Six Tools for Preventing and Removing Weeds

Don't let weeds ruin your lawn and garden spaces. Learn how to kill weeds and prevent them from taking over your groundcover.

Filed under: Weeds, Lawn Care

Although a few weeds can be tolerated in most lawns, and may be valuable for increasing the garden's biodiversity and for attracting beneficial insects such as bees and butterflies, too many can look unsightly and may spread quickly if you do not deal with them promptly.

Weed-suppressing mulch

Covering soil with weed-suppressing membrane is an effective method of preventing weeds from germinating. This is useful for bare soil but should not be used on lawns since it will kill the grass. It can also be used to warm the ground prior to sowing grass seed.

Preparatory spraying

Drenching the soil with contact weedkiller prior to sowing prevents weed seeds from germinating. This should only be used on bare soil and not directly on lawns. Specific dilution and spraying rates should be strictly followed according to the label.

Drench Soil with Weedkiller Before Planting Seeds

Fork

Removing weeds with a fork is a useful method because it generally avoids chopping through perennial roots, which helps to propagate them. Hand forks can be used for clumps within the lawn. Large forks should only be used in large areas to prepare for grass seed or turf.