Can you really maintain a nice green grass lawn...?

Question

without resorting to chemical fertilizers and weed killers?

I have a large back yard that is covered with weeds that may be removable after about 3 days of pulling on hands and knees. If there is no hope of accomplishing a grass lawn without the kind of chemicals I have tried to avoid using, I might as well just MOW 'EM down.

What do you think?

Answer 1

A lot of people ask me how to get rid of weeds because I have a very nice lawn. I tell people to pull them, that's what I do. Everyone wants the easy way out by spraying weed controlling chemicals. And I do spot spray from time to time. If the weeds are easy to pull up and you can get the roots out, pull them and you won't have to waste money on chemicals. Don't fertilze in the winter, there's no need. I'd suggest using a fertilzer 3-4 times a year that's fairly low in nitrogen and high in potash. Potash will thicken the lawn and allow less weeds to penetrate through. Don't over water either, 2 times a week is all you really need unless your going through summertime drought. Good luck.

Answer 2

The secret to a good lawn is healthy grass. If the turf is growing really well there is little or no chance of the weeds getting a spot to grow, particularly if you are growing a running grass.

I agree with the comments on mowing high. Most people seem to mow their lawn low in the mistaken belief that they will need to mow less often. The opposite is true and meanwhile you are weakening the plants and if the summer is hot the grass is getting sunburn and struggling to survive, eventually you will get gaps and this is where the weeds grow.

I don't use a lot of chemicals on my lawn. I water well when it needs it, mow high so the lawn is not stressed and only fertilize once a year. A good idea is to use an organic fertilizer (eg pelleted chicken manure) one year and a chemical fertilizer the next. I never spray for weeds, because I get so few I pull them out by hand.

Answer 3

Water properly (deeply and infrequently), mow high (21/2 -3 " depending on grass type, remove no more than 1/3 of blade), aerate and seed in the fall with quality seed for your area

Answer 4

Try a smoking the weeds after you pull them. Maybe you might want to use the chemicals before you pull them.
I think thoughts.

Answer 5

I put in a winding path in mine and planted flowers and veggies along the path. Added a couple chairs, container planters out of found objects...no need for grass.

Answer 6

it's called synthetic grass