How Do I Stop Weeds From Ruining My Property?

Tips if Your Commercial Lawn is Overtaken by Weeds

 Property owners prefer a pristine lawn that reflects the quality of their business. But when weeds attack, a few of them can quickly become an infestation. Before you know it, weeds have spread throughout the lawn, setting you up for hours of lawn maintenance work (or an ugly, neglected looking lawn). We think these are some of the best ways to get rid of weeds and to keep them from coming back.

Sending Weeds Packing

Manually pulling weeds is the most effective way to shatter an onslaught on your property. As long as you pull the roots out along with the top of the plant, that particular weed is gone for good. Naturally, this way to doing things takes time and disturbs the surrounding lawn where healthy grass still has the best foothold.

The best time to pull weeds by hand is the day after a big rain while the soil is still moist. Soft soil means you are more likely to get all of the roots out without too much effort. Use a weeding tool to make your work easier and avoid disturbing the surrounding soil too heavily. Your local garden centre will have several hand weeding tools available; choose one with a narrow fork or blade.

Create a Natural Barrier

The best defence against weeds is a good offence. A healthy expanse of turf is less likely to have weed issues than a lawn with bare spots and sparse growth. Thick, healthy grass out competes weeds for resources. Conditioning and improving the soil conditions is usually the first step in improving the quality of your lawn. Aerate the lawn, schedule a soil test to find out if your property has particular fertilization needs and topdress the lawn with compost. Do all of this before, or along with, overseeding.

Proper lawn maintenance also helps to prevent weed growth. Don’t have your grass cut too short – have it cut more regularly. Removing no more than a quarter to a third of the grass blades keeps them healthy. Late in the summer you can leave the grass clippings on the lawn when you mow. Both of these strategies keep the soil surface shaded so weeds are less likely to germinate.

Weed Removal and Prevention with Herbicides

In general, herbicides should be a last resort for weed removal and prevention. There are a few newer organic, all natural herbicides that are much safer for general use but they will not be as much of a “sure-thing” as the chemical products of years past. Therefore, more attention needs to be given to growing a thick healthy lawn and not relying on simply spraying the weeds when they become a problem. 

The easiest approach to keeping weeds under control in your yard is to let a professional handle the maintenance. We have experience maintaining grounds for both urban and rural office buildings. Contact us today and make grounds maintenance part of your Servcon agreement.