The Most Effective Ways to Control Weeds

Control Weeds

Most Effective Ways to Control Weeds

Unsightly weeds can kill your lawn’s entire aesthetic. There are two schools of thought on weed control: hit them fast and hard with chemical herbicides or take a more natural, chemical-free approach. We believe that the solution required depends on the nature of the problem and that often a combination of techniques is the best for optimal results.

Below, we list our tried-and-true, most effective ways to control weeds in your Florida lawn. Use these techniques to conquer weeds and bring your lawn to its fullest potential:

Pulling by Hand

It may not be the easiest method, but hand pulling is truly the most effective way to get rid of weeds for good. By pulling up weeds as they sprout, you’ll prevent further pollination and curb the spread of unwanted foliage. No matter what combination of weed-killing tactics you use, hand pulling should be included for best results.

Killing the Lights

Cover up the weeds and deprive them of sunlight to stop growth. This method works well for flower beds or other defined areas where you’d like nothing to grow. You have many choices when deciding what to cover the area with, but many people go with landscape fabric topped with colored mulch.

Raise Your Blades

Cutting your grass at a taller height prevents weeds in two ways:

  • Taller grass will grow a thicker root mat, pushing weeds out and preventing the germination of seeds
  • The taller grass will also block out sunlight to newly germinated weed seeds trying to survive, curbing their growth

Let Sleeping Seeds Lie

There are thousands upon thousands of weed seeds lying dormant in your lawn, just a few inches under the surface, waiting for their day to break through to the light. Don’t give them the chance! By only digging into the ground when it is absolutely necessary, you avoid bringing these sleeping weeds to the surface.

If you must dig, applying a pre-emergent herbicide on the area first can help stop these dormant seeds from germinating.

Try the “Green” Options

Salt, vinegar, Borax, baking soda, boiling water, and even goats! There’s no end to the natural options people swear by for weed control. We’re not going to go through all of them here, as a quick Google search will give you way more information than we could. Most of these remedies are hit or miss at best and may work for one person’s situation, but not another. Nonetheless, it is still fun to see if you’ve got something lying around the house that will fix your weed problem before heading to the store.

Commercial Herbicides

Love or hate them, commercial chemical-based herbicides do their job well. Sometimes a little too well, in fact, as many of them will also kill any grass surrounding the offending weed if sprayed. We recommend commercial herbicides only to kill back the weed population before installing new sod, or in cases where all other methods have failed.