I'm trying to go organic; new to it. Right now, I am completely overrun by weeds. And I mean every different kind of weed I know, and some I don't. I've tried using corn meal, kelp spray, galic tea and some few others, but can someone give me a top 5 things to do on a somewhat limited budget to get my yard up to speed and control the weeds?!?!

Thanks for the help.
David

The first thing is to keep them mowed, assuming there's too much to pull by hand.

Pat - Central TX

Way too many to pull. I pulled for about 1.5 hours, and turned around to a yard still full of weeds. Thanks for the advice.

1. Mow often.
2. Keep in mind that most of the weeds you see now are winter weeds and will soon give way to turf grass and/or die from heat.
3. Use corn gluten in the Fall to control the weeds you see now.
4. Mow often.
5. Learn to appreciate a diverse lawn.

Welcome!

Do a search on the home page for the Basic Organic Program if you havenot already done so.

definition of a "weed": a plant that is out of place.

Know that nature does not like a momoculture.

Mulch all bare soil with at least 4" of cedar or native hardwood mulch, but make sure not to pile up on the base of plants or trees.

Give numbers 1, 2 and 5 some serious consideration

Don't get overwhelmed by your situation. Pull a few weeds each day, and over the season, you may find yourself gaining ground. Don't forget to add the vinegar/orange oil/soap spray solution to your arsenal. Over the many years, I have found that if your are on an organic program, you will need to embrace some "weeds" as a part of your landscape (see #5 above). When they are kept mowed (see #1 above), they just look green.

The best natural control for weeds is to grow great grass. Just treat the landscape as if the weeds weren't there and press on.

The biggest thing you can do to grow great grass is to water properly. When you water deeply and infrequently, the weeds have a very hard time getting established while the grass will thrive. Next is proper mowing. If you have bermuda you need to mow under an inch high. If you have most other grasses, you need to mow at 3-6 inches high. Taller grass shades more of the soil and works wonders for you.

If you are interested in trying to make your yard look more like a monoculture, you might try sowing Dutch white clover seed evenly over the surface. There are lots of advantages I will not go into here. Sorry but it's very late for me.

David

Had a similar situation when I went organic years ago. You can't rush nature. Make certain you have detoxed the area, put down dry molasses, texas greensand, lava sand, compost, etc. and that you water as others have indicated.

Use the vinegar/orange oil on broadleaf weeds. Make certain you use the cornmeal at the proper time next year. Do everything possible to stimulate biological activity. Once we get into the real grass growing season you will be amazed at the steady progress the grasses you want to keep will make against the "weeds".

You can help by seeding or plugging any bare patches and giving them a little extra TLC to encourage them to choke out the weeds.

Keep the faith. You will be amazed at how little you have to do once everything is established in a year or two.

Thanks for all the tips. I just spent about 2 hours weeding and mowing this weekend, and the end appears to be in sight (with a telescope). I'm already planning on corn glutemeal (sp?) for next year, so I won't whine so much.

Thanks again,
David

Don't worry about whineing, just keep asking the questions. That's how we learn.

Go to one of the big box stores and get a Weed Popper. It makes pulling easier, removes a lot of the tap root, and aerates the yard. I have had mine for three years and been pleased. When we moved in, we had a new house with a non-landscaped back yard full of johnson grass, weeds and grass burs. We mowed it down, added the molasses (40 lbs to 1000 square feet), tilled everything under, and planted sod. The next year we had weeds, but not as many. We pulled and did all the organic stuff. This year, we have a few weeds, but not many. Year two it took me 3 hours to do all of the weeds. This year it took me 20 minutes. A dramatic improvement. It just takes time.

Be careful about tilling things under. If you have bermuda grass, you will never get rid of it. It will come up from raised flower beds that are 5 feet tall! It is actually illegal to posess bermuda grass seed in some states!

I hope it is not illegal in Texas. I am goning to try to start a lawn from seed. Yes I know some call bermuda a weed, but I would rather have bermuda weed then grass burs or johnson grass. Plus it should spread fast once it is established.