How to Choke Out Lawn Weeds

Weeds not only interfere with the aesthetics of a lush, green, neatly manicured lawn, but they also rob the grass of nutrients and compete for the lawn's root and growing space. Among the ways to control weeds is to yank them out by hand or to use a selective herbicide that will only attack certain types of weeds while leaving the lawn grass alone. The easiest and most environmentally friendly way to control weeds, however, is to allow your lawn to choke them out.

Lawn mower

Mow at the right height for your lawn. For recommended heights for various types of grass, visit the Seedland website. Keeping the lawn at its optimum height keeps weeds shaded and deprived of the sunlight they need to thrive. Most common types of grass top out at about 3 inches, which is short enough to give your lawn that neatly manicured look but still tall enough to shade out most weeds. A good bet is to adjust your lawn mower to its highest height setting.

Mow often, at least once a week. When you mow your lawn, you also remove the flowering seed parts of many weeds, making it harder for them to reproduce. As the Rich Soil website says, the sensitive growing point for grass is near the soil, while the sensitive growing point for most weeds is near the top of the plant.

Fertilize your lawn with an organic, liquid fertilizer with a high nitrogen content, such as 3-1-2. Nitrogen promotes leaf growth and will help you grow a lush, dense lawn that literally chokes weeds out of existence. Weeds tend to thrive in underfertilized lawns.

Water deeply. A dry lawn is a weak lawn, and a weak lawn that struggles because it's not getting enough water is a prime candidate for weed infestation.

Aerate the lawn to give air and water access to the roots.

You might want to help your lawn along by applying a weed-and-feed fertilizer that attacks certain types of weeds, such as broad-leaf plants like dandelions or crabgrass, while leaving the lawn grass alone and even nurturing it.