How to kill weedy yard with minimal toxicity?

[Anonymous]

The thread about neighbors excessively spraying has me thinking about my plans for the yard at our new home. We just moved in over the winter and it's clear we've got a pretty terrible lawn on our hands ... just tons of weeds, bare spots, and crappy wild grasses. We'd like to 'start over' this fall. So far we've added compost, light fertilizer, and overseeded but it seems like a restoration will be a decade long affair. But, we also are sensitive to coming in with roundup guns blazing. Is there any way to A) kill all the weeds and leave the grass so we can overseed again in the fall, or B) kill everything so we can apply sod in the Fall ... but without going crazy on chemical sprays?

Any suggestions? We are not 100% organic-only, no chemicals ever kind of people ... but we're also not the type to automatically default to the skull and crossbones either.

[Anonymous]

What is your goal for your lawn? Does it have to look golf-course perfect, or is ok to have clover, violets, and the occasional dandelion?

How big is your yard?

How much sun does your yard get?

[Anonymous]

Buy a goat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:What is your goal for your lawn? Does it have to look golf-course perfect, or is ok to have clover, violets, and the occasional dandelion?

How big is your yard?

How much sun does your yard get?

Would like a fairly thick cover b/c my kids will play in it but totally fine to have some clover (which I'll let go), dandelions (which I'll pick), etc. Not looking for the yard of the month ... once grass is established I'll do the normal seasonal upkeep ... pre-emergent in spring, fertilize & overseed in the fall, but not the bi-monthly application program.

The part I'm talking about is probably 0.10 acre. The half with the weed problem gets fairly full sun until ~4pm when it become shaded.

[Anonymous]

rip it up and start over. either that or pull weeds for the next 3-5 years.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:rip it up and start over. either that or pull weeds for the next 3-5 years.

How does one rip it up?

[Anonymous]

Put layers of cardboard over it and let sit until fall. The weeds will die out and not re germinate. Add topsoila and manure etc in the fall and reseed. Fertilize and seed some more in the spring. Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thread about neighbors excessively spraying has me thinking about my plans for the yard at our new home. We just moved in over the winter and it's clear we've got a pretty terrible lawn on our hands ... just tons of weeds, bare spots, and crappy wild grasses. We'd like to 'start over' this fall. So far we've added compost, light fertilizer, and overseeded but it seems like a restoration will be a decade long affair. But, we also are sensitive to coming in with roundup guns blazing. Is there any way to A) kill all the weeds and leave the grass so we can overseed again in the fall, or B) kill everything so we can apply sod in the Fall ... but without going crazy on chemical sprays?

Any suggestions? We are not 100% organic-only, no chemicals ever kind of people ... but we're also not the type to automatically default to the skull and crossbones either.

Besides that you are stupid and probably have no clue what organic and chemicals are....

You can pick a lawn service that does organic fertilizer and services.

[Anonymous]

If it's only 0.1 acres, and it gets full sun (which means that you actually can grow grass), I wouldn't go the smother-and-wait-for-fall route. It will work, but it's more effort, and you can't use the yard in the meantime. I would go the weed-overseed-water route now, then repeat in the fall. Don't fertilize; you'd only encourage the weeds.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Besides that you are stupid and probably have no clue what organic and chemicals are....

You can pick a lawn service that does organic fertilizer and services.

Good grief. Does everybody on DCUM use a lawn service?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thread about neighbors excessively spraying has me thinking about my plans for the yard at our new home. We just moved in over the winter and it's clear we've got a pretty terrible lawn on our hands ... just tons of weeds, bare spots, and crappy wild grasses. We'd like to 'start over' this fall. So far we've added compost, light fertilizer, and overseeded but it seems like a restoration will be a decade long affair. But, we also are sensitive to coming in with roundup guns blazing. Is there any way to A) kill all the weeds and leave the grass so we can overseed again in the fall, or B) kill everything so we can apply sod in the Fall ... but without going crazy on chemical sprays?

Any suggestions? We are not 100% organic-only, no chemicals ever kind of people ... but we're also not the type to automatically default to the skull and crossbones either.

Besides that you are stupid and probably have no clue what organic and chemicals are....

You can pick a lawn service that does organic fertilizer and services.

Wow, what a b$tch! Are you the neighbor spraying the whole neighborhood? Also, what are you talking about? Your first sentence makes you sound borderline illiterate.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The thread about neighbors excessively spraying has me thinking about my plans for the yard at our new home. We just moved in over the winter and it's clear we've got a pretty terrible lawn on our hands ... just tons of weeds, bare spots, and crappy wild grasses. We'd like to 'start over' this fall. So far we've added compost, light fertilizer, and overseeded but it seems like a restoration will be a decade long affair. But, we also are sensitive to coming in with roundup guns blazing. Is there any way to A) kill all the weeds and leave the grass so we can overseed again in the fall, or B) kill everything so we can apply sod in the Fall ... but without going crazy on chemical sprays?

Any suggestions? We are not 100% organic-only, no chemicals ever kind of people ... but we're also not the type to automatically default to the skull and crossbones either.

Besides that you are stupid and probably have no clue what organic and chemicals are....

You can pick a lawn service that does organic fertilizer and services.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The thread about neighbors excessively spraying has me thinking about my plans for the yard at our new home. We just moved in over the winter and it's clear we've got a pretty terrible lawn on our hands ... just tons of weeds, bare spots, and crappy wild grasses. We'd like to 'start over' this fall. So far we've added compost, light fertilizer, and overseeded but it seems like a restoration will be a decade long affair. But, we also are sensitive to coming in with roundup guns blazing. Is there any way to A) kill all the weeds and leave the grass so we can overseed again in the fall, or B) kill everything so we can apply sod in the Fall ... but without going crazy on chemical sprays?

Any suggestions? We are not 100% organic-only, no chemicals ever kind of people ... but we're also not the type to automatically default to the skull and crossbones either.

Besides that you are stupid and probably have no clue what organic and chemicals are....

You can pick a lawn service that does organic fertilizer and services.

Non English speaker or seven-year old? You make the call.

[Anonymous]

For errant weeds here and there, like growing in cracks or edges of a walk, pour boiling water over the weeds. You'll have to repeat several times and wait for the weeds to die.

Otherwise, pull. Don't have any non chem ideas for large areas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Buy a goat.

Can I rent one?