Killing weeds, have dogs...?

Question

I'm looking for a good solution to put on on the lawn in order to get rid of as much of the weeds as possible, but can't use any type of chemicals, as my dogs occupy the area. Any successful homemade ideas out there?! Thanks

Answer 1

I used to apply chemicals for customers that had dogs. As soon as the product was dry, it was safe for pets and children to walk on.

Could you block off part of your yard, and do sections at a time? That may make you feel more comfortable using chemicals, if you could give it a few days before your dogs walked on it.

I don't know of anything else that will effectively kill weeds. Sorry!

Answer 2

If you're a purist when it comes to your lawn, you won't like this idea but my husband and I decided to seed with white dutch clover. It used to be a part of lawns big time until the herbicides and pesticides became a big deal in the 50's.......... clover:

fixes nitrogen in the soil so you don't have to fertilize.
reduces the amount of mowing you have to do
reduces the amount of watering (only once a week give or take depending on where you live)
It draws beneficial insects that can control your lawn pests
It improves your soil since it's roots go deep...
it draws honeybees, which don't generally sting away from the hive, unless you step on them barefoot... and the bees can help with your garden if you have one....
and last but not least - clover crowds out weeds in a big way!
We haven't had to spray any kind of weed killer in the last 2 years, which is good because weed killer would kill the clover! White dutch clover tends to be inexpensive to get for over-seeding, which makes all the savings in time and energy worth it. Goodluck!

Answer 3

Vinegar...works wonders!

Just put it into a spray bottle and spray the offending weeds(may take a few applications on pesty strong weeds)...Hot water works as well but is harder to control as a spray bottle gets cold too quick and pouring it effectively can be tricky.

Although many of the sprays out there say they are "safe" to animals after they are dry...this is not a proven fact,,,I have seen dogs still be effected(dry bleeding paws,,,liver failure...etc)

Answer 4

If there are only a few weeds, you could try pouring boiling water on them. But if weeds are a huge problem, you might do better to reseed your lawn and crowd the weeds out.

Answer 5

Put your dogs inside or board them a few days and then spray.

You can also pull weeds by hand.