Eco-Friendly Lawn Care: Organic and Natural Weed Killer for Lawns
Close-up view of many weeds growing in the cracks of a concrete patio.
Maintaining a weed-free lawn and hardscape is a goal we all strive for. There are a lot of options for DIY and professional chemical weed control, but some people prefer to use natural weed control alternatives that are safe for children, pets, and the environment, in general.
If you are looking for an organic weed killer for lawns and/or all-natural weed control options, we’d like to share some possible solutions.
In this post, we’ll look into ways to control yard weeds that you can feel good about and address issues like:
Mechanical methods of weed control
Healthy lawn care practices to help control weeds
Organic and natural weed-killing treatments
Consult a trusted weed control company for help
A low angle view of many white fluffy dandelions with seeds growing on the front lawn by a house in spring.
If you need a lawn weed control service near you in the Columbia, SC area, we can help.
At Boots On Enterprises, we can tailor our efforts specifically to create an effective and safe weed treatment for your lawn that you can feel comfortable with.
We have professional weed control options that are safe for pets and children. We can also recommend eco-friendly weed killers. And we can help with all of your landscaping and tree care needs.
Contact us today for a FREE quote!
Phone: 803-521-4978
Email: bootsonenterprises@gmail.com
Next-day and same-week services are available.
A person’s left hand holding a large weed that was just pulled by hand in front of a blurred grassy lawn.
Mechanical methods of weed control
Hand-pulling, mowing, and weed whacking can help to keep weeds under control in your yard. Quite honestly, there is nothing more effective and safe than pulling weeds by hand.
If you opt to go that route, be sure to use a good pair of gardening gloves to keep your hands from injury and to give yourself the best traction when you are pulling. And watch that you don’t injure your back. You may want to have a mat to sit on rather than bending from the waist if you want to avoid back injuries. Or you can invest in a manual weed-pulling tool that allows you to reach the weeds without bending over.
If the problem area is in the cracks between pavers on your patio or in cracks in your driveway, there are some easy ways to deal with those permanently. Simply call in a local paving company to fill the cracks and you won’t have to worry about weeds for a long time.
If you are dealing with dangerous weeds (poison ivy, poison hemlock, poison sumac, giant hogweed, etc…) or just a serious weed infestation, it’s generally best to call in a trusted professional weed control service.
A view of a vibrant, healthy lawn that has recently been cut with criss-cross lawnmower wheel marks.
Healthy lawn care practices to help control weeds
Something we get very excited about is the idea of using good lawn care to help keep weeds under control. Here are some best practices for lawn care that will help you tame the weeds in your lawn.
Mulch for flowerbeds
Mulch in your landscaping beds does a great job at depriving weeds of needed nutrients, sunlight, and water. It is especially effective at suppressing weed growth if you also use a landscaping fabric before applying mulch. There are organic and inorganic types of mulch to choose from.
Regular soil aeration
Soil aeration helps your grass grow stronger root systems and helps to control and reduce weed growth. Aerating your lawn allows nutrients to reach the roots of your grass more abundantly.
Lawn aeration also helps to break up weed seedlings and improve good microbial activity in the soil. This reduces thatch buildup and helps grass be healthier.
Properly timed fertilizer
When you fertilize your lawn at the right time, the grass becomes healthier and more dense. It is better able to compete with weeds for resources and nourishment. When grass is healthy and there are no bare patches, there aren’t as many places for weeds to take over territory.
Correct mowing techniques
If you mow your lawn too short (scalping), it can stress your grass and weaken it. The grass may then require more insecticide and herbicide treatments and may not be able to handle drought as well.
Keeping your grass cut a bit higher lets you only cut the top third of the blade of grass, which is ideal for your lawn to be healthy and can reduce the number of treatments your lawn needs each growing season. For warm-season grasses, like we often have in South Carolina, a cutting height of 1-3 inches is ideal.
Keeping the grass a bit higher also helps the root system grow larger and makes your grass more drought resistant. And having healthier, longer grass shades the soil and makes it tougher for weed growth in your yard. The larger root mass can even deter grubs.
Proper watering
Watering the right amount and at the right frequency makes a big difference in weed growth in your lawn, as well because your grass will be able to outcompete and cast shade on weed seedlings. And when your grass is healthy, its root system goes deeper and can better access nutrients and avoid issues during dry times.
Also, by not over-watering your lawn, you can avoid disrupting the upper layer of soil where weed seeds tend to lie dormant, waiting for a lot of water.
A great way to ensure your lawn is being watered correctly is to have an irrigation system installed.
Overseed in early fall
Overseeding (or reseeding) is a valuable lawn care technique that increases the density of your grass and fills in bare spots so that grass takes up all the real estate and weeds have less of a chance to grow. For warm-season grasses (like Bermuda, Zoysia, and centipede), early fall is a great time to let some new grass growth develop to choke out potential weeds.
Improve soil nutrient levels
When you promote vigorous grass growth by providing adequate and balanced nutrient levels, your lawn is well-equipped to fend off weed seedlings. Some grasses can even naturally have a weed suppression effect. So by supporting your grass, you give it the power to crowd out weeds.
Treat weeds
Part of healthy lawn care involves removing weeds or treating weeds to keep them from growing and thriving. There are many types of weed treatments available from DIY to organic, pet-friendly, and professional products.
A hand spraying vinegar weed killer from a plain red spray bottle onto a weed that’s growing between paving stones near a flowerbed.
Organic and natural weed-killing treatments
Here are some natural weed control treatments you might be interested in trying.
Vinegar
Does vinegar kill weeds? Well, vinegar can be an effective natural weed killer in specific situations. The acetic acid in vinegar can dry out plants, which causes them to die. But it works best on younger, annual weeds. Vinegar may not be a great option as a natural lawn weed killer for perennial weeds or older, more established weeds with deeper root systems.
Vinegar is acidic (acetic acid) which helps to kill some younger weeds. However, your kitchen vinegar is only about 5% acetic acid. Some people like to use white vinegar from the kitchen for weed control. There are also 20-30% acetic acid vinegar options that are more effective and designed for horticultural use - like Green Gobbler 20% Vinegar Weed Killer. This is a much stronger solution, so be sure not to let it touch your skin if you decide to go that route, and read all the safety precautions.
Vinegar does have limitations. For one, it kills everything, not just weeds. This usually means that it is not a great option for controlling weeds in your yard or in landscaping areas. It may be a better choice for weeds between pavers on your patio or those pesky weeds and blades of grass that spring up in cracks in your concrete (until you can get those cracks repaired and sealed).
A similar natural weed killer to vinegar would be citric acid-based herbicides. Just like vinegar, the acid is non-selective and will kill any part of a plant it comes in contact with.
For more details on using vinegar as a weed killer, check out these resources at The Spruce and Martha Stewart (for a recipe involving vinegar, dish soap, and salt). For our money, there are more effective weed control options.
Pelletized Corn Gluten Meal used in natural lawn care as a pre-emergent to prevent weed seeds from germinating in lawns on a white background.
Corn gluten meal
Corn gluten meal is a byproduct of corn processing. Some of its proteins can prevent the growth of weed seedlings. After application, it’s important to water the area to activate it.
This natural weed control method doesn’t kill weeds that are already in your yard. But corn gluten meal can help to prevent new weeds from sprouting if it is applied 2-4 weeks before the target weeds germinate. It’s important to note that it also prevents grass seeds from sprouting, too. So don’t apply this treatment at the same time you overseed your lawn.
Also, corn gluten meal has a lot of nitrogen, which can help grass and other plants grow like crazy, but can also give a major boost to existing weeds. This is likely why this method isn’t routinely used by most homeowners alone. Additional weed management practices will likely be necessary to get the best results.
A stainless steel tea kettle with steam coming out and a black background.
Boiling water
Pouring boiling water on weeds kills the part of the plant that is in contact with the hot water. It is an eco-friendly weed-killer option that works best on young weeds that are just emerging. And, obviously, it would kill grass and other desirable plants, as well. So this method is really most useful for patios and sidewalks or for a garden where the weeds are not very close to your plants.
While there are no harmful chemicals involved in using boiling water for weed control for your lawn, handling boiling water can be very dangerous. If it splatters on you, other people, or pets, it can result in very serious burns. This is one reason we don’t like to recommend this method.
A tea kettle may be one of the safest ways to apply boiling water to a weed directly. Often, the roots can survive this brush with near death and regroup to grow another day. So for deep-rooted plants, you may have to re-treat the next week (or multiple times for multiple weeks). Boiling water doesn’t have long-term weed control effects like systemic herbicides do.
Some other downsides of using boiling water include that other plant roots nearby and healthy microbes can also be destroyed by this method. So it is not generally highly recommended.
A house with brown siding and a lush, green lawn with flowerbeds and landscaped areas and a concrete sidewalk with no weeds.
Consult local weed control companies for help
Sometimes, there are just so many weeds or the home remedies don’t work well enough to manage the problem. Or, perhaps you don’t have time to deal with the hassle of applying and reapplying natural weed killers yourself. Or maybe you desire comprehensive lawn care that only a professional landscaping service can provide.
In these situations, the best way to handle the problem is to involve a professional landscaping company or weed control service near you to find the best solution for your lawn’s needs.
If you need weed control services near you in the Columbia, SC area, we can help.
At Boots On Enterprises, we are a full-service landscaping company that can handle all of your lawn care needs and any lawn treatments or tree services you may need.
We’re glad to evaluate and provide the best weed treatment for your lawn and its particular needs.
Just contact us today and we’ll be glad to give you a FREE estimate.
Phone: 803-521-4978
Email: bootsonenterprises@gmail.com
Next-day and same-week services are available.
