Is your garage or garden shed a repository of dozens of half-used bottles of products you purchased for your yard? Advertising in the lawn products industry has made it clear that they believe there is a spray for just about any complaint we have about our lawn. The fact of the matter is that we will quite often find ourselves inundated with shelves of weed killers and pesticides.
By no means am I saying that these lawn care products are not efficacious, because more than likely, they will do what they say. It is just that you still need to decide for yourself if using such a variety of products is the best economical or environmentally responsible way to handle these lawn problems. If you have a plan for possible emerging problems, you may be able to be wiser in the use of these products and not clutter up your life and space with so many chemicals.
First let’s look at the problem of weeds. There are two reasons for controlling weeds in your yard. First, weeds are undesirable because of the way they look. We do not want our yards to look like urban blight. Secondly, weeds are undesirable because they inhibit the growth of the grasses we do desire. They rob the desirable grasses of water resources, soil nutrients and sun.
The method that the lawn products industry would have you use is to kill them with chemicals. The way broadleaf weed killers work is to cause the weeds to wither and eventually die. As a result there will be space around the healthy grass to allow it to spread and grow. The downside to spraying liquid weed killer on the lawn is the possibility of damage to tree roots. You must also take care to avoid the root systems of flowers and perennials and any other desirable non-grass plants in your vicinity.
A better way to deal with a problem is to prevent it in the first place. As part of your lawn care schedule you should apply a pre-emergent product in the early fall and also in the late winter. This should be a product that does not kill weeds but prevents their germination while they are still dormant in the soil. By preventing a weed from developing into a full-grown plant, your grass will have plenty of room to expand into the soil. You will not need to use as much fertilizer. This is the smarter way to weed control: an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.
Another way to prevent weeds is to keep your lawn on a regular mowing schedule. By keeping certain weeds from getting tall, it can forestall their reproduction cycle. Looking at the particular weed varieties you have may also give you a clue about what types of fortification your soil could use. Seek the advice of your local plant nursery or a neighbor with a great-looking lawn. You may still need to use a chemical solution on occasion, but you never know. You may just find the right combination of wisdom to circumvent a proliferation of chemicals in your garage.
