Forget you even have weeds. Follow the suggestions here for growing great grass and most of the weeds will not survive. First read the FAQ at the top of the Lawns forum. Then follow the following three steps.
1. Water deeply and infrequently. Deeply means at least an hour in every zone, all at once. Infrequently means monthly during the cool months and no more than weekly during the hottest part of summer. If your grass looks dry before the month/week is up, water longer next time. Deep watering grows deep, drought resistant roots. Infrequent watering allows the top layer of soil to dry completely which kills off many shallow rooted weeds.
2. Mow at the highest setting on your mower. Most grasses are the most dense when mowed tall. Bermuda, centipede, and bent grasses are the most dense when mowed at the lowest setting on your mower. Dense grass shades out weeds and uses less water when tall. Dense grass feeds the deep roots you're developing in 1 above.
3. Fertilize regularly. I fertilize 4 times per year using organic fertilizer. Which fertilizer you use is much less important than numbers 1 and 2 above.
When the Captain suggests, "lots of compost," what he means is no more than 1 cubic yard per 1,000 square feet. I've seen a bermuda lawn smothered for 18 months by an overdose of 3 cubic yards per 1,000 square feet. And by lots of corn meal, he means 10-20 pounds or more per 1,000 square feet.
_________________ David Hall Moderator Dirt Doctor Lawns Forum
|