HonoluluGirl
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Horrifying picture of my back yard and a question

I've been thinking... If I (translation: my husband) mowed the lawn frequently enough to prevent these weeds from seeding, would the weeds eventually die off and the grass grow back? Just a theory.

That's a sweet potato patch on the first terrace level.

Image

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skiingjeff
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Sorry, I've never heard of getting rid of weeds just by mowing them everyday or frequently. :(

Normally you need to do something more aggressive to get rid of them. Pull them out, etc. Mowing them more will just keep them at a lower level and may stop them from spreading more if they spread by seed rather than root.

Good luck!

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rainbowgardener
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Well, some things can be killed by frequent mowing. Ivy for example really doesn't like to be mowed and you can get rid of a patch of ivy ground cover by mowing it several times a year (may take a year or two! :) )

I do think mowing yours would slow it down and keep it from spreading by seed, but whether you would ever get rid of it that way, I don't know. Unfortunately at this point, it looks like it might already have seeds on it. Mowing now might actually help spread/ plant those seeds. At least if you mow, rake everything you can up and dispose of it.

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applestar
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Coming from someone who refuses to use (or allow to use) weed killers and don't have the physical reserves to go around digging them up, etc. -- it won't look so noticeable when they are all mowed, and blooming weeds (and grass) attract beneficial insects. :wink:

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Lindsaylew82
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Also, if you cut your grass at the highest distance from the ground, your grass will grow better, thus smothering out your weeds(and shading weed seeds). It's not an immediate fix, btw, but it will benefit your actual grass. By cutting low, you cut the energy maker of your grass. That hurts the root system. Shallow roots = more water use = more nitrogen consumption. Cutting low also stimulates weeds to produce larger, stronger plants.

So cut at 3". Best lawn advice anyone ever gave me.

tomc
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It depends on how pure your need for a mono-culture lawn is. If you mow tall and catch and compost yard waste, eventually the plant best suited will become predominant. In your yards case ryes' and blue grass.

The perfect rye-fescu-blue grass lawn takes a powerful lot of weed&feed. And its a biologic nightmare downstream for who ever gets your effluents. The Maryland-Virginia-Disctrict basin (Chesapeak bay) is dieing from these kinds of effluents.

If it was me, I'd get happy with a lot of grass and a little clover for my yard.

valley
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Isn't that just over grown lawn? If it's mowed it should be just lawn.

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ElizabethB
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Proper mowing practices do go a long way towards eliminating weeds.

Mowing height depends on the type of grass. Different lawn grasses have different optimum mowing heights. One rule of thumb - regardless of the type of grass- is to mow frequently enough so you never remove more than 1/3 of the overall height of the grass.

I really do not like weed and feed but G insist on using it on the front lawn. I insist that he does not use it in the back. He does apply a straight feed in the back 2 or 3 times a year. It needs it because the oak tree sucks the nitrogen out of the soil at an alarming rate.

My Sister and BIL live on 5 acres of land. When they built their home the yard was mostly weeds with a few, scattered, patches of St. Augustine. The property is much deeper than it is wide. The back half has a pond and is fenced to keep horses. Sis spent several years feeding and mowing to get the front half of the property actually looking like a lawn. She continues to employ proper mowing practices and feeding. She has a lush, green St. Augustine lawn with only a few weeds that pop up in the spring.

So the answer to your question Yes. Proper mowing practices will, over time, help control and prevent weeds. You do need to identify your type of grass then mow accordingly.

Good luck

HonoluluGirl
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Location: Hawaii

Thank you all for your replies! We don't have the budget to redo the lawn. We'll continue to mow regularly. We bought the house at the end of Fall a few years ago. Then came winter and the rains and the WEEDS! LOL. The seller was lucky we saw the house before the rainy season started.

imafan26
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If you mow the weeds make sure you do it before the seed heads come up or they will just spread. Mowing and burning only takes care of the tops, the roots can actually get stronger that way.

You can use Image or Weed B Gon for southern turf, for some of the weeds. You need to id the weeds if they are listed and see if your grass is listed. Image cannot be used on St. Augustine grass, but is fine on zoysia although it will cause some yellowing. I don't spray. I do the tedious eye dropper method especially on the nut sedge. Sedge Hammer can be used on St Augustine grass. You still will need to worry about translocation of the weed killer to other plants nearby.

For the ones close to plants you want to keep, there is no other choice but to dig them out.

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Lindsaylew82
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For weeds near plants I like to keep, I cut the bottom of a half gallon milk jug, cover the desired plant and spray with vinegar.



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