How best can I improve my lawn without killing the grass along with the weeds?

Question

My lawns suffer from weeds and brown patches where grass is not growing evenly. Can I get rid of the weeds without killing off the grass? There are so many different types of grass seeds on the market. Which would be best suited for the Kansas City area? They're not big lawns, front and back yard. I'm looking for an inexpensive but effective solution to their appearance.

Answer 1

Well, first of all, mow, mow, mow, mow. Most weeds are annuals, and if they don't get a chance to make flowers and re-seed themselves, they won't make new baby weeds.

Even some of the perennials give up if they keep getting chopped off.

You can dig up the brown patches and re-seed, and dig out the really bad weeds by hand. You can go to the county extension agent with pictures of your lawn, and maybe s/he can help you find out what exactly is wrong, and s/he can recommend the best kind of lawn seed for Kansas City.

It would also be a good idea to start chatting with the person who has the best lawn on the block. Watch their lawn and see what they are doing, and make a note of when they do it. Ask them what kind of seed they use, and for other techniques. I'm not sure about the competitiveness of lawn guys, but MOST gardeners are very glad to share their techniques. (-: And if your weeds are drifting seeds into their lawn, they should be MOST happy to give you some pointers.

Good luck!

Answer 2

Weed B Gon by Ortho (about 9 bucks for concentrate that covers 500 square feet) is a great product for killing many different weeds with out killing the grass. I live in the KC area and I use this product all the time. You can purchase the Ortho Sprayer (10 to 15 bucks) that attaches to the hose and has different settings for the amount of chemical to be used. You can treat the whole yard or use it to spot treat. There are many different types of fescues ( I like the thin blade type) and I have had good luck with this type of grass. It is hardy and drought resistant

Answer 3

Any product you get which will differentiate between the weeds and the grass, is going to be fairly nasty. There are no selective weed killers (kill the weeds, yet not the grass) that are organic and organic, or in any different case friendly. in case you employ one - truthfully save your canines off the backyard till the stuff is dry. And if your canines choose to consume grass....i might wait to enable them to into the backyard till the weeds have disappeared.