Home & Garden

More Weeds than grass, What to do?

  • Last Updated:
  • Mar 27th, 2024 6:56 pm
Deal Expert
User avatar
Jan 27, 2004
18701 posts
5730 upvotes
exrcoupe wrote: Could that be why people create an edge line to separate the grass from the hot concrete/asphalt driveway? Other than being super OCD about the lines.
My next goal is to learn how to use the trimmer trim the edge..any suggestion link from youtube?
2007 - Ipod Video (TD), Ipod Shuffle (GM)
2006 - Ipod Nano (TD)
2005 - Ipod Shuffle (TD)
Deal Expert
Jan 27, 2006
21844 posts
15620 upvotes
Vancouver, BC
kiasu wrote: My next goal is to learn how to use the trimmer trim the edge..any suggestion link from youtube?
It's actually easy to do but you will need safety glasses as the stuff flies all over the place and an extra roll of trimmer stringer as edging uses a lot of trimmer string.



An alternative is to get an old school mechanical edger (basically a hoe that is straight instead of 90 degrees) and just work it into the ground with your foot applying pressure like you would with a shovel - no eye protection needed, cheap as you can typically buy it used for a few bucks, and uses no trimmer string.
Deal Fanatic
Dec 6, 2006
5805 posts
1972 upvotes
Toronto
kiasu wrote: My next goal is to learn how to use the trimmer trim the edge..any suggestion link from youtube?
Just hold your trimmer 90 degree off and go at it. Or you want bit more convenient, get one like this. The head can rotate 90 degree and there's a little wheel there to roll on ground along for trimming edges : https://www.homedepot.ca/product/ryobi- ... 1001619468

I have same or similar one.
Deal Guru
User avatar
Apr 24, 2006
10913 posts
1064 upvotes
Mississauga
I know I'm late to the game, but I applied Killex about a week ago. Do I wait another week to cut it before I lay down seed? Do I cut it short or leave it high before I put down seed/topsoil?
Member
Sep 17, 2007
458 posts
114 upvotes
Toronto
I am a beginner when it comes to lawn maintenance. Our front lawn area (not very big patch) has had way too much weeds so we finally decided to do something about it. I read some posts in this thread for the steps and now realize we may be a few weeks late in spreading new seeds.

Anyhow, we pulled out as much weeds as we can over a week and then tossed the soil around a bit and now waiting another week to see if more weeds will pop out, we are watering the soil once in a while as I read that tip somewhere.

My questions now are:
- what type of soil should I add as the first layer or to spread the seeds with? I’m guessing a good soil that won’t have a lot weeds mixed in it?
- what type of grass seed would be best given it will be become hotter now? The area does get quite a bit of sun since our front lawn faces south.
- I think I need to add some soil to cover the seeds once they are spread; which type of soil can I use for this top layer?

I still have 2 bags of Scott’s Lawn Soil but they are from like two years ago. Are they still useable for seeding this new area?

Hoping to get some guidance from this amazing community before I embark on the next steps!
Deal Addict
User avatar
Mar 26, 2011
2609 posts
683 upvotes
Toronto, ON
Is it too late in the season in Markham (30 degrees today) to dethatch, aerate, fertilize, overseed and water daily to improve a sparse lawn?
Deal Addict
Mar 22, 2017
3106 posts
4579 upvotes
West GTA
lekkel wrote: I am a beginner when it comes to lawn maintenance. Our front lawn area (not very big patch) has had way too much weeds so we finally decided to do something about it. I read some posts in this thread for the steps and now realize we may be a few weeks late in spreading new seeds.

Anyhow, we pulled out as much weeds as we can over a week and then tossed the soil around a bit and now waiting another week to see if more weeds will pop out, we are watering the soil once in a while as I read that tip somewhere.

My questions now are:
- what type of soil should I add as the first layer or to spread the seeds with? I’m guessing a good soil that won’t have a lot weeds mixed in it?
- what type of grass seed would be best given it will be become hotter now? The area does get quite a bit of sun since our front lawn faces south.
- I think I need to add some soil to cover the seeds once they are spread; which type of soil can I use for this top layer?

I still have 2 bags of Scott’s Lawn Soil but they are from like two years ago. Are they still useable for seeding this new area?

Hoping to get some guidance from this amazing community before I embark on the next steps!
1. Grass seed likes a good seed bed to get started, which keeps it moist and nutrient rich. High quality lawn soil is a good choice. It won't level any bumps at all, but it's good for growing grass and typically has no weeds.
2. If you're doing late-spring seeding like this, I'd choose ryegrass or maybe ryegrass and tall fescue. Nothing else is likely to establish well by the time consistent summer heat hits. Even the ryegrass will require a lot of water to get it to sprout and to get it to survive the summer as young grass. You can buy a higher-end 'overseeding mix' from Speare, General Seeds, OSC, etc.
3. Once you broadcast the seed, mixing it into the lawn soil with the back of a leaf rake or covering it with a light bit of peat moss or more lawn soil (1/4 inch) can help keep it from drying out. It it dries, it dies.

Your old soil is totally fine for this. Go for it.

Plan for the possibility of doing more overseeding in the late summer to early fall, which tends to be better for grass seed than spring seeding. It's hard to keep grass seed alive in a dry, hot spring and summer. When you seed this spring, water it multiple times a day if required to keep it moist, and ryegrass can take up to two weeks, fescue three, and bluegrass four weeks to all pop.
Deal Addict
User avatar
Oct 24, 2003
1231 posts
615 upvotes
GTA
Anyone know if this is a grass or a weed? Got a ton of them growing this year. Never saw them last year.
Images
  • 20210520_190011.jpg
Deal Addict
User avatar
Feb 14, 2012
1203 posts
345 upvotes
Ontario
Can gardening soil be used as lawn soil? I have a bunch of left over PROMIX that I was thinking of putting down on my lawn for over-seeding but don't want to waste it if it's not going have the proper characteristics.
Deal Expert
Jan 27, 2006
21844 posts
15620 upvotes
Vancouver, BC
MobifreeCA wrote: Is it too late in the season in Markham (30 degrees today) to dethatch, aerate, fertilize, overseed and water daily to improve a sparse lawn?
It's never too late to aerate. As for the rest, it really depends on the weather but it's getting really close to too late really fast now. You can do some preparation work now and overseed in the Fall which will work out well for next year.

For example, aerate, remove weeds, add some fertilizer (not much as it only really helps when the grass is about to or is actively growing), and water. You can even put down some compost/manure/peat moss after you aerate and you will probably see a decent outcome even without overseeding now. The problem with hot weather is that it will be hard to keep the seeds moist enough to germinate and settle in without putting down a whole lot of water for a while.
Deal Addict
Mar 4, 2014
1490 posts
703 upvotes
Toronto
Where is the best place to get the US weed killer right now?
Deal Addict
Oct 1, 2015
4101 posts
6125 upvotes
Barrie, ON
jimmyzaas wrote: Anyone know if this is a grass or a weed? Got a ton of them growing this year. Never saw them last year.
I doubt grass would be seeding already, that's something similar to crabgrass.. Definitely want to get rid of it.
Deal Addict
Aug 30, 2015
1068 posts
782 upvotes
Kitchener, ON
Hey guys, my front yard is ruined since last summer. We didn't get enough rain and I never watered the front lawn, so most of my grass is was gone by the fall.

This year, weeds are taking over (or already did), and that's more than 50% of the area. There's a huge variety of weeds that I don't know the names of: dandelion, another one that looks like a lettuce but with thorns/spikes, another one that when you touch it, releases a BUNCH of seeds (this one is quite interesting lol), a few cute ones with blue little flowers, one with yellow flowers (not dendelion), you name it.

So is this recoverable at all? Should I pull the most weeds I can and try to put more top soil and plant seed grass? I feel like the weeds would gonna win this race and outgrow the grass seeds, since I'd never pull out the weeds completely.

Pesticides are probably not an option, I assume? I'm in Ontario and my weeds enjoy Weed-b-gone like it's a summer drink.

I am NOT looking forward a perfect green lawn, but I wanna cover these dirt patches somehow so the weeds don't take over completely.

https://i.imgur.com/Wey1c1r.jpg
You can have an idea by this picture. A lot of the green you see, specially in the centre, is not grass.

Any advices?
Newbie
Jan 15, 2009
86 posts
139 upvotes
I would got an electric Tiller/Cultivator to run over the lawn. Since there was nothing good there, so It may just as well to destroy everything.
Deal Addict
Aug 30, 2015
1068 posts
782 upvotes
Kitchener, ON
kaxx wrote: I would got an electric Tiller/Cultivator to run over the lawn. Since there was nothing good there, so It may just as well to destroy everything.
sorry, I know nothing about gardening/lawn. How would that work? I imagine this would leave a lot of the material on the ground and it would just grow again? Or do you have run the equipment and remove and dispose that top layer?
Deal Fanatic
Apr 22, 2003
6429 posts
2211 upvotes
tdotishome wrote: Does anyone have a 2,4D hook up in Ontario? Have a brutal ground ivy problem in my back yard and really want to avoid obliterating the entire lawn and starting over.
did you ever find it? I'm looking for it too
Deal Addict
Dec 3, 2006
4593 posts
19425 upvotes
Vancouver, BC
How can I get my hands on Tenacity?
Yes, I know it may be banned but still trying to source it.
Newbie
Jan 15, 2009
86 posts
139 upvotes
pca1987 wrote: sorry, I know nothing about gardening/lawn. How would that work? I imagine this would leave a lot of the material on the ground and it would just grow again? Or do you have run the equipment and remove and dispose that top layer?
I'm no expert either. I would do it at a hot day and flip the group over. Let it dry for weeks before reseeding, and kill any weeds if they regrow. It would be easy to kill weeds since you have the soil flipped.
Member
Jan 5, 2017
349 posts
260 upvotes
montreal
Boomer23 wrote: Where is the best place to get the US weed killer right now?
Seedranch.com ! I've had plenty of success getting the good stuff there

Top

Thread Information

There are currently 2 users viewing this thread. (1 member and 1 guest)

bluejaysdeal