Weedy Lawn

I have a 3 acre lot. One acre is lawn and the other two are left wild. I have lots of weed seeds blowing into the lawn. In the past I have been able to keep the weeds under control with spot treatment. Now I am considering aeration and maybe a weed and feed application.

The weeds certainly thrived this year while most lawns struggled through the heat and drought. Core aeration is a good idea if your soil is compacted, the thatch layer is over ½ inch or you are planning to overseed your lawn. If any or all describe your lawn I would recommend core aeration.

I try to minimize my use of chemicals, as it sounds you do. If you feel the need to get a large population of weeds under control you can either treat the whole lawn with a broadleaf weed killer and fertilizer separately or purchase a weed and feed product. Apply in late October for best results. Keep weeds at bay by mowing high and fertilizing at least once a year at Halloween or at a higher frequency of Memorial Day, Labor Day and Halloween.

You may want to use one of the corn gluten pre-emergent weed killers in spring. The University of Iowa found this “natural” product effective at preventing many seeds from germinating. They found about a 50% reduction in weeds over a three year period.

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