Things You'll Need:
- Lawn fertilizer
- Dandelion removal tool
- Post-emergence herbicide
- Pre-emergence herbicide
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Step 1
Fertilize your lawn effectively to crowd out weeds before they sprout. Follow the directions on the fertilizer package to get the right balance for your yard. Too little and your lawn will be sparse and allow weeds to thrive; too much and unwanted weeds like crabgrass will flourish.
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Step 2
Water your lawn infrequently with deep soakings. Your lawn needs about one inch of water per week. Frequent light lawn watering leads to shallow roots which helps many annual weeds germinate.
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Step 3
Get a dandelion removal tool to ensure that you get the entire root out of the ground. Once you've removed the roots, reseed the holes with grass seed to prevent new weeds from taking root.
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Step 4
Hand-pull weeds while they're young if your lawn is small enough. This is the most effective way to correct a weed problem before it gets out of hand.
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Step 5
Use herbicides only as a last resort. If you need to use an herbicide, choose a post-emergence systemic selective version. Selective herbicides will only kill certain weeds while preserving your grass rather than killing any plant they come in contact with.
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Step 6
Use a non-selective herbicide to spot-treat resistant weeds only and avoid spraying the lawn surrounding the weed as much as possible.
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Step 7
Apply a pre-emergence herbicide twice a year. Pre-emergence herbicides kill certain weeds before they sprout.
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Step 8
Dig out areas of your lawn that have been completely taken over by weeds and start over. Determine what factors may have caused the weed takeover to begin with such as using the wrong kind of turf grass for your region or improper irrigation, fertilization or mowing. Remove and destroy the existing weeds, work the soil, remove weed debris, add soil amendments and fertilizer and them level and firm the area. Irrigate and patch with sod, seed or plugs.
