A beautiful lawn is truly a work of art that takes a lot of work to achieve. After all the hours you spent spreading seeds, watering the grass, and cutting it in the dead of summer you deserve a spotless, perfectly lush lawn. Unfortunately, weeds have other plans for your yard.
Are you sick & tired of looking out your front window and seeing pesky dandelions, crabgrass, and other weeds ruining your perfect curb appeal? Do you want an easy way to rid yourself of these nuisances to make your lawn the best it can be?
Here are 16 ways to tackle the weeds both naturally and with a little bit of scientific intervention.
16 Ideas To Try On Weeds
1. Pull Them Out
Rip Them Out by the Stem A little old-fashioned elbow grease! One of the simplest ways to get rid of weeds is to pull them out so they can't grow.
Simply grab them as close to the root as you can and pull until you have as much of the perpetrator as possible.
2. Cut Their Tops Off
If you really cant get the whole root, then cut you can cut off as much of the accessible plant as possible.
You mainly want to remove the head so that any seeds are removed and cannot be replanted. Do this with any tool that allows you to get as much of the weed as possible, but try not to spread any seeds.
3. Smother Them
Smother Them If a weed is going to be intruding on your lawn or garden, it will need to grow upwards & outwards.
To solve this, you can smother the plant with materials like newspaper or biodegradable cloth so that they can't poke through the soil and rear their ugly heads.
4. Block Their Light
Block Their Sunlight Like any other plant, weeds need sunlight to grow. Fortunately, in many gardens or tree beds you can easily cover the area around the plants you want with a material like mulch or straw to block sunlight.
This allows your grass or vegetation to grow without fueling the undesirables.
5. Feed Them Sugar
Pour Some Sugar on Them No, we're not singing to you. Adding a little sugar to the weed's roots will lower the nitrogen they have available, causing them to wilt.
6. Spray Them With Citris Juice
Citris Acids are great at killing plants by stripping protective membranes off of their stems.
Mix lemon juice or other citrus juices with a little water and get spraying! Without the coating, they'll dry out in the sun in no time.
7. Make Your Own Weed Killer
A homemade weed killer solution can be made and sprayed on any weeds that pop up.
Mix vinegar, dish soap, and salt together for a solution that strips the membrane on the weed and dries it out so that it dies.
8. Use Cornmeal
Cover Them with Cornmeal If you notice a weed coming in or have a problem area, you can use cornmeal as a preventative to stop the future growth of seeds.
Just scatter it in the area and it'll stop seeds from sprouting into weeds by limiting available nutrients.
9. Cover Them in Oil
Cover Them in Plant-Based Oils If you want a very eco-friendly method, covering weeds in oil is a natural way to kill weeds without damaging the soil they are in.
The oil will block the weed's ability to complete photosynthesis and will cause it to die shortly after.
10. Use Boiling Salt Water
Pour Boiling Salt Water Make sure you wear oven mitts! While many plants thrive in direct sunlight, they don't fare so well when boiling hot water is poured on them!
This option works best for edges of your lawn like the separation from driveway to lawn or dirt bed to lawn.
Simply pour the water onto the weed-filled area and allow the heat and salt to strip the outer membrane and leave them to dry out & die.
11. Pour Vinegar On Them
Drench Them in Vinegar You've probably got a jug of white vinegar sitting around for cleaning, so why not put it to work?
You'll have to be careful because vinegar is notorious for drying out plants, so only spray the vinegar on the weeds to avoid causing damage to your lawn.
12. With Fire!
Kill Them with Fire Probably the most fun option, you can get a "weed torch" that will allow you to singe the weeds just enough to damage & dry them out so they can wither away.
Just hover over the weeds until they begin to wither and then move on. NEVER use this method near dry grass or weeds, as you could start a fire!
13. Use Alcohol
Dry Them Out with Alcohol Plants need water to survive, and alcohol removes water from things (hello, hangover!).
With a mixture of some rubbing alcohol or your favorite vodka and water, you can spray or douse the weeds with your mixture until sufficiently coated and watch them die.
14. With Baking Soda
Sprinkle Baking Soda in Crevices If your weed problems extend into your sidewalk or driveway, sprinkling baking soda will dry the weeds out thanks to the high sodium content.
Be careful though, as it can kill your grass as well!
15. Use Bleach
Pour Bleach into Infested Cracks What can't bleach do? The chemicals in bleach can strip away the protective membrane of dandelions, crabgrass, and more that grows in difficult areas.
It'll kill anything it touches though, so keep it away from anything you want alive (including pets and children!).
16. Use Herbicides
Don't feel like making your own concoction at home?
Fortunately, there are many herbicides to choose from at your local gardening supply store that you can put on your lawns to kill the weeds.
It is important to choose the right chemical, so be sure to consult an expert.
Some (such as Scotts Weed and Feed) even kill weeds AND feed the good grass you want to keep! Click here to learn more.
