Don't Sweat It! - Lawn Weeds Can Be A Beautiful Thing What Is A Great Lawn? Each year, countless thousands of homeowners take to their lawns to do battle with everything that is not a desired species of plants called "grass". Chemicals are dumped onto lawns by the millions of pounds in the pursuit of "the perfect lawn". Studies and surveys have found that each year lawns receive more chemicals and amendments than all other plantings combined. This includes trees, vegetables and landscape plantings. Neighbors quietly battle each other in pursuit of bragging rights to "the perfect lawn". But what is a perfect lawn anyway? Is the lawn something that adds value to the dinner plate? Does it enhance your health or physical well being? Does it add to your overall sensory factors of sight, smell and sound? Does it add to your comfort and quality of life? Yes, it can be argued that a newly mowed lawn can indeed delight your sense of smell, and a lush lawn does indeed feel good under bare feet and the physical exercise of mowing can indeed improve your health. These alone might give some justification to pursuit of a great lawn. A great lawn does add curb appeal and value to a home, especially if your intention is to sell your home, but sadly, most homeowners miss the much bigger picture of the true nature of what a lawn is and miss the true value of a lawn. For the true, well-rounded gardener, a lawn is and should be but a transition to a much larger overall palate of color, texture and dimension giving quiet interludes between stimulating vistas of flower, form and texture. The lawn is, and should be a living microcosm of many forms of life. Just like people, lawns of diverse forms of plant life, also support many forms of life, whereas lawns of few forms of life support few forms of life. Before proceeding further, take a moment to consider the vantage point from which a lawn is normally viewed and appreciated. Is it not normally from a distance, such as the street, window or other distant vantage point? Even when on the lawn, do you, or anyone else for that matter, notice if the lawn is one continuous type of grass? Or even if the lawn is all grass for that matter? Could it be argued that a lush lawn of a singular species of grass is more a matter of vanity than justifiable reasoning? Some Advantages Of Weeds If your intention is to provide expanses of green carpet for most of the year, then expanses of a singular species of grass actually puts your dream at risk of failure. Every species of grass, while having its own unique qualities, also has its own unique maladies that it is susceptible to, causing a homeowner to continually do battle with something. Unless you are one of those few individuals who actually wishes to incorporate a golf putting green into your lawn, it is much to your advantage to let some weeds grow in your yard for a healthier lawn. While I'm not advocating turning your lawn into a wildlife sanctuary, I am saying that having some so-called "weeds" in your lawn will improve the overall health of your little ecosystem. Common lawn weeds found in lawns everywhere can have a myriad of beneficial qualities for your lawn, some of which include: Providing valuable habitat of food and shelter for insects. Providing essential nutrients to grass. This can be in the form of nutrients that grass can not access that are processed by certain weeds and thereby made available to the grass or by the deep roots of certain weeds like dandelions that pull nutrients from depths beyond the root zone of grass and thereby make them available. Many, if not most, weeds have the ability to withstand weather extremes better than most lawn grasses, thereby providing green to the lawn for much, if not most of the year. Require less fertilizer (or none at all) in order to survive and thrive. In any given area of the country, there are certain weeds that thrive in conditions that are adverse to good grass growth such as high alkalinity or an overabundance of a particular element such as boron, copper or zinc. Therefore, if you don't do a soil analysis on a regular basis, or not at all, these weeds can give you a heads up about a condition that needs attention. Here in Missouri, the common "Ironweed" is a good indicator of depleted soil, particularly nitrogen and usually a high acidity level. In every state in the United States there is a "land-grant" college that will provide help in this area through field agents. Similar services are also available in Canada.
Eat Your Weeds CAUTIONS For Consumption As Food While most weeds pose no threat to humans, use caution when choosing weeds for internal consumption and take proper steps to properly identify your plants as many plants are know by the same or similar names and not all are edible. For Medicinal Use While most plants are perfectly safe and have few or no side effects, some can have undesirable effects and can adversely interact with certain drugs. If choosing plants for medicinal purposes, take special precaution to properly identify the species and its proper use. In all cases, consult with a knowledgeable practitioner and/or your medical professional before attempting to self-medicate with plants. |
If the above reasons aren't enough to cause you to allow some weeds to grow in your lawn and refrain from chemicals, consider this. Many common lawn weeds we currently battle also serve a dual role by also providing a valuable source of food and medicine. Indeed, such common weeds as chickweed, lambs quarter, dock and plantain provide more vitamin A, B, C, D, E and Zinc than any of our commonly grown vegetable plants. Also consider the dreaded dandelion. Few other plants are as valuable to a healthy lifestyle than the dandelion, which was actually brought to this country as a valuable food source and is still grown in many parts of the world and available as seed. All parts of the dandelion are used. The root as a non-caffeine coffee substitute and valuable poultice for wounds, the leaves as a highly prized vegetable high in potassium, the sap and seed fluff as a wound covering, the flowers as a source of cloth dye, food and beverage. Chicory, which is common here in Missouri, is valued for its root, edible leaves and edible flowers. The often battled wild violet, cup for cup, has more vitamin "C" than orange juice and the flowers make a delicious and colorful addition to any salad. Many early settlers, especially the Dutch, would candy the flowers of wild violets as a safe and nutritious relief for coughs and sore throats for their children. How about the dreaded chickweed that causes nightmares for many? In earlier days, it was harvested so heavily for its nutritious, anti-scurvy qualities in the early spring that if it were a valued native plant, it would have been put on the endangered species list. Cup for cup, it has more vitamin "A", "C" and minerals than any other cultivated plant. In fact, so valuable was this plant in overcoming scurvy for early settlers that there are reports of feuds being fought over prime picking spots. The common plantain was highly prized as an edible "green" and for its anti-inflammatory properties. The common "poke" was a much sought after spring green and the berries were prized for preserves, wine and for cloth die. It is still a preferred food source of many birds. Consider The Pollinators All right, so you're still not convinced to allow some space for weeds in your lawn, consider this; If it weren't for the blooms of weeds in yours and your neighbors lawns (including dandelions), there would be fewer bees and other pollinators. Without these pollinators, there is no garden to harvest or fruit to pick. In recent years, a phenomena has developed that has entomologists world-wide currently stumped. Honeybees the world over are declining. The honeybee is the primary pollinator of fruits and vegetables all over the world and without them, it is doubtful that enough food can be produced to sustain us. Many factors, including insecticides are thought to be the blame, but also is the demise of blooms for a food source and merely planting more flowering plants is not the answer because modern flowering plants neither produce the quantity nor quality of nectar needed by these invaluable servants of mankind. Along with allowing more flowering weeds to grow, how about helping to promote pollinators like mason bees by putting up some nesting boxes along with letting more weeds bloom and protecting natural bee nests in tree cavities, etc.
Manage Your Weeds
| Ok, so now you're convinced that some lawn weeds are ok. But how do you prevent your lawn from being taken over by weeds? Well first off, whether you spray or spread weed killers, you can not prevent weeds from happening. No matter what you do, they will continually be brought into your yard by the wind, birds and animals and even the soles of peoples shoes. But you can take steps to keeping them in check to a reasonable level without harsh chemicals. No sense in beating around the bush here. Remember that New Years resolution that you made to get more exercise and get out more? Well here's your chance without a strenuous workout or costly gym fees. Hand weeding is a low-impact activity that gets you out of the house and into the yard to enjoy the world around you. Before you start getting visions of crawling around on your hands and knees with a weeder deftly digging weeds from your lawn, let me say this; If that makes you happy - GO FOR IT! As for me, I don't mind it but am no longer able to do so. For that reason, I use a long-handled weeding claw to extract weeds while standing. I can fill a five-gallon bucket in short order. I find this to be both a valuable pass time for an hour or so and a valuable way to gain some extra material for the compost pile. |  | |
Occasionally, weeds get so numerous or are of the type that they don't lend themselves well to hand weeding. For these times I turn to a homemade spray composed of nothing more than dish soap, salt and vinegar. This spray does the trick very well, with little impact on the environment. However, care must be used when using this spray because it is a total vegetation killer that will kill everything it comes in contact with. Either way you choose, it is crucial to destroy not only the top growth, but the root as well because most weeds will resprout from roots left in the soil. Another valuable tool is mulch. Many areas such as around trees and other little used areas can be easily covered over with an attractive mulch to suppress weeds.
 WOW! Supreme WOW! Supreme, an improved formulation of WOW! Plus, works better than any other weed-control product we’ve ever tried! WOW! Supreme controls crabgrass, dandelions, and other broadleaf weeds while feeding your lawn a balanced, all-natural fertilizer. |  Lawn-GardTM Bioinsecticide The unique, more concentrated formula kills grubs now and prevents them from damaging your lawn all season long. Lawn-Gard’s mode of action specifically targets turf insect larvae. Lawn-Gard starts working in hours. Grubs stop feeding and are controlled within a few days. |  Grub Patch Lawn Repair Kit Our kit contains everything you need to stop the grubs that are killing your grass and repair the ugly, damaged patches they’ve caused.
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Timing Is Crucial Pulling and spraying weeds with eco-friendly products is by far the best and safest method of keeping weeds to an acceptable level. However, timing is indeed crucial to long-term control of weed populations. Weeding can and should be done at any time it is needed, however, weed removal once the plant has set seed will only remove the parent plant. Once conditions are right, new plants (often by the hundreds or thousands) will rise up to take its place. Therefore it is crucial that weeds be removed before they have a chance to set seed. Once the plant sets seed, do not throw these into the compost pile unless you are very capable and assured of maintaining composting temperatures high enough to destroy the seeds. Otherwise, you will unknowingly spread the seeds of many weeds to everywhere the compost is used. For example, take the common henbit or dead nettle common throughout much of the United States. These plants start blooming very early in the year and will continue until the weather turns extremely cold. The seeds of these plants are extremely tiny and are produced by the thousands by a mature plant. These seeds have the capacity to lie dormant in the soil for up to ten years waiting to sprout whenever the conditions are right. Therefore, waiting to control these types of plants until after the plant sets seed will put you on a path to battling them for many years to come. Hand pulling is effective, however, because of their numbers it may be best to spray as they are very sensitive to most sprays. Put Plants To Work For You Take a look around your lawn. Is it necessary to have high-maintenance grass like bluegrass on every square foot of lawn? Most lawns can be divided into areas based on use. In areas that are seen up close, such as a front lawn with a sidewalk, perhaps a fine-bladed grass like bluegrass, creeping red fescue, zoysia or Bermuda is best. But these will all come with the cost of maintaining them. But how about those other, more utilitarian areas such as side and back yards and play areas? In these areas, consider a more aggressive grass like field fescues. Ohhhh, So you've heard all about how they form nasty "clumps". Yes this is true if not seeded thickly enough, they do indeed have a tendency to clump. This is their mechanism for establishing their own area in which little else will grow. The key to field fescues as a lawn grass is seeding them at four to five times the recommended rate. At this rate, the grass does not have the ability to clump and will nit together as a solid mass. Grasses of this type have many advantages, most importantly the aggressiveness to keep most weeds crowded out. They also require much less water and fertilizer than traditional lawn grasses, are mowed higher and less often as well as being highly resistant to constant traffic and play. How about replacing high-maintenance grass with low-maintenance ground covers to crowd out weeds on areas like slopes, etc. and turning areas little used for foot traffic into planting areas full of flowering plants and shrubs that provide, beauty to the landscape as well as food and cover for other forms of wildlife? Plant The Right Grass Having the wrong grass in the wrong place is a sure invitation for nature to do what comes naturally - cover the bare soil with vegetation - WEEDS. All grasses have certain characteristics that make them suitable to a particular location or climate and use. When seeding grass in only a small location, such as around trees, a wet location or a sunny and hot, dry area, choose a grass seed that does well in that location and under those conditions. However, if you are seeding a large area such as a yard, choose or create a blend of different grass seeds that will do well in all of the various growing areas to be seeded. An example of such for this area would be a mixture of both annual and perennial types for both sun and shade. Check with your local extension service or a local master gardener for grass types that work well in your particular area and never rely on advertising. Take Proper Care Of Your Grass Properly cared for, most grasses have a natural tendency to crowd out many weeds. This means keeping your lawn in optimum health and does not mean spreading copious amounts of fertilizer on it indiscriminately and watering a little every day or two. Contrary to advertising, good grass does not need copious amounts of fertilizer, especially in the spring. Remember, the companies who are doing this advertising are in the business of selling fertilizers and having a less than healthy lawn is a sure way to guarantee sales in order for you to maintain sales. Healthy grass begins with a soil test and only requires a balanced blend of fertilizer, such as 10-10-10 in the spring after new growth has begun in earnest. Here in the Ozarks, that would be around the end of April or first of May. This application would also be somewhat light and probably repeated in three to four weeks around the end of May if the weather was still producing timely rain and moderate temperatures. The main application of fertilizer should be in the fall with a low nitrogen formulation such as 5-20-20 in order to build a strong root system through the winter. Remember, it is a strong root system that builds healthy grass and crowds out weeds, not luxuriant top growth. Healthy roots naturally promote quality top growth, not the other way around. Heavy applications of fertilizer applied at the wrong time and heavy applications of nitrogen produce a lot of top growth and keep the roots near the surface, produce weak grass and increased thatch. This leads to weak grass, increased disease and weeds. Watering is another sure way to produce weak grass that will not crowd out weeds. Grass should be watered at a rate of about one inch per week while it is actively growing. This includes both natural rainfall and supplemental water. This water should be applied all at one time and allowed to soak deeply into the ground. If your soil is slow to absorb water, this may need to be done by watering for a few minutes and waiting for a little while before applying more. Never apply water to the point that it runs off and never apply small amounts of water frequently. This keeps the water near the surface and thereby also keeps the roots near the surface. When this happens, the grass is not in a position to cope with hot, dry weather very well. Attempting to apply enough water to keep grass green during times of drought and heat is also a sure fire way to weaken grass. While many warm-season grasses tolerate heat better than cool-season grasses, all grass will eventually try to go dormant during hot, dry weather as a self preserving mechanism. During these times, it is best to water only about one inch every two weeks in order to keep the the grass alive until the weather cools and rains return naturally. Other things that need to be done in order to promote healthy grass that will crowd out weeds are: Aerating the lawn regularly in order to promote air and water movement. Dethatching the lawn as needed. Over seeding bare spots in lawn as needed Controlling lawn insects such as grubs Controlling lawn diseases such as fungal diseases and Liming as needed to maintain a pH of about 6.5 for most lawn grasses.
Protect Your Grass When controlling weeds, remember that nature knows something that humans all-to-often forget or ignor: Healthy soil is always covered with vegetation. Only humans engage in activities that would diverge from this basic law of nature. Our pets, children and our own adult activities all can have detrimental effects on good grass. When the grass is destroyed by our activities or the activities of our pets and/or children, weeds will rise up to do what comes naturally - cover the bare ground. Some things you can do to protect your grass and thereby help crowd out weeds: Don't allow your pets to destroy grass by wearing paths around your yard. Provide dogs and other digging pets (and children) with a dedicated spot for digging. This may be a pile of dirt set aside for them to dig and the animal or child trained to dig there and only there. Provide children with a dedicated play area for "grass-destroying" activities Never allow children to play grass-destroying activities, such as baseball, etc. in the same location continually Plant activity-resistant grass types, such as field fescues in high activity areas.
Conclusion Weeds are a natural part of our world that will occur regardless of your efforts and can serve a very beneficial purpose. However, living with weeds does not mean living in a natural wildlife area even though it will become a natural wildlife are of sorts. Weeds can benefit both you, the insects and the environment, but like all things, needs to be kept in moderation. This need not be an expensive, environmentally damaging effort and the control of weeds can have physically and mentally beneficial effects. Some careful management, proper planning, a few kitchen products and a little bit of elbow grease are all that are needed in order to live in harmony with weeds. And if all else fails, grab a bowl, some salt and pepper and your favorite salad dressing and start grazing. You might just learn a new appreciation for those unwanted weeds. the Hillbilly Gardener |
