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Lawn overgrowing with weeds!!
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Author:  kcw983 [ Fri Mar 16, 2012 3:23 pm ]
Post subject:  Lawn overgrowing with weeds!!
I have been trying the organic approach for a year on our lawn and it was going great until this spring. We have had an outbreak of weeds in our back yard. We have a large 1/2 acre back yard and cannot begin to pull all of the weeds. We are looking for a way to rid the yard of the weeds. We fertilize with 40 lbs. soy bean meal per 1000 sq. ft. once per month, and water heavy once per week. What type of weeds do we have and how do we get rid of them??

We have Bermuda grass.

It is a little hard to see in the pics, but the yard is covered with the spiney weeds. There are probably 1000's of them.

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Author:  northwesterner [ Fri Mar 16, 2012 6:56 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lawn overgrowing with weeds!!
Sorry to say, finding a powder or a spray to take care of something that would be best handled by getting out there for a couple of hours every day for a week and pulling is going to work against you if you want to stay organic. In my opinion.

Personally, I'm not bent out of shape by a few weeds, they get cut off by the mower and over time I get them pulled out. This wasn't a great year for using corn gluten meal to kill the winter weeds - we didn't have much of a dormant period for those seeds. You can crowd them out by pampering your lawn with dry molasses and you can spot spray with the vinegar and orange oil mix. There is a new product Howard has been talking about (AVenger, I think - I haven't gotten my hands on any yet) that might help with the spot spray.
Author:  user_48634 [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 8:54 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lawn overgrowing with weeds!!
There is a tool called the Weed Hound that lets you pluck weeds out while standing up. It works best on tap rooted weeds like the dandelions in your pictures. You can find the Weed Hound at either Lowe's or Home Depot (not always at both), or sometimes Target. It's about $25 and worth it. It's the highest Internet lawn forum rated lawn tool I've ever seen.

Are you watering monthly and mowing 2x per week? That might be what it takes to keep weeds out of bermuda.
Author:  northwesterner [ Thu Mar 29, 2012 10:32 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lawn overgrowing with weeds!!
I've been using the old Garden Weasel Weed Popper (probably same as the weed hound). It is best used when the ground is moist but not real wet.
Author:  kcw983 [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 6:07 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lawn overgrowing with weeds!!
Thank you guys. I will look for the weed hound/popper!

Also, should I be watering only once per month and mowing twice per week with Bermuda? I was following the other advice recommended on the site, where i would water heavy once per week, and mow once per week on lowest setting. Would it be better with the water once per month, mow twice per week method?

Thanks
Author:  northwesterner [ Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:02 am ]
Post subject:  Re: Lawn overgrowing with weeds!!
Water once a month? You won't have to mow at all at that rate.

In the spring if I have time I sometimes have to mow twice a week because of the more frequent rain. I have a mix of Bermuda and St. Augustine in the front, and Bermuda and weeds in the back. I'm not to worried about the turf so I don't do much weed control (probably to my neighbor's chagrin). I think the advice, once we're in the hotter dry season is to water deeply once a week. My next door neighbor mows at a higher setting but mow more often than the neighbor on the other side who mows lower but only once a week. I think it's a judgement call on frequency and mower height.

Maybe one of our lawn experts will offer some scientific thought on the subject?
Author:  user_48634 [ Thu Apr 12, 2012 8:47 pm ]
Post subject:  Re: Lawn overgrowing with weeds!!
I water once a month in the cool months. Due to good rain timing I watered for the first time last week, but only in a few spots. Most of my grass looks great and I have that water hog, St Augustine.
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