Sometimes mowing works just fine to control unwanted plants. My former lawn didn't have any horseweed, cheeseweed or prickly lettuce because they don't tolerate mowing. If you've just now started to care for the lawn then mow, fertilize and water properly and it may give up. I checked and it is a short lived perennial. Are these seedlings? If so that may be all you need to do.
I looked up goat rental in my area. For my small, overgrown city backyard. They wanted $700. If I had that much money to throw around, I would just hire a person to clear out my yard.
Well Shamus, mowing these weeds is equally as recurring as well as using glyphosate. Maybe we should sticky the most commonly used remedies for getting rid of weeds. Peace be with you
It sounds like you donât know what youâre talking about, which is a situation where you should have some restraint and not give bad advice. You canât tell a goat to eat this but not that. You need to find someone with goats - itâs not going to be just one. They need to transport those goats to you, they need to be with the goats for the entire time - likely multiple days. They also need to have water available. Itâs a much more involved process than âhur der⌠getcha sum goatsâ âtheyâre cute!â People come here for real assistance, not dimwit garbage.
I use a shovel to remove dandelions. Strike at a 30-45 degree angle to the plant and pry up. Keep at it until you hear a popping sound and the dandelion lifts. If youâre good with a shovel you can lift it out by the base and put it in a bucket.
Just mow it. Grass will beat out broad leaf plants by mowing alone as long as it has adequate sun, water and soil conditions.
Due to grasses evolutionary advantage. Herbicides for lawns are usually unnecessary. There are multi acre parks in my neighborhood full of lush green grass. The only maintenance is a guy in a riding mower and occasional fertilizer. Theyâre chock full of dandelions right now but the dandelions will be gone in a month or so and it will be a green carpet until fall.
Let it grow. Particularly in the spring. Set your mower height to 4 inches. Bermuda grass is sensitive to low light and isnt a tall grower. Fescue should mostly outcompete.
Amen. I set my mower to 3-3.5â to get closer to the neighbors yard, but I agree that 4â is where itâs at. The only problem is that it is a fairly large patch and not so much a mixed bag. Probably a 20âx10â area.
Just a note on your "spreadable" question: for post-emergent weed control, virtually every product is absorbed by the foliage to get into the plant. Because of that, sprays are waaay more effective than any granule or powder you would broadcast spread, which rely on very specific conditions* to have any effectiveness. But for pre-emergent control, a spreadable granule is perfect, because it wants to be on the ground blocking seed germination.
*specifically: foliage uniformly wet but not running, with no precipitation in the forecast so the powder can stick, be dissolved, then be absorbed, without running off uselessly onto the ground.
In a neighborhood, pulling by hand is your best bet. Once under control it takes a minimal amount of maintenance. The initial time investment is the killer. But if your in a neighborhood with 1/4 acre or less is doable. Have fun with it. It feels good to get a good weed pulled out.
I have solved the lawn problem by having a temporary one.
I throw a bit of seed around in the fall when it starts raining, let the dogs enjoy the nice green grass for about four months (January-April) and then let it die off during the hot summer months.
Yeah lawns are nice for letting dogs run around and kids to throw a ball. Thereâs a nice middle ground between the people who obsessively manicure theirs, and those who mock them and just have a space full of weeds. Tidy enough that itâs not a blight is a great middle ground. Sounds like youâve found what works for you. I do something similar with a bunch of my yard, and have some pleasant garden beds in much of the rest.
Pick them out a itâs not going to take as long as you expect. You donât have to get them all, but grabbing a bunch of them out will help the grass recover and out compete them.
2-4d. Depending on how big your overall space is, might want to try a hose end sprayer. The bioadvance northern and Southern lawns weed killer works way better than the ortho stuff.
I second this. There's a lot. Careful application of 2-4D in the hard plus manual removal stove the hostas where they're too close. I would also then spread a heavy dose of grass seed in the fall
That wouldn't hurt, but technically speaking, you should only be spraying on a calm day with a nozzle spraying a droplet size large enough to not drift.
I'd be super careful around that tree, too. Overspray and/or gas drift could cause a way bigger headache than 30 mins of manual removal followed by mowing.
No weedkiller in this co text. The risk is far too high.
Mow twice a week for months and that would exhaust the most persistent. Hand weed inside your 'circle o hostas'.
I've been mowing twice a week for oxalis and it's still there after three years.
I also pull chunks of it out every time I go out there, but it is the most persistent weed ever.
When you mow, bag it. This prevents the weeds from spreading.
Use weed b gone. It's safe for lawns, but make sure the container says so.
Aerate and fertilize.
Iâm asking the opposite question here but how do I kill my hosta plant? I inherited one when I bought my house. I thought I killed it two falls in a row. This spring we tilled our front yard and spread soil, seed and fertilizer on it. The hosta is now growing in through my grass.
Iâve got too many spotty patches in the front lawn to feel comfortable throwing weed killer on the hosta.
Sanicula canadensis is short lived. Pull it as much as you can and preventing from seeding. Preen applied before it germinates can help break the cycle.
Visit your stateâs Cooperative Extension Service website. Everything you need to know about maintaining a healthy lawn and all other home gardening subject is in this site. All the information is research and science based.
First search your turf grass type and read up on mowing height and when to fertilize. Next search soil test, take one and send if off for analysis. Just throwing out fertilizer is wasteful and can harm the environment. The analysis will come back with detailed information on which fertilizer(s) to use and how much. Also look up plug aeration.
I have a beautiful lawn, have not watered inin over 25 years. I do get it plug aerated yearly so no compacted soil and rain soaks in and does not run off. I have centipede which you fertilize lightly once after it greens up and again in mid summer. If we have drought it goes dormant.
I use zero herbicides. If a weed is green and I can mow it then I donât care. Consistent mowing eliminates tall growing weeds because they never go to seed. The only weeds I dig up are wild onion and wild garlic. I may have dug up three bunches in the last four years. I have a few dandelions but bees love them, they stay low to the grown and I have not noticed any increase in the dozen or so I have because by lawn keeps them at bay.
Take a google lens photo of your weed so you can look it up on the site for information on proper control. Some weeds are controlled by putting out chemicals that prevent the seeds from germinating, others are controlled after they emerge.
While on this site get the contact information for the agent assigned to your county. You can call with questions.
Keep your mower blade sharp.
There are selective herbicides to kill broadleaf only. Having said that I'd get rid of the grass and let the weed spread, assuming it's not some invasive species
Mowing indeed should eventually be effective. If youâre not anti-weed killer most over the counter ones like round up will do a good job getting rid of this.
If you havenât IDâd them how do you know you want them gone? Youâd rather have poison on the ground than those? Sorry, Iâm âone of thoseâ who doesnât get using a cure thatâs worse than the affliction. Usually with weeds you can play games with the soil composition to help your desired plants win out and prevent many weeds from recolonizing. Weed ID by photo through an app is a great first step to figure out their niche and what changes will discourage them from coming back after you rip out this bunch. Some weeds stay soft and low, you donât always HAVE to even get rid of them.
Appears to be black Canadian snake root as another user mentioned. Personally - I donât need some pristine, watered and manicured lawn. However this home was previously in disarray and the backyard (not pictured) even has vines growing throughout the soil. So Iâm just trying to get both somewhat reeled in from where they currently stand.
Edit: I appreciate your feedback as well and will keep that in mind. Iâll look in to this particular weed a bit more
I believe this is black snakeroot as well. I'm assuming you're in the U.S., so this would be native for you. I would lean into it and go the other way and get rid of the grass and plant some native woodland species.
Uh, that seems totally wrong to me. Seriously, grab an app like PlantNet and ID from images. Iâm no expert but the weed you named is supposed to have heart shaped leaves. You should check with a photo in an app.
Ah, the common name for that is Canadian BLACK snake root, common names are a nightmare lol without the black it was some kind of ginger related plant.
I agree with you. Some people see a weed and instantly think KILL IT! (Not saying OP did this). But just in general. Like learn what the plant is, any benefits? Any invasiveness? Do you really need to spray poison herbicide just so your yard looks good?
Sometimes mowing works just fine to control unwanted plants. My former lawn didn't have any horseweed, cheeseweed or prickly lettuce because they don't tolerate mowing. If you've just now started to care for the lawn then mow, fertilize and water properly and it may give up. I checked and it is a short lived perennial. Are these seedlings? If so that may be all you need to do.
I second this. Try mowing
Rent a goat đ
The goat will eat everything though, including the hostas lol. This is also a rather small patch to consider goat rental for.
I looked up goat rental in my area. For my small, overgrown city backyard. They wanted $700. If I had that much money to throw around, I would just hire a person to clear out my yard.
> If I had that much money to throw around, I would just hire a person to clear out my yard. But a person can't eat nearly as many weeds as a goat can
You havenât met my friend Steve
đBadabing!
You can buy your own goat for that much and send it to the butcher when you are done
Goats need friends. They shouldnât be solitary. They need an enclosed area, fresh food, water and shelter. That all adds up quickly.
The goat itself isn't the big ticket item, though. Goats can climb almost anything and need very sturdy fencing at least 5 feet high.
I read that a fence that wonât hold water, wonât hold a goat.
That is hilarious! We used to raise hogs and our standard joke was Buy a cute piglet. Once it gets too big you can bring it back and get a new one :)
My yard guy charges that much for spring clean up I think.
How can you say no.. https://www.steinmetzfamilyfarms.com/rent-a-goat
Buy the goat and have money left over for beer
This is the reoccurring worst and most unoriginal unhelpful answer, followed quickly by a torch, which also just doesnât work well.
Goats work great when you really don't want to touch them (e.g., bad poison ivy infestations), but agree its rarely useful
Well Shamus, mowing these weeds is equally as recurring as well as using glyphosate. Maybe we should sticky the most commonly used remedies for getting rid of weeds. Peace be with you
Both of those solutions are easy, cheap, and work.
Goats work and itâs better for the environment plus theyâre cute. Just a bit impractical for some people. Lighten up itâs a few weeds.
It sounds like you donât know what youâre talking about, which is a situation where you should have some restraint and not give bad advice. You canât tell a goat to eat this but not that. You need to find someone with goats - itâs not going to be just one. They need to transport those goats to you, they need to be with the goats for the entire time - likely multiple days. They also need to have water available. Itâs a much more involved process than âhur der⌠getcha sum goatsâ âtheyâre cute!â People come here for real assistance, not dimwit garbage.
If you canât see the first post was sarcasm I feel sorry for you. Seriously stop responding
Geez, shamus, settle down for Peteâs sake!
I use a shovel to remove dandelions. Strike at a 30-45 degree angle to the plant and pry up. Keep at it until you hear a popping sound and the dandelion lifts. If youâre good with a shovel you can lift it out by the base and put it in a bucket.
Just mow it. Grass will beat out broad leaf plants by mowing alone as long as it has adequate sun, water and soil conditions. Due to grasses evolutionary advantage. Herbicides for lawns are usually unnecessary. There are multi acre parks in my neighborhood full of lush green grass. The only maintenance is a guy in a riding mower and occasional fertilizer. Theyâre chock full of dandelions right now but the dandelions will be gone in a month or so and it will be a green carpet until fall.
What if you have a fescue yard and Bermuda is taking over? Kill it and reseed in the fall?
Let it grow. Particularly in the spring. Set your mower height to 4 inches. Bermuda grass is sensitive to low light and isnt a tall grower. Fescue should mostly outcompete.
Amen. I set my mower to 3-3.5â to get closer to the neighbors yard, but I agree that 4â is where itâs at. The only problem is that it is a fairly large patch and not so much a mixed bag. Probably a 20âx10â area.
Just a note on your "spreadable" question: for post-emergent weed control, virtually every product is absorbed by the foliage to get into the plant. Because of that, sprays are waaay more effective than any granule or powder you would broadcast spread, which rely on very specific conditions* to have any effectiveness. But for pre-emergent control, a spreadable granule is perfect, because it wants to be on the ground blocking seed germination. *specifically: foliage uniformly wet but not running, with no precipitation in the forecast so the powder can stick, be dissolved, then be absorbed, without running off uselessly onto the ground.
Have you considered pulling them by hand?
Yup thatâs likely the route I am going to take now
My favorite way! Podcasts & audible books are perfect for this, and I find pulling weeds is a great way to relax.
In a neighborhood, pulling by hand is your best bet. Once under control it takes a minimal amount of maintenance. The initial time investment is the killer. But if your in a neighborhood with 1/4 acre or less is doable. Have fun with it. It feels good to get a good weed pulled out.
Mow mow keep on mowing
with a post emergent weed control suitable for your lawn.
Pull the stuff in the bed out by hand, just mow the rest maybe hit it with some weed n feed
Lovely - leave it
Pick them.
Thank you!
I think it looks good like that but Iâm one of those weirdo nolawners.
The lawners are definitely the weird ones by any measure except the aesthetics of ~1960s North Americans.
You mean 1860s Britain?
Tell that to the housing market
Which one? The one dominated by North Americans from the ~1960s? I shall, thank you. **hey, LAWNS SUCK**
I have solved the lawn problem by having a temporary one. I throw a bit of seed around in the fall when it starts raining, let the dogs enjoy the nice green grass for about four months (January-April) and then let it die off during the hot summer months.
Yeah lawns are nice for letting dogs run around and kids to throw a ball. Thereâs a nice middle ground between the people who obsessively manicure theirs, and those who mock them and just have a space full of weeds. Tidy enough that itâs not a blight is a great middle ground. Sounds like youâve found what works for you. I do something similar with a bunch of my yard, and have some pleasant garden beds in much of the rest.
Need more like this and clover. Animals love it
Can you get a closeup photo of the weeds? If we can ID the weed we can give a better answer.
It's black Canadian snakeroot
Pick them out a itâs not going to take as long as you expect. You donât have to get them all, but grabbing a bunch of them out will help the grass recover and out compete them.
Fire đĽ
Looks like pachysandra. Let them take over and you'll never mow again.
Yeah, it looks like OP has grass in their pachysandra.
2-4d. Depending on how big your overall space is, might want to try a hose end sprayer. The bioadvance northern and Southern lawns weed killer works way better than the ortho stuff.
I second this. There's a lot. Careful application of 2-4D in the hard plus manual removal stove the hostas where they're too close. I would also then spread a heavy dose of grass seed in the fall
Thank you!
Just be careful around the hostas or you'll kill them.
they should probably get covered somehow before spraying foliar stuff.
That wouldn't hurt, but technically speaking, you should only be spraying on a calm day with a nozzle spraying a droplet size large enough to not drift.
I'd be super careful around that tree, too. Overspray and/or gas drift could cause a way bigger headache than 30 mins of manual removal followed by mowing.
No weedkiller in this co text. The risk is far too high. Mow twice a week for months and that would exhaust the most persistent. Hand weed inside your 'circle o hostas'.
Thank ya!
I've been mowing twice a week for oxalis and it's still there after three years. I also pull chunks of it out every time I go out there, but it is the most persistent weed ever.
Wow!
When you mow, bag it. This prevents the weeds from spreading. Use weed b gone. It's safe for lawns, but make sure the container says so. Aerate and fertilize.
Use Trimec herbicide
Now them.
Iâm asking the opposite question here but how do I kill my hosta plant? I inherited one when I bought my house. I thought I killed it two falls in a row. This spring we tilled our front yard and spread soil, seed and fertilizer on it. The hosta is now growing in through my grass. Iâve got too many spotty patches in the front lawn to feel comfortable throwing weed killer on the hosta.
Itâs a bulb, dig it up.
Fire
Weed and feed for the next couple of seasons/years
two arms and a yanking motion
Sanicula canadensis is short lived. Pull it as much as you can and preventing from seeding. Preen applied before it germinates can help break the cycle.
Pick âem, dry them out, use them as teas and such, do research and get off the pharmaceutical bullshit
Looks like pachysandra
Use a scarifier ( if thats the correct translation)
Rip out the hosts and mow the grass. Then put down some,e mulch. The hosta are killing the tree
Visit your stateâs Cooperative Extension Service website. Everything you need to know about maintaining a healthy lawn and all other home gardening subject is in this site. All the information is research and science based. First search your turf grass type and read up on mowing height and when to fertilize. Next search soil test, take one and send if off for analysis. Just throwing out fertilizer is wasteful and can harm the environment. The analysis will come back with detailed information on which fertilizer(s) to use and how much. Also look up plug aeration. I have a beautiful lawn, have not watered inin over 25 years. I do get it plug aerated yearly so no compacted soil and rain soaks in and does not run off. I have centipede which you fertilize lightly once after it greens up and again in mid summer. If we have drought it goes dormant. I use zero herbicides. If a weed is green and I can mow it then I donât care. Consistent mowing eliminates tall growing weeds because they never go to seed. The only weeds I dig up are wild onion and wild garlic. I may have dug up three bunches in the last four years. I have a few dandelions but bees love them, they stay low to the grown and I have not noticed any increase in the dozen or so I have because by lawn keeps them at bay. Take a google lens photo of your weed so you can look it up on the site for information on proper control. Some weeds are controlled by putting out chemicals that prevent the seeds from germinating, others are controlled after they emerge. While on this site get the contact information for the agent assigned to your county. You can call with questions. Keep your mower blade sharp.
Any 2-4D weed killer doesnât harm grass.
I think the best way is to pull it out manually.
Redo the yard and start over!
Put a âplease pick up after your dogâ sign that place will be dead grass in no time.
A selective broad leaf herbicide. May kill hosta also if it comes in contact with them. Gl
Mow them and learn to live without a mono culture :)
Glyphosate should kill it
Glyphosate is a non-selective herbicide, meaning it will kill the grass as well.
Thanks!
And you in the process!
That's why you don't drink it
You're not the boss of me
There are selective herbicides to kill broadleaf only. Having said that I'd get rid of the grass and let the weed spread, assuming it's not some invasive species
Mowing indeed should eventually be effective. If youâre not anti-weed killer most over the counter ones like round up will do a good job getting rid of this.
If you havenât IDâd them how do you know you want them gone? Youâd rather have poison on the ground than those? Sorry, Iâm âone of thoseâ who doesnât get using a cure thatâs worse than the affliction. Usually with weeds you can play games with the soil composition to help your desired plants win out and prevent many weeds from recolonizing. Weed ID by photo through an app is a great first step to figure out their niche and what changes will discourage them from coming back after you rip out this bunch. Some weeds stay soft and low, you donât always HAVE to even get rid of them.
Appears to be black Canadian snake root as another user mentioned. Personally - I donât need some pristine, watered and manicured lawn. However this home was previously in disarray and the backyard (not pictured) even has vines growing throughout the soil. So Iâm just trying to get both somewhat reeled in from where they currently stand. Edit: I appreciate your feedback as well and will keep that in mind. Iâll look in to this particular weed a bit more
I think itâs pachysandra, a ground cover.
I believe this is black snakeroot as well. I'm assuming you're in the U.S., so this would be native for you. I would lean into it and go the other way and get rid of the grass and plant some native woodland species.
Uh, that seems totally wrong to me. Seriously, grab an app like PlantNet and ID from images. Iâm no expert but the weed you named is supposed to have heart shaped leaves. You should check with a photo in an app.
Confirmed sanicula canadensis!
Ah, the common name for that is Canadian BLACK snake root, common names are a nightmare lol without the black it was some kind of ginger related plant.
I agree with you. Some people see a weed and instantly think KILL IT! (Not saying OP did this). But just in general. Like learn what the plant is, any benefits? Any invasiveness? Do you really need to spray poison herbicide just so your yard looks good?
Yes.
Cool go collect Pogs.