There’s no doubt that one of the worst nightmares for your lawn is weeds. When allowed to run rampant, they can make your lawn look unsightly and even pose a dangerous risk to your pets when ingested. We will share some of our best springtime tips for controlling weeds in your lawn.
Be Mindful of Soil Temperature
One great place to start is understanding the soil temperature and how that affects weed germination and growth. When the soil temperature reaches 50 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, it can foster the perfect environment for weed growth. The weeds will emerge from the soil after about a week of 50-degree temperatures. This means they’re starting to take away essential nutrients from your lawn. It can be helpful to get a lawn probe that will tell you the temperature of the soil.
Pre-Emergent Herbicide
One preventative weed control method that will help stop the germination of weeds in your soil is applying a pre-emergent herbicide. The trick is that timing is everything when applying this herbicide. You don’t want to use it too early when the soil isn’t warm enough, as it will eventually not be effective.
It’s best to wait until the soil temperature has reached 50 degrees for a couple of days before you apply this pre-emergent herbicide. You don’t want to wait much longer than a couple of days, as this type of herbicide will not be effective after the weeds have already begun to grow. If you start seeing weeds in your lawn, applying a pre-emergent herbicide is likely too late.
Use Good Mowing Practices
Adequate sunlight is essential for weeds to thrive in your lawn. One of the best ways to prevent them from getting this sunlight is to crowd them out with your existing lawn. You must also be mindful of your mowing practices, especially early in the season.
Be sure to set your mower at its highest during the first few months of the season, as you don’t want to take too much of the grass blade off. Once the growth of your grass starts to thrive as the weather heats up, be sure that you keep up with weekly mowing and aim to remove about one-third of the grass blade.
Dethatch and Aerate Your Lawn
To help ensure that your grass grows quickly and strong enough to crowd out those weeds, there are a couple of things that you want to do early on in the spring season. One of the first is to remove any thatch on your lawn, as it can keep too much water on the surface and lead to fungal issues. It can also shade out opportunities for new seedling growth.
Next, opt for aerating your soil to boost all the roots to get the moisture and nutrients they need to grow strong. Aerators pull small plugs of earth out of the ground to help the remaining turf expand. Aeration takes compacted soil and allows water to drain and the soil to make room for new roots. Additionally, you’ll want to overseed your lawn to bring new growth and apply a a good boosting fertilizer to get that initial spurt out of your lawn.
Treat Lawn Diseases
One of the biggest problems your lawn will face is disease. Coming out of the winter season, your lawn may have moss or fungal issues. Addressing these problems as early as possible is vital to minimize the damage they cause. Experts will look at the condition of the lawn and why it’s susceptible to disease. This may be due to environmental factors like shade or poor drainage.
The longer these diseases are allowed to continue, the more damaging they will be to your grass. Damaged grass isn’t very effective at crowding out weeds. It can be helpful to have one of our lawn care professionals assess your lawn to detect any potential diseases and treat them effectively early in the spring season.
Crush Pest Activity Early On
Pest activity can be a real problem for your lawn. It can undermine grass growth and change the pH level of your soil. Anything that minimizes grass growth can create the perfect environment for weeds to take over. If you currently have pest activity or know that your lawn typically deals with pests throughout the spring and summer, it’s best to get professional treatment early on.
Irrigate Correctly
Irrigation is one of those things that most homeowners tend to get wrong when it comes to their lawns. The idea that you must frequently water your lawn only holds at the beginning of the season. When you reseed your lawn, it needs daily light watering to have consistent moisture for germination. However, once that seed grows into grass, around 3-4 inches in height, it’s time to change your watering practices.
You’ll want to switch to infrequent deep watering. This helps to encourage healthy root growth and prevent roots from being overly shallow. It’s essential to foster deep roots for all your grass to crowd out any weed species that develop. Watering frequently will encourage shallow root growth and allow weeds to take over your lawn, as their roots can thrive at deeper levels in the soil.
Keep Up With Hand Weeding
While it may not sound glamorous, hand weeding can significantly control weeds in your lawn. You only want to hand weed throughout the spring and summer once you have established your lawn and put in other weed control measures. There should only be an occasional weed from time to time that you can take care of by pulling it up.
Be sure to get the entire taproot so that the weed can’t produce further tubers or rhizomes underneath the soil. A fishtail weeder or dandelion fork can be extremely useful when dealing with a reasonably thick taproot. Be sure to dispose of the weed correctly to eliminate any reseeding that could occur. Weeds should be put away in plastic so the wind cannot spread seeds.
Seek Professional Assistance
When it comes to curbing weed problems with your lawn before the spring season ramps up into summer, seeking professional assistance can be extremely helpful. Our lawn care team is highly knowledgeable in treating and preventing weed problems. We can also tell you if you have the optimal grass species for the level of light, moisture, and activity that your yard receives.
If you don’t want to deal with weeds in your lawn, you can rely on us to take all the necessary maintenance and control measures to stop them in their tracks. This is great for those who don’t want to invest the time or effort in trying their weed control measures.
Exceptional Weed Control Service
Lawn Squad® offers exceptional weed control services in the Columbus, OH, area. We can also assist with all your pest control, lawn aeration, overseeding, fertilization, and tree and shrub care needs. Contact our team for lawn services, today!
