An organic lawn care program works best when we have the time to create a healthy soil environment in which grass can thrive and weeds won’t grow. Weeds are one of the more vexing aspects of lawn care. What they are and why they exist are the keys to getting rid of them.
What Is a Weed?
The general definition of a lawn weed is any plant that is unwanted and growing where you don’t want it. Most plants that have been classified as weeds are ones that are hardy and reproduce easily. Most weeds will compete with your lawn grass for nourishment, and, if left unattended, lawn weeds can completely take over your lawn.
Weeds are natural indicators. That means their presence alone offers an important clue to a larger problem occurring in the soil. It is important to know that correcting the larger issues can virtually eliminate any weed problem. Weeds thrive on weak, stressed turf and compacted unhealthy soil. Eliminate those conditions and grass will win over weeds.
Getting rid of the weeds with a toxic herbicide such as RoundUp masks the problem without solving the underlying issue.
Organics are a process, not a product. An organic lawn care program works best given the time to create a healthy soil environment in which grass can thrive and weeds won’t grow.
GET RID OF WEEDS NATURALLY AND SAFELY.
Keep Weeds from Seeing the Light of Day
We can help you prevent the majority of weeds from ever seeing the light of day on your lawn. Our goal is to balance the nutrients of your lawn, over time, in favor of the grass. Here’s how we do it:
Balance the nutrient content of the lawn in favor of the grass;
Reduce compaction by aerating in combination with a mineral soil builder;
Mow at a high level (2.5″ to 3″) to encourage a dense, lush lawn capable crowding out of weeds;
Proactively seed existing bare spots;
Overseed the entire lawn as needed (normally once a year for a healthy lawn);
Use pre-emergent in the spring to prevent weed seeds from germinating;
Correcting drainage issues in the lawn;
Educate clients to water deeply and infrequently, maintaining adequate soil moisture but not over-watering;
Use mulch in the garden beds and around tree rings.
When Weeds Bloom, Take the Natural, Safe Approach
Once weeds bloom, we offer a natural weed management product that uses natural ingredients to stress, disrupt, and kill the weeds already growing in your lawn. Best of all, you, your kids, and your pets can safely enjoy the yard as soon as it’s dry—not days later like with traditional herbicide restrictions.
A Note on Undesirable Grasses. Weedy grasses, such as bentgrass, crabgrass, and quackgrass, are more difficult to eradicate because they are very similar to turfgrass. There is not even an herbicide you can use that will not also kill the desirable lawn grasses. Normally, the solution is to cut out the turf containing the weedy grass and replace it with sod or reseeding the area.
EVERYTHING GREENWISE DOES IS SAFE FOR YOUR KIDS & PETS!
Did You Know Clover Benefits Your Lawn?
Some people consider clover a weed. Did you know clover actually benefits your lawn?
Generally, we view clover as a beneficial turf cover. When you are on an organic turf program, clover offers a lot of benefits for your lawn:
Fixes nitrogen in the soil
Outcompetes more troublesome turf weeds, such as creeping charlie
Attracts pollinators!
Unless you are regularly irrigating your lawn, most lawns in the summer head into dormancy. As lawns go dormant, the clover will stand out as green patches. We consider these patches a minor aesthetic blemish compared to the many benefits clover provides.
Aeration and overseeding, along with our 5-step fertilizer program, will get rid of most clover patches, but poorly drained areas of the lawn and poor soil areas will continue to host clover as part of your lawn’s effort to move toward healthier soil.
If you are experiencing weed problems, give us a call. Our experts will come out and assess what’s happening on your lawn and offer effective solutions to creating a healthy lawn.
