Gardening
Weeds in the lawn: This is how you put dandelions and the like in the shade
If you value a well-maintained lawn, you can’t use weeds. But how do you get the annoying usurers under control?
© Frank May / Picture Alliance
Weeds in the lawn are particularly annoying. Once rooted, dandelions, groundweed and the like are difficult to drive away. With little helpers, a little patience and a few tricks, you can get rid of the lawn weeds sooner or later.
It is to despair. As soon as the annoying dandelion has been cut and the white goosefoot and its roots have been pulled out of the ground, the unwanted guests announce themselves a few meters further back. Weeds are the gardener’s natural enemy. Especially fans of well-maintained ornamental lawns regularly get worried lines on their foreheads. They are tough, robust and undemanding. And that’s exactly the problem. Once they have conquered the meadow, you can only get the troublemakers under control with great effort and patience.
Five strategies with which you can successfully combat uncontrolled growth in your lawn.
1. Hand and rake
The first and classic way to keep unwanted wild weeds off your lawn. However, it is also the most difficult. Weeding and collecting weeds is particularly effective in the early stages of infestation. For example, in the first few weeks after Sow lawn. In particular, annual lawn weeds such as chickweed or white clover can be slowed down early. For perennial plants, a Weed cutter valuable services. The whole thing is much easier after a rain shower that softens the ground. With dandelions, brownnocks, hare’s-foot and many other perennials, careful attention must be paid to catching the roots and all runners. In order to really get to the root of the problem, the weed cutter should reach as deeply as possible into the soil. Then shake it a little and get the cabbage out. With high quality Weed pullers (e.g. from Gardena) The soil can first be loosened up a little. This way you can catch even the smallest pieces of root.
If there is a large-scale infestation, you are literally fighting against windmills with your hands and rake. Tougher guns are needed here if you want to win the battle against weeds in the long term.
2. Scarifier
A little more brutal, but just as effective in the fight against weeds, is a scarifier. The “lawn comb” with its razor-sharp blades has long been more than just a secret weapon in German allotment gardens. The principle: The small knives, arranged close together, score the turf about two to three millimeters deep and comb out primarily moss, but also other weeds. When it comes to collecting and disposing of things, manual work is required again. Important: Before you scarify the lawn manually or electrically, you should mow your lawn – to a cutting height of approx. two centimeters.
Tip: For better results, scarify lengthwise and crosswise – if possible once a year.
3. Mow the lawn, but do it properly
Used correctly, that is too mowing machine in the fight against weedsan effective weapon. Dandelions and Co. don’t find it funny at all if you shave their “heads” once a week. In contrast to blades of grass, weeds get tired over time and eventually stop growing altogether. If you put them in the shade, they disappear even faster. Lawn weeds are generally light germinators. At a permanent cutting height of four centimeters, the grass deprives the weed seeds of light and prevents them from germinating.
4. Boiling water against weeds in the lawn
Let’s come to a tried-and-tested and, above all, completely ecologically harmless home remedy that tackles the unpleasant lawn weeds. Take a pot or kettle with water that is at least 95 degrees hot and pour it generously onto the weeds. This first destroys the sensitive cell structure of the leaves, which can no longer carry out photosynthesis. The still hot seepage water then attacks the roots. Ultimately, the plant dries up because it cannot absorb nutrients or liquid. After a few days, the dead plant residue can be easily removed by hand and rake. For some weeds, the hot shower needs to be used multiple times.
5. Turn off the light with plastic wrap
Even a simple black plastic film can deter annoying weeds. Or better: let the light breathe. You don’t even get your hands dirty. However, you should allow a little more time for this. In addition, this strategy only makes sense on smaller pieces of lawn. The idea behind it is simple: the tarpaulin is spread out on the lawn and fixed in place. Because the weeds no longer receive any “food,” they die after two to three months. Of course the grass also suffers. However, with appropriate care with fertilizer or rapid reseeding, the green usually recovers quickly.
Steer clear of vinegar and salt
However, you should quickly get rid of a duo that has been praised for many years as an effective remedy against weeds. Vinegar and salt are now not only frowned upon, but using them as weed killers is even officially forbidden. Since 2012, the Plant Protection Act has prohibited spraying with the highly effective cocktail. For good reason: vinegar and salt not only destroy weeds, but also all other life in the soil. Anyone who gets caught anyway will have to dig deep into their wallets.
Why weeds have an unfairly bad reputation
Calling them weeds actually does an injustice to the plants, which are often pretty to look at. Because many don’t just bring colorful splashes of color into the garden. Most are edible and, like dandelions, enrich salads, among other things. A refreshing tea can be brewed from nettle leaves. Groundweed and other wild herbs are rich in vitamins and can easily be made into pesto. Many herbs also provide a very special kick when combined with potatoes. And if you don’t trust herbs in the kitchen, you can at least do something good for the local bees and insects – and create a wild herb or wildflower meadow.
Sources:gardenjournal.net; rasen-experte.de; Garden and leisure; utopia.de
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