# What's the best way to keep my lawn weed-free? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 13, 2013, 12:06am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088 "2013-08-13T00:06:31Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![madrabbitwoman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c37758/32.png) [@madrabbitwoman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madrabbitwoman)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 12:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/21 "2013-08-13T12:31:38Z")
In my family the solution to the problem is concrete and green paint. ---
**Author:** ![SanVito](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sanvito/32/2805_2.png) [@SanVito](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SanVito)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 12:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/22 "2013-08-13T12:41:27Z")
I have found the best way is the old fashioned way - walk around and pull the weeds out by hand. Of course, I only have a small lawn, so YMMV. ---
**Author:** ![Labrador\_Deceiver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/7c8e57/32.png) [@Labrador\_Deceiver](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labrador_Deceiver)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 12:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/23 "2013-08-13T12:42:15Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > **Leaffan** , I was told this by a landscape dept.head in a California city who was explaining my half dead tree, as well as by an arborist. Sorry no written cites. But my tree recovered after I stopped using weed and feed. Broadleaf weed killers that are used in Weed and Feed should not bother the roots of your trees if used in the quantities recommended on the package. If you get some on the leaves of the trees it might kill a couple, but shouldn’t do any significant damage. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 12:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/24 "2013-08-13T12:43:15Z")
[QUOTE=kayT] Leaffan, I was told this by a landscape dept.head in a California city who was explaining my half dead tree, as well as by an arborist. Sorry no written cites. But my tree recovered after I stopped using weed and feed. [/QUOTE] Yep, you don’t want to use a Weed n Feed within the canopy of desirable trees. It should say as much on the package. Much will of course depend on what kind of tree it is but those with a shallow root system can be adversely affected. Application outside the canopy shouldn’t have any effect unless there are drainage issues. > [@ZipperJJ](#): > > Are you keeping it long? Lush thick grass is a good way to choke out weeds. This is my approach and while it may take a bit more effort and time than a chemical application, in the long run your overall yard health will be the better for it. Provide conditions tailored for the optimum health of your turf grass and weeds won’t be able to find purchase within it. If you have shady areas where the grass isn’t growing thick either try a shade tolerant varient or consider a groundcover instead. Also, you might consider an organic approach. I use a corn gluten meal that in addition to providing nutrients also acts as a pre-emergent herbicide. Whole corn meal can provide the nutrients required by microbes that help ward off many turf diseases like brown patch, take-all, etc. I haven’t used a weed n feed in several years and personally I think my yard and certainly the watershed are the better for it. ---
**Author:** ![lieu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/c2a13f/32.png) [@lieu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lieu)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 12:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/25 "2013-08-13T12:52:46Z")
Coupla cites on what to avoid… > **[Dirt Doctor - Library Topics](https://www.dirtdoctor.com/garden/Weed-Feed-Fertilizers_vq1286.htm)** > > Natural Organic Gardening and Living information, advice and recommendations. > **[Herbicide Damage To a Tree. Weed-n-Feed for Your Lawn is Killing Your Trees.](https://www.austintreeexperts.com/blog/herbicide-damage-to-a-tree-weed-n-feed-for-your-lawn-is-killing-your-trees-fertilizer/)** > > Herbicide damage is one of the biggest tree killers I run into. Weed-n-feed products are the number one culprits. If you buy a bag of fertilizer from your local do-it-yourself store make sure that … ---
**Author:** ![WhyNot](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/c77e96/32.png) [@WhyNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WhyNot)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/26 "2013-08-13T13:00:40Z")
Replace your lawn with a dandelion garden. ---
**Author:** ![FairyChatMom](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/fairychatmom/32/21906_2.png) [@FairyChatMom](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FairyChatMom)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 1:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/27 "2013-08-13T13:04:20Z")
Personally, I think it’s a matter of attitude. My attitude is: if it’s green and mowed, it’s lawn. 😃 My spousal unit would prefer a lush expanse of grass, but he’s not willing to pull weeds, etc. so he gets whatever is green and growing. IMHO, life’s to short to fret about the lawn. This attitude was reinforced after leaving the neighborhood with the HOA that did inspections! :eek: ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 2:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/28 "2013-08-13T14:26:12Z")
Walking around and pulling visible weeds frequently will keep them from spreading. When they sodded our lot, they didn’t put down any weed control, and the yard looked terrible after a few weeks. We spent several weekends out there, crawling around for hours, spotting the tiniest weeds and digging them out with screwdrivers. Took forever, but the lawn looked awesome. Some weeds, like dandelions, can resprout from the smallest root fragment, so pulling isn’t effective unless you can get every part of the root. If you have established dandelions, just rip off the flowerheads before they can produce seeds. Do that often enough, and the plant will eventually run out of energy and die. Mowing does help; many weeds can’t stand up to frequent mowing the way grass can, and they’ll eventually be unable to regrow. Also, mowing your grass on the taller side will make it harder for weed seeds to germinate. It doesn’t look “professionally landscaped”, but frankly I prefer it. Basically, keep on top of it. Ripping the weeds out promptly will go a long way. ---
**Author:** ![kayaker](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayaker/32/441_2.png) [@kayaker](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayaker)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 3:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/29 "2013-08-13T15:10:29Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Personally, I think it’s a matter of attitude. My attitude is: if it’s green and mowed, it’s lawn. 😃 Yep. If it looks too good it’ll attract golfers, and who wants that? ---
**Author:** ![Jackmannii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jackmannii/32/311_2.png) [@Jackmannii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jackmannii)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 4:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/30 "2013-08-13T16:33:30Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > My attitude is: if it’s green and mowed, it’s lawn. This works for me too, along with digging up as much lawn as feasible and turning it into garden space. ---
**Author:** ![control-z](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/eada6e/32.png) [@control-z](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/control-z)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 5:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/31 "2013-08-13T17:15:14Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Personally, I think it’s a matter of attitude. My attitude is: if it’s green and mowed, it’s lawn. 😃 > > My spousal unit would prefer a lush expanse of grass, but he’s not willing to pull weeds, etc. so he gets whatever is green and growing. IMHO, life’s to short to fret about the lawn. This attitude was reinforced after leaving the neighborhood with the HOA that did inspections! :eek: That’s exactly how I feel. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 7:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/32 "2013-08-13T19:34:33Z")
> [@Labrador\_Deceiver](#): > > . If you get some on the leaves of the trees it might kill a couple, but shouldn’t do any significant damage. :eek: But he’s a Leaf-fan! D&R ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 7:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/33 "2013-08-13T19:38:00Z")
Down the street there is a guy with artificial turf, which actually looks pretty good, but that is surrender. What kind of weeds? My dandelions are well under control, but the Bermuda grass in the back lawn is awful. I’ve found that weed growth depends strongly on temperature and amount of water. The Bermuda grass is a pain during our dry summers, but dies back in our wet winters. If I screw up the watering schedule I can tell by the types of weeds which grow. \* Man with a bad lawn I mow spring summer and fall If it wasn’t for crab grass I wouldn’t have no grass at all\* ---
**Author:** ![RTFirefly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c77e96/32.png) [@RTFirefly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RTFirefly)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 8:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/34 "2013-08-13T20:19:37Z")
> [@FairyChatMom](#): > > Personally, I think it’s a matter of attitude. My attitude is: if it’s green and mowed, it’s lawn. 😃 That’s my attitude. The reason I want a lawn is so my kid can play on it. He doesn’t give a damn if it’s grass or weeds. When he gets too big to be interested in playing in the yard, I’ll probably plant more shrubbery and stuff to reduce the amount of lawn to mow. Of course, by then, he’ll be mowing it, not me, but only until he goes off to college. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Kenm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/bc79bd/32.png) [@Kenm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kenm)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 8:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/35 "2013-08-13T20:25:22Z")
Is Astroturf, or the same by any other name, illegal in residential areas unless you have two goal posts and a bunch of fat guys sitting on benches drinking beer all day? ---
**Author:** ![Max\_Torque](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/e9bcb4/32.png) [@Max\_Torque](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Max_Torque)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 9:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/36 "2013-08-13T21:01:49Z")
> [@Kenm](#): > > Is Astroturf, or the same by any other name, illegal in residential areas unless you have two goal posts and a bunch of fat guys sitting on benches drinking beer all day? Not as far as I can tell. If you watch those “crasher” type shows on HGTV and DIY, they put those in quite a bit, especially when they do a house in Las Vegas, where watering a lawn is a firing-squad-level offense. The stuff they use is a little fancier than Astroturf, with longer strands of various lengths to make it look more natural. It gets cut to size, then tacked down with long pins, and sand is spread over it and power-brushed in to help weigh it down. I have no idea how you maintain it; a vacuum doesn’t seem right… ---
**Author:** ![Weedy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/weedy/32/301_2.png) [@Weedy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Weedy)\ **Post date:** [August 13, 2013, 9:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/37 "2013-08-13T21:36:26Z")
> [@Max\_Torque](#): > > Not as far as I can tell. If you watch those “crasher” type shows on HGTV and DIY, they put those in quite a bit, especially when they do a house in Las Vegas, where watering a lawn is a firing-squad-level offense. The stuff they use is a little fancier than Astroturf, with longer strands of various lengths to make it look more natural. It gets cut to size, then tacked down with long pins, and sand is spread over it and power-brushed in to help weigh it down. I have no idea how you maintain it; a vacuum doesn’t seem right… I had to vacuum our grass once, when a glass table smashed and spread glass fragments all through it. For the OP, keep the grass growing strongly, so feed, water, mow and aerate regularly. Dandelions in particular are a sign of compacted soil (or so I was taught). ---
**Author:** ![handsomeharry](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/e9c0ed/32.png) [@handsomeharry](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/handsomeharry)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 5:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/38 "2013-08-14T05:03:37Z")
> [@kayT](#): > > Weed and feed products will kill your trees so maybe it’s just as well they’re gone, if they are. Forget the cite…tell me where I can get some! ---
**Author:** ![Northern\_Piper](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/northern_piper/32/5304_2.png) [@Northern\_Piper](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Northern_Piper)\ **Post date:** [August 14, 2013, 1:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088/39 "2013-08-14T13:23:23Z")
> [@jebert](#): > > The main disadvantage, in my opinion, is that it turns brown in winter. My lawn turns white in November and is sometimes not seen again until May: [Game: Guess When the Piper Yard will be Snow-Free!](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/showthread.php?t=689607) [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-best-way-to-keep-my-lawn-weed-free/666088.md?page=1)