

Get specific information about the weeds in your yard so that you can find the perfect herbicide to take care of things. It might be useful to consult with an expert so that you can get exactly what you need without it being a big hassle.

You can buy either pre-emergent herbicides or post-emergent herbicides. Pre-emergent herbicides will work to kill weeds before they pop up while post-emergent herbicides will be used to kill the ones that are already present in your lawn.

The only problem with this is that herbicides are generally going to kill the other plant life in the area as well. This is why it’s usually best to start over from scratch with your lawn because your lawn is likely going to get killed off by the herbicide as well.

Just be prepared for this so that you can get ready to deal with the consequences. When your yard is just full of weeds, this is really going to be the only way to try to get your lawn back to normal.

Remember to apply the herbicide just as instructed so that you can get the best results. If you’re uncomfortable doing this, you can always call lawn care specialists to do things for you.

The right product needs to be applied at the right time so that you can get the results that you are looking for. It’s even important to consider forecast information since you don’t want the rain to wash everything away the next day.

Wait to Plant Seeds Until the Time Is Right

Now that you have killed the weeds in your yard, it’s going to be time to plant fresh grass seeds so that you can truly start over. The important thing to remember here is that you must be patient because you can’t just start seeding the new lawn right away.

How soon you’re going to be able to start seeding will depend on what type of herbicide you used on the lawn area. Those who used pre-emergent herbicides will need to wait quite some time because that weed killer will also kill grass seeds.

It’s likely that you might have to wait as long as four weeks before you will be able to plant your grass seeds. This might seem like a very long wait, but it’s going to be necessary to ensure that things work out perfectly.

Once the four weeks are up, it’s going to be possible to start seeding things. You should have a good experience so long as you’ve waited things out and followed instructions properly to this point.

Remember to Rake and Till

It’s also going to be necessary to rake and till to get things ready for the new lawn. The weeds that you killed with the herbicide should eventually turn brown and die off, and this is the time where you need to rake things over.

Get your rake out and try to rake away as many of the weeds from the area as you can. You should also be able to utilize a tilling fork to pull out extra weeds so that you can start preparing the soil.

Soil Aeration

Soil aeration is going to be a crucial step that you must take seriously as well. The basic benefit of aerating your lawn is that it will break up the thatch so that your lawn will be more resilient overall.

Thatch can make it so that your lawn will be able to stand up to temperature changes much better, but it can become problematic when it gets too thick. It winds up causing root damage if it gets overly thick, and this can even lead to root rot issues.

Thankfully, soil aeration is pretty easy to accomplish using a standard rake and tiller. If things are particularly bad with the thatch, you might need a specific thatching rake to get the job done.

Your lawn will benefit from the aeration process in so many ways. It’s going to make it so that the roots of your grass get better access to the nutrients, water, and air that they need to thrive.

Sod vs. Grass Seed

Now that you have prepared things properly, it’s going to be time to make a very important decision. You could go along with what has already been mentioned and just plant some grass seeds, or you could decide to install sod instead.

There are going to be benefits and setbacks associated with each of these options. If you don’t truly have a lawn right now, then installing sod might be very appealing, but you must consider all factors before coming to an ultimate conclusion.

Sod

Sod is great if you had to kill off your lawn with herbicide because it allows you to have grass again very fast. When you choose to install sod, it’s going to give you an instant lawn that you can start enjoying very quickly.

The downside to this is that sod is going to be pretty expensive to install overall. There also won’t be as many choices when you’re buying sod.

Those who want to have a healthy and strong lawn might be better off with planting grass seeds, but it’s hard to deny the appeal of sod. Buying sod can be a very good experience, but it depends on how much money you have to work with overall.

Grass Seeds

Grass seeds will likely be the more practical option for most people because it is more budget-conscious. Also, it’s going to give you access to a greater variety of grass strains.

You’ll be able to choose from many different types of grass so that you can find the one that will be perfect for your property. If you are patient enough, this is the way to go because it will lead to a healthy and strong lawn in the future.

However, it’s important to understand that the germination process takes time. You can also only lay certain types of grass seed during particular times of the year which will limit what you can do.

Plant Seeds or Install Sod

Now is the time to go through with planting your grass seeds or installing sod. Overall, this process shouldn’t be difficult, but installing sod is a lot more involved in some ways.

The basic steps of installing sod are easy to understand, but it can be a bit of a time-consuming process. This is why many people call in professionals to get this job done so that they can get it finished efficiently.

If you don’t have a lot of time to dedicate to projects like this, it might be beneficial to call in a lawn care company to do the work. It’s certainly possible to install sod on your own, though, but it’ll just depend on if you want to take the time to do it on your own.

Laying down grass seed will be a simple process that you won’t need a lot of advice for. You just need to ensure that you lay down grass seed during the right time of the year based on the type of grass that you have decided to grow.

The region of the world that you live in also plays a role in when you should plant grass seeds. This means that you need specific local information about things to determine the optimal time to get started.

Seeding your lawn involves laying down one inch of topsoil and then spreading the seed on that soil using a spreader. It’s best to try to spread 15 seeds for each square inch that you’re trying to seed.

If you’re concerned about getting things right, you can always call in the experts. Otherwise, just move forward with confidence and try to pay attention to the details so that you can seed your new lawn correctly.

Water Your Lawn

If you want to help your lawn to grow, it’s going to be a good idea to pay attention to its watering needs. Those who take the time to water their lawns deeply will help them to grow deeper roots, and this can lead to a stronger lawn overall.

Most experts say that it’s good to water your lawn twice per week, but this will depend on whether it has been raining in your area or not. Generally, it’s going to be best to water the lawn in the morning before it has been able to get too hot.

On average, a lawn is going to need about one and a half inches of water each week. You might need to water your lawn less if you live in a region that gets a lot of rainfall, and this means that looking up specific local information might be beneficial.

It’s just good to be proactive about watering your lawn so that you can get it to grow as strong as it can. This can help your lawn to thrive so that you won’t have to deal with problems like your lawn becoming patchy in the future.

Learn About Good Lawn Maintenance Practices

Finally, it’s going to be imperative to learn about good lawn maintenance practices so that you won’t have issues with weeds later on. There are lots of things that you can do to care for your lawn to keep it as healthy as it can be.

You already know about watering the lawn and how that helps, but it’s also good to give your lawn fertilizer from time to time. Giving your lawn a bit of fertilizer once or twice during the spring or summer could help it to stay as vibrant as possible.

Stronger grass isn’t going to be so easy for weeds to thrive in, and your lawn needs to remain strong to keep up its defenses. What you can do is give it water and fertilizer so that it has the nutrients that it needs to thrive.

You also need to try to mow your lawn properly so that it can stay healthy. Mowing your lawn too low is actually going to be very bad for it, and this means that you might have to adjust your mower.

Most lawn care experts say that it’s wise to mow your lawn using the highest or second-highest setting on your mower. Keep this in mind so that you can help your lawn to stay strong in the years to come.

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