I refuse to put chemicals on my lawn. I don’t mind some weeds, and fortunately in my neighborhood most of the houses seem to be the same. Few lawns are golf-course perfect, which is fine with me.
But, last summer, it got to the point in my lawn where there were more weeds than grass. It really started to look really bad (and I have a high tolerance for lawn imperfection), and I came very close to succumbing to the weed killer at the home improvement store.
I already have my mower blades at the highest height I can, and only mow when it gets pretty long.
As we approach the lawn-care season here in the upper Midwest, I wonder if there’s something else I can do to help keep the weeds at acceptable levels without chemicals?
Oh, I am really interested in what folks have to say about this subject. I grew up in the country where what grew, grew. And I live in a neighborhood now that mowing on a somewhat regular basis is all that is expected. I know people who live in the exact opposite of neighborhoods. They have got to be spending a small fortune to have a perfect lawn. I don’t understand what folks are trying to achieve with their lawns? Can someone help me?
There are many different options for lawn care. Some varieties of grass can be raked over instead of mowed and choke out most everything else. Some grasses work better than others, and perhaps a different variety would work better. If you are willing to move away from a grass lawn, there are other options that could work.
The best thing to do is see if some one local could give you a hand. I would look into groups like The Wisconsin Master Gardener program and see if they can suggest something that is more specific to your soil type, climate, drainage, and the lighting that you have on your property.
Different weeds indicate different nutrient defeciiencies in the soil.
Weeds can be used as an index to what your soil needs.
there are books about this and how to feed the soil organically.
That is to say that a weed flourishes as a corrective to the deficiency
and ultimately it can remedy the deficiency.
If you can’t handle it, you need to correct the defect youself.
Spontaneous remedial systems (weeds) can take cycles of many many years to correct defects.
Another reason for to ID the issue and correct it yourself.
Abut this time of year, I go out once every day or two and pop dandelions. I spend half an hour with a thin-bladed knife and pop them out, trying to get at least half the root. I live on a four-lane road with a service road, so not too far from my front yard are two highway medians, which are flush with dandelions.
Beyond that, I don’t do anything. My lot, except for the part right by the service road, is totally wooded. We’re encouraging moss to take over. It’s doing well in the front; the back is taking some effort. Violets also do really well, but I love violets. Back when we lived where there was sun, I also had to pull up crabgrass several times a year.
Some of those lawn weeds are edible. If you have a natural lawn with no poisons you can overcome some of the weeds by consuming them. Plantain is good substitute for spinach, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plantago_major (not to be confused with the Plantain Bananas in subtropcial climates) BTW - It’s also good bee stings.
I don’t know. I think we’ve reached the more weeds than grass stage.
I couldn’t ever consider chemicalizing the yard. Not only do I disapprove of the practice in general, but our area in particular washes right into tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. That doesn’t stop others. I have come, therefore, to see golf green lawns as not-attractive.
I do think what’s going to have to change is our aesthetic. Green all-grass lawns are one of those things like shaven legs. Why do we do it?
(note: I do shave, as nothing appears to be harmed in the process, but I maintain that it’s silly.)
I like the idea that there are edibles among the usual lawn “weeds.” Back when we had gerbils we often gave them chickweed, dandelions,
and violets from the yard.
Frankly, I think it would make more sense if those of us who have lawns divide them up into planting areas and grow useful commodities like veggies, even in the front yard. Although, if there are children, having somewhere to run around is not a bad idea either. But I wouldn’t worry
about weeds.
Pristine lawns against which to display pristine suburban dwellings make no sense.
The corn gluten meal sounds very promising. I’m definitely going to check that out.
I did resort to popping a few of the biggest weeds in the lawn last year, but I’m basically a lazy person when it comes to yardwork and have a hard enough time keeping up with my herb garden and the couple of flower beds I have, so I don’t want too much extra work.
And I don’t know why I didn’t think of checking with UW-Extension and the Master Gardener program folks; I know a couple of people who are Master Gardeners.
If you can afford to have an unsightly lawn for a couple of months, one way to deal with major weed outbreaks is to cover an area with something opaque - and black, if possible. Do it about three weeks from the end of summer, and the lack of light kills off everything growing below, while the heat (black surface+sunlight) bakes a lot of the dormant seeds. Reseed or ideally resod when there’s a few weeks of growing season left, or in the spring as soon as the daytime temps break 10 degrees celsius or 50 degrees fahrenheit, which is the temperature at which grass starts growing. Keep an eye out and pull weeds as soon as possible until the grass is established, and you’re good to go.
Well established grass should be vigorous to out-compete most weeds. When it doesn’t, it’s usually because the grass is under stress. Lack of water can be one stressor, if the invader is more drought-tolerant, and another common cause is junebug grubs eating the grass roots. If your weed patch is in the form of one or several often roughly circular colonies then it could be a grub issue, and you’ll need to get rid of them before anything you do with the weeds or grass can work, long term.
Lawns are a former sign of affluence, now a recepient of effluent. Only the wealthy could afford the maintenance of a large lawn. Then came the rotary mowers, one of the greatest sources of air pollution in NA, and suddenly everybody could have a lawn. They are now one of the greatest sources of surface water pollution in NA. The soils in Wisconsin should generally be able to grow good grass with minimal additions of nutrients. Roguing out weeds is certainly less traumatic on your soil organisms than any chemical solutions including “organic” ones, and if your grass re-establishes in to those former weeded areas you should be able to keep the weeds out. Another important maintenance aspect is your mower. The more frequently you sharpen you blade the healthier your lawn will be. I sharpen my blade before every other cut using a flat file. I disconnect the spark plug, tilt the mower, use a block of wood to stop the blade from turning, remove the blade with a wrench and sharpen. Sharpened blades cut the grass, dull blades tear the grass providing more wounded surface area for pathogens. Dull blades also make the grass less attractive, by creating a yellowish look to your lawn.
I like the concept of the Master Gardener program the the extension services run. The name choice is unfortunate. I work with horticulturalists who often have MSs and Ph.Ds. and at a minimum BSs yet their experience is often overlooked by the general population and the media in favor of the experience of a “Master Gardener.” In my area the extension service only offers the program on week days during the day which excludes a large number of people.
Don’t use Roundup! It will kill the grass as well as the weeds. In fact, don’t use anything. Cut the grass quite low (but avoid scalping the lawn) and leave the cuttings on. If the grass has got very long, at the end of winter for example, it’s OK to collect the clippings once or twice, but aim to leave them on top. Frequent low cutting will get rid of most of the coarser weeds and spare the daisies, speedwells and the rest which are actually very pretty. Leaving the clippings on top encourages earthworms, which aerate and mix the soil and prevent the dreaded (in the UK) moss from getting a foothold. This also recycles organic matter which encourages the free-living nitrogen-fixing bacteria in the soil to increase fertility. Once every couple of years you could fork over the lawn and brush in a generous amount of spent potting compost, if you have such a thing. Do this in spring. Don’t use fertiliser unless you really enjoy cutting your lawn very frequently. My large front lawn looks quite nice and I haven’t used any artificial fertiliser for 22 years.
Fortunately, you’re in Wisconsin, and over in the Dells are farmers who have piles of “black gold”, aka bovine residue, yes, the stuff that makes grass grow green.
And, after adding a fair amount of that to your lawn, your weeds won’t just be “acceptable”, but could be the envy of the entire neighborhood!
My large front lawn looks quite nice and I haven’t used any artificial fertiliser for 22 years.