Lawn Weeds

Why do we get weeds in lawns & turf

The best prevention for lawn weeds is to maintain a healthy lawn with a tight sward to stop weeds spreading. Weeds do not like to compete with healthy grass, therefore by keeping your lawn in optimum condition by good cultural practices you should avoid most lawn weed problems.

These practices include correct nutrition, a sensible height of cut, water during drought and a sensible cutting height.

Identification of lawn & turf weeds

Because there are many types of lawn weeds we need to be sure that we have identified the weed correctly so we can use the correct control methods. Please see our lawn weeds identification page which covers most turf weeds found in the UK as well as information for identification and control.

Weed control

A knapsack sprayer is ideal for the application of weed killers on most types and sizes of garden lawn

Once we have identified our weeds we can then decide the best way of controlling them. If we have only a few weeds, hand weeding may be the best policy, this would be ideal for weeds like buttercups, plantains, dandelions and buttercups etc.

However certain weeds like clover or trefoil may prove more troublesome to remove by hand and would need chemical control. If there were only a small number of weeds they could be spot treated instead of treating the whole area.

Aerosols can be purchased from garden centres for this purpose. Alternatively a selective weed killer could be mixed and applied by a hand sprayer.

If we have a large weed invasion, chemical control is really the only option to achieve satisfactory control. Again weed killers can be purchased from the garden center which can be mixed with water and applied through a watering can or ideally a sprayer.

It is important that you follow the manufacturers health and safety guidelines as well as the application instruction. Alternatively you may want to employ an expert to control the weeds for you.

There are many lawn care specialists to choose from these days and they should have the relevant pesticide application certificate to apply chemicals.

Types of selective weed killer

There are two main types of selective weed killer, granular and liquid. Both are effective ways of controlling weed in the lawn.

• Granular - This method is the most popular way of treating weeds in the lawn. This is because most granular weed killers contain a fertiliser (weed and feed). A weed and feed type product is ideal if the whole lawn is to be treated. It is not really suitable for spot treatment as the fertiliser would encourage growth in only the treated areas. If no rain falls after the application it will need watering in, however always follow the manufacturers recommendations.
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• Liquid - This is the quickest method of killing weeds on the lawn. If you choose this method the lawn should be fertilised at least a week before the application for the best results. Do not apply liquid fertilisers when rain is imminent as this can reduce the effectiveness. Liquid weed killers are also available in aerosols which are ideal for spot treatment.

When and how to apply selective weedkillers

For the best result do not mow the grass for 3 days before and 3 days after the application.

By not mowing for 3 days will help leave a large leaf on the weed which will leave a large area for the chemical to stick.

By leaving a further 3 days after application will ensure that the chemical travels through the leaf into the plant and into the roots.

This ensures an effective kill of the weed.

As we have already stated this operation is best carried out during a period of strong growth preferably in the early summer. Do not apply liquid weed killers when rain is imminent as this will only wash the chemical off the leaf of the weed therefore reducing the effectiveness.

However there are granular weed and feed products on the market and these would require some irrigation after application.

At all times follow the manufactures health and safety guidelines and application instructions for the best results.