Help - Lots of weeds and need a new lawn

[raj]

Hi.

This is the first time I'm posting and hope i am posting in the right section.

Awhile ago my dad dug up the turf we had to make it level and planned to reseed or relay the grass but my dad being my dad hasn't got round to it and its been over a year now . i have dug the weeds out and managed to level the soil but due to the weather not being the best im back to sqaure one i have lots of weeds. my question is can i use weed killer to kill all the weeds in the soil? is there another way to get rid of these weeds? If I use weed killer how long do i have to leave it before I can either put seeds down or use ready to lay lawn?

Please help I want my back garden to have grass again.

Thanks

Raj

[ElizabethB]

Hi Raj - welcome to the forum.

You can use weed killer but you do need to read and follow the label directions. The label will tell you how long you have to wait before seeding or sodding. If the weed killer is a "long term" control - 6 months - it usually has a pre emergent. You will not be able to seed after using that product.

Whether you sod or seed depends on how much you want to spend and the type of lawn you are looking for. In the south St. Augustine is a popular lawn grass. It does not do well from seed - very low germination rate.

Do a little research on lawn grasses for your region and growing conditions. Sod is great because it is instant gratification. Seeding is less expensive but requires daily watering for any where from 14 to 30 days. A hard rain will wash away seed.

If you decide to seed -

-make sure the grass is suitable
-read and follow the directions for application - invest in a walk behind, broadcast spreader and set the application rate according to the package directions
-water as directed.

You may want to cover the seed with a thin layer of straw to keep it from washing away in a rain.

You will probably end up with some thin or bare spots so be prepared to fill in with more seed.

Good luck

[imafan26]

Get a soil test first.

If you don't have any other plants to save you can use weed killer. However, some of the tougher weeds may have to be treated more than once.

Water the weeds before you apply the weed killer and don't water for 24 hrs after. Weed killer works through the leaves so you want them plump. Follow all of the label instructions especially the precautions and mixing if you by a concentrate. Cover any plants you want to save with plastic so they won't be killed.

It may take a week or more for the deep rooted weeds to be killed and may take more than one application.
Remove the dead weeds. Till the soil, add amendments, compost, Big R , and whatever was recommended on the soil test and grade the area so that water will move away from the foundation and does not pool anywhere.

Water again. Weed seeds are not killed by post emergent weed killers. Water every day for a week. Spray again for any weeds that turn up. Keep repeating watering and spraying until no more weeds show up. Then you can put in the lawn. You may still have to weed but there should be fewer weeds to deal with.
.
http://sod.com/html/weed_control.html
http://www.sunset.com/garden/garden-bas ... g-new-lawn

[ElizabethB]

There is a difference between PRE emergent weed killers and POST emergent week killers. Read the label carefully before applying.

[rainbowgardener]

Lots of herbicides have pretty negative environmental impacts. Check the labels for active ingredients and look them up. This thread: viewtopic.php?f=11&t=57653 describes the toxicity and environmental impact of a number of common herbicides and insecticides.

If there is not enough grass to worry about saving, you don't need poisons. Just till the whole area up with a roto tiller, let it sit for a couple weeks for all the weed seeds to sprout and till it up again, tilling in compost. Plant your grass seed. You won't have gotten rid of every single weed seed, but you will have slowed the weeds down a whole bunch and given the grass a chance to take over.