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Weeds in lawn

pottering girlpottering girl Posts: 236
in Problem solving
Hi, can anyone recommend a more natural weed killer for specific weeds in the lawn. I have a dog and I hate to use chemicals. I have seen some videos about vinegar but don't want to kill my lawn. I can dig out some of them but a few have spread over winter (dandelions). I tried boiling water last year which killed the lawn and the weed grew back. There must be a more natural solution?? Thanks.

Posts

  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    edited April 2023
    If you tie your hands behing your back, anything becomes difficult.  

    My dog is a real sniffer, roller-in, and eater.  It has never been affected by garden chemicals used as advised.

    You can kill things with acetic acid and boiling water, in fact at the wrong concentration, almost anything.  Nature has evolved some innovative strategies to survive.  The natural solution is laisser faire and the fittest survive.  That means weeds and in a lawn, weed grasses.

    I kill moss with sulphate of iron DILUTE SOLUTION.  I kill many lawn weeds with commercial lawn weed killer, but not all.  I don't do it all over' but as spot spray.  I have dog violet and mind-your-own-business that resist everything except digging out. If you look at National Trust lawns, their strategy is to mow twice a week, not too short.  The lawns remain a uniform, non-flowering green.  

    Unless it's for sport, what more do you want?
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • rossdriscoll13rossdriscoll13 Posts: 234
    @pottering girl the only “natural” way of dealing with weeds in a lawn is by painstakingly digging them all out by hand.  The only “real” way to deal with them is by using a Lawn Weed Killer such as Resolva  Lawn Weedkiller or Weedol Lawn Weedkiller.  Always follow the instructions and if you are worried about your dog being affected spray the weeds and wait about an hour before letting the dog outside.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    I agree, only a weedkiller specifically marketed for lawns (usually either a spray that you squirt each weed with or a feed & weed granular product) will kill broad-leaved plants but not grass, or digging them out with a long narrow knife. If you break off a bit of root they'll grow back but will be weakened a bit.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
  • pottering girlpottering girl Posts: 236
    Thanks all, you have confirmed what I have thought. There are no natural solutions other than digging out.
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    I agree too - the Resolva one is very good, and ideal if you simply can't get at the persistent weeds.
    Other than that  - it's good old elbow grease - and it depends how lively your elbows are...and your back    ;)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • bédébédé Posts: 3,095
    Nature rarely digs out.  Nature's way is just to leave and allow for the law of survival of the fittest.
     location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand.
    "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
  • detsnpowderdetsnpowder Posts: 38
    My new seeded lawn has come through now and I see a few little weeds. When is it safe to walk on it so I can pull the weeds before they grow bigger ?
  • raisingirlraisingirl Posts: 7,093
    Actually the natural way is to learn to love the weeds. If you keep mowing regularly, you won't get rid of dandelions, but they won't get to flower and seed so they won't spread, either. Or you could just look at them as lovely, bright flowers that hoverflies love, let the grass grow a bit and relax
    Gardening on the edge of Exmoor, in Devon

    “It's still magic even if you know how it's done.” 
  • pottering girlpottering girl Posts: 236
    raisingirl, thank you for that insight and for advising me to relax. Most helpful. 

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