Top Tips for Weed Control and Prevention

Nothing puts a damper on summer fun like weeds in your lawn, flowerbeds, or vegetable garden! Find out everything you need to know for a weed-free lawn—from which herbicide to choose to eco-friendly control and prevention ideas to lawn care tips—and the grass will be greener in no time.

Why Control Weeds?

Weeds make lawns and flowerbeds look messy and can even ruin landscaping. They can also prevent ornamental or edible plants from growing properly, or even choke them out! And that’s not all: some weeds can even cause allergies in some people. That’s why it pays to adopt a good routine for controlling unwanted plants. Here are our top tips!

Manually Remove Weeds from Your Lawn

Manually removing weeds on a regular basis may be enough to keep your lawn in good shape. Remember to pull up the weeds by their roots rather than yank out the leaves, as they can regrow if parts of their root system remain. Make sure to weed after a light rain, as the plants will be easier to pull. You can also water your garden or lawn before you start pulling!

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Get Rid of Weeds in 3 Easy Steps Using an Herbicide

Sometimes, a hoe and some elbow grease aren’t enough to get rid of well-established weeds. Here is how you can use herbicides to get your lawn in tip-top shape with only 3 easy steps.

1
Examine Your Lawn

Take a closer look at your lawn to determine which types of weeds are growing. Most treatments are made to target specific weeds.

2
Find the Perfect Treatment

There are herbicides for every type of weed! To help break it down we’ve divided them into 2 categories:

Pre-Emergent: More of a preventive tool, these herbicides are best for weeds that haven’t grown yet. Pre-emergent herbicides create a chemical barrier on the top layer of soil which coats seeds and prevents them from growing roots.
Post-Emergent: Use this herbicide to kill weeds once they’ve germinated and started growing. Post-emergent herbicides are applied directly to the weeds and will kill the plant from the root.

If you notice the lawn browning suddenly, you may have applied too much herbicide. In this case, water the area extensively as soon as possible to dilute the product and keep it from further damaging your lawn.

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Pro Tip

For best results, apply the herbicide in the morning after the dew has dried. If you wait until late afternoon, dew or a shower may prevent maximum absorption. Also make sure the soil is slightly moist before applying the herbicide; if not, simply water the area extensively the day before treatment.

Note that post-emergent herbicides work best when temperatures are between 16-32°C. These higher temperatures cause the plants to absorb the herbicide quickly; if the temperatures are too cool or weather conditions are too cloudy, the product is likely to be ineffective.

3
Kill the Weeds

Apply the treatment to the affected areas following package directions regarding proper clothing, protective equipment, application procedures, and safety precautions. When using herbicides, also make sure you understand which weeds the chemical treats and which desirable plants it may also kill.

Try Using a Homemade Weed Killer

Here are 2 DIY options to get rid of young, newly emerged weeds:

Homemade Weed Killer. Mix 1 L white vinegar, 1 cup water, 1 cup salt, and 1 tbsp liquid dish soap. Fill a spray bottle and spray away!
Boiling Water. Pour boiling water directly on the invasive plants to instantly kill them and make them easy to pull out.

However, make sure to avoid ornamental and edible plants in both cases, as they could also be killed or damaged.

Ensure Proper Lawn Maintenance

Set up a lawn maintenance schedule to keep your lawn weed free. It’s recommended that lawn maintenance is paid attention to all year-round:

Spring: Use pre-emergent treatment and hand pick any weeds.
Summer: Mow your lawn regularly.
Fall: Seed and aerate your lawn.
Winter Prep: Give your lawn a short cut and fertilize treatment.

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Eco-Friendly Weed Prevention Ideas

Transitioning to more environmentally friendly methods takes thought and effort but reaps benefits in the long run. By designing and planting a landscape with certain principles in mind, you can create a yard where the use of chemical products will almost never be called for.

Here are our best tips to create a landscape that can resist weeds and pests on its own, reducing your need for pesticides:

Match Grass and Plants with Growing Conditions. Seek out grass and plant varieties that adapt well to your conditions. If a plant is struggling to stay alive, it will be more likely to be overpowered by weeds.
Mulch, Mulch, Mulch. Adding organic mulch (wood chips, leaves, straws, crushed plant remnants, grass cutting, etc.) around plants is an effective and eco-friendly way for weed control.
Add Ground Cover Plants. By concealing the ground, creeping plants inhibit weed growth.
Fertilize. Help your plants thrive so that weeds don’t have room to grow!
Avoid Bare Spots. Fill unused beds or patches with grass or plants before the weeds have the chance to move in!
Reduce Lawn Space. The greater the lawn, the more herbicides, pesticides, and water you will need to use. This is why a smaller lawn space is more environmentally—and economically—friendly.

Person holding a crabgrass plant with roots

Crabgrass: Your Lawn’s Worst Enemy

Warmer spring temperatures bring your landscape to life. Unfortunately, with warmer temperatures comes tenacious crabgrass. Here’s how to make sure your lawn remains free of crabgrass:

Mowing. Crabgrass requires plenty of light to germinate, so keep the grass as thick and long as possible to create shade near the soil surface. Mow at frequent intervals to keep the grass at a consistent length.
Watering. Make sure your lawn never dries up. In an established lawn, water in long, heavy intervals rather than shallow, frequent ones. Watering on an irregular schedule and only when needed promotes deeper root growth that’s essential to healthy turf grass.
Fertilizing. Fertilize your grass at least once a year, following the package instructions.