lawn weeds

[porthos]

i have about .8 of a acre that i cut. many many weeds. i will not put poison on my lawn. any suggestions. what about "milky spore"??

[Winger Ed.]

Mow them before they go to seed.

That's not a cure, but it sure helps.
Next season, there won't be nearly as many.

If you can do it, get a goat or two.
They pretty much prefer weeds over grass.
Years ago we had a pigmy goat. It was the most cool pet we ever had,
and it ate weeds in the yard, and the shrubs.

[gwpercle]

The Red Dragon Torch Kit , a fun weed removal tool, propane powered weed killing torch that ends up being way too much fun. Think mini flame thrower...that's right ...you get to burn those pesky weeds into complete submission . Place the head over a pesky weed and fire up 2000 degrees F. of heat , they won't come back....if the do..get out the flame thrower !
No pesticides or poisons required , all natural and all fun...keep a fire extinguisher handy in case you get carried away !
Also useful for melting ice and snow from concrete steps and walks , frozen water pipes , toasting weenies and marshmallows...just so many uses .
Gary

[shortlegs]

Good ole vinegar will kill as will as "roundup". Not harmful to the environment or you either!

[Rattlesnake Charlie]

Use your leftover dill pickle juice too. Drawback: It kills grass too.

[woodbutcher]

[smilie=s: Scotts Weed and Feed.Only had to use it one time.Never had a weed problem again.
Good luck.Have fun.Be safe.
Leo

[Geezer in NH]

Milky spore is for getting rid of Japanese beetles and tater bug beetles. Wont help weed problem unless you think the beetles will do it.

[bikerbeans]

I have a torch I bought 20 years ago for shrinking protective wraps on sewer manholes and inlets. It kills weeds great but there is a lot of "colleratal damage". Way to big a flame for residential use.

BB

[JonB_in_Glencoe]

Let the Lawn flowers be and our pollinators will thank you.

[OldBearHair]

Good ole vinegar will kill as will as "roundup". Not harmful to the environment or you either! Na,nah shortlegs , you are supposed to drink that dill pickle juice to keep you from having leg cramps. Well,, it really works and fast.

[OldBearHair]

Na,nah shortlegs , you are supposed to drink that dill pickle juice to keep you from having leg cramps. Well,, it really works and fast.

Wrong post chosen . Was not shortlegs . I t was Rattlesnake Charlie's post.

[Thundarstick]

It doesn't say where you're from, cold weather grass, or warm weather grass? What kind of weeds, and why do you want them gone? Personally, the only weeds I fight are nut sedge, crab grass, and Virginia button weed, in mixed grass, I actually plant white clover in mine. I wouldn't fight those if they didn't die back in winter and leave bare ground for my dogs to turn to mud. I'm not scared of herbicides, (technically anything that kills weeds is poison), but as stated, vinegar and salt kills to the ground, heat works, and I've read borax works as well by overdosing the plant with boron. If your looking for a golf green in an organic package, good luck!

ps. The only difference between a weed and a flower is were they grow.

[farmerjim]

Spend all of your daylight hours pulling weeds for the rest of your life. That will help reduce the number of them in your yard, but will never eliminate them.
My chemical weed control professor said that a weed is just a plant out of place. Essentially what Thundarstick said.

[Silvercreek Farmer]

I planted zoyzia grass. It chokes out most of the weeds.

[lightman]

Chemicals are not a bad thing if you use some common sense and follow the label's directions. I would ID the weeds that I wanted gone and choose the correct chemical for the job.

[Wayne Smith]

As stated Milky Spore is for grubs. It infests them and kills them. It also depends on the weeds and the growing area. Here in Southern VA I have Condederate Violets (the white flower ones) in my front lawn and have not found anytihing that kills them but not the grass. Broad leaf weed killers knock them back but in two years they are back full force. Thats the best I have done.

[owejia]

My wife calls them wild flowers, I call them noxious weeds.

[frkelly74]

I vote for the goats... and the bees. My wife was on a kick for a while of tearing up grass/weeds and putting in flower beds to save on the mowing. I did not go along quietly as I should have I guess. Mowing was easy compared to tending the flowers, especially when the beds get full of leaves in the fall, Plus you have to mow around all the obstacles. Bah Humbug

[willowbend]

Fence it in and get two big'ole Lab dogs. It will look like the surface of the moon in a week or so. lol

[Hossfly]

A stalk of corn in a pea patch is a weed.

[gnostic]

I'm thinking of going with the torch, I'd mow the weeds and burn what's left. Does that kill the roots as well? I'm in high country Co. and the weeds are out of control. I'll stop at the fire department on the way home to see if burning is a practical idea...

I'm considering having a deck built on the back of the house that would be 10'x60' and with what's left of the backyard, I'd plant Aspen and Pine trees. The problem is, we get about 3' of snow accumulating over the winter, I'd have to shovel the deck clear every couple days. Owning a home has become a full time job...

[porthos]

i'll continue to mow the weeds before i put "chemicals" (poison) on my lawn!

[Froogal]

I tried the salt and vinegar trick on a very weedy gravel driveway. Made the driveway smell like pickles. The weeds LIKED it. I gave up and used a commercially available chemical. THAT worked. Used according to instructions, weed killers are safe.

[Handloader109]

Goats, but only if you have NO roses that you want to keep.....

[gwpercle]

i'll continue to mow the weeds before i put "chemicals" (poison) on my lawn!
The Original Red Dragon Weed Killer Torch Kit can be had at wally mart for $60.00 , no chemicals whatsoever and it works !

[MaryB]

If I killed the weeds in my lawn 80% of my lawn would be bare dirt LOL when I bought this house it had sat empty for 20 years, the "lawn" was 10' tall... had a neighbor with a tractor and a brush cutter go over it twice...

[Thundarstick]

i'll continue to mow the weeds before i put "chemicals" (poison) on my lawn!

You probably have no idea what a self fulfilling prophecy you just made there!:violin:

[William Yanda]

Our lot is 1 Acre +. The most objectionable weeds in my view are those which; A) shade out a 6 inch or so patch of grass , and B) are deep rooted and continue to grow when the grass has gone brown for lack of water. I used a round pointed shovel or equivalent to fight dandelions, chicory and broad leaf and narrow leaf plantain. All of these are allegedly edible. Some object to clover in the lawn, but I don't. At my house it does not choke out the grass, but because it is deep rooted, it remains green in late summer-if the yard doesn't get mowed too low. The war against dandelions commenced first and they are still present but I no longer dig up inch thick roots! Chicory is down to an occasional plant instead of dozens and again I no longer find roots thicker than my thumb. I found with both of them that I had to go deep. If I just sliced the plant off at the surface, it came back with two or more heads rather than one. The war against snakehead/narrow leaf plantain, commenced last year. Those I sliced off at the surface. Those who survived are far less numerous and much weaker this year.
It may be a fruitless battle, but it gives me something to do in my retirement and its harmless except when I dig up plants and leave them in the lawn to be chopped up at the next mowing. SWMBO objects.