Summer is a perfect time to “weed out” the weeds plaguing your lawn. However, if you’re considering Doing-It-Yourself (DIY), you may want to think again. While DIY may seem like the cheaper or more environmentally friendly option, it can actually cause more harm than good.
Weeds choke out desirable plants and can quickly overwhelm yards. Weeds are a tough challenge for a homeowner to overcome, and while you’re welcome to try out as many DIY methods as you’d like, we’d advise you to skip it.
If your goal is to have a healthy, attractive, weed-free yard, then (without a doubt), your best option is to hire a professional weed control service.
The Problem with DIY Weed Control – It’s unreliable and less effective.
There are a plethora of DIY options for weed control…store-bought products, home remedies, adding extra plants, mulch, hand pulling…the list goes on and on. But all these DIY methods have a few not so great things in common: they take a lot of time, work, and are often ineffective.
1. Store-bought products involve a guessing game that you will often lose.
When using store-bought herbicides to eliminate weeds, it can be hard to know precisely how much to use without professional help. Using too little product will be ineffective, and using too much product can burn your lawn. Not to mention, you’ll need to accurately choose which herbicide to buy and figure out how often you’ll need to use it.
Store-bought products often end up being a waste of time and money. Without identifying the weed types and without the proper training to eliminate them, the weeds will often just keep coming back again and again.
Although store-bought weed control products will have labels on the bag to help guide you, lawns are not all the same. Yards across the country have different soil types, grass types, plant types, moisture levels, and shade conditions.
Depending on your lawn’s situation, some weed products may kill weeds but simultaneously harm your valuable plants and grass.
Many factors need to be assessed to determine a reliable weed control routine.
Having weed killers around the house can also affect you and your family. Some can be dangerous to people if not used or stored properly. Weed control products can also become ineffective if the product has been in storage for an extended amount of time, especially if kept in areas that aren’t temperature controlled. Always take extra care when using or storing store-bought herbicides.
2. Home remedies are mostly ineffective and can cause more harm than good.
Home remedies such as weed pulling, mowing over weeds, or using household items is time-consuming and often ineffective. Here’s the issue with attempting weed removal without the proper herbicides…if the weed root structure isn’t completely destroyed or removed, the odds are good that the weeds will continue to regrow.
For example, people will often try mowing over the weeds, but mowing just removes the weeds’ appearance, it doesn’t kill them. Even weed pulling can often be ineffective for long term results.
Many homeowners have also turned away from herbicide products to try out home remedies as a means of killing weeds. Although using everyday household items in your lawn may seem more environmentally friendly than herbicide products, that is not always true. In some cases, home weed-killer remedies can actually cause more harm than good.
Many everyday household items have been toted as reliable home remedy weed killers. Products such as vinegar, dish soap, salt, baking soda, and boiling water have been used on weeds. While some of these can be somewhat effective, all of them come with potential issues. Vinegar, salt, and baking soda can kill weeds by removing moisture from the plant, causing it to dry out.
Using dish soap on weeds can work by decomposing the plant surfaces. Using boiling water obviously burns the weeds to death. However, all of these items will also quickly kill any of your nearby healthy plants if they come into contact.
We never recommend the use of salt products to remove weeds. Introducing salt into your lawn can negatively affect your plants and soil, potentially long term. The salt can even leech into the groundwater, causing problems for the local environment.
All of these home remedies can, without a doubt, kill your healthy grass and plants. If you’re going to attempt any home remedy weed control, use it only on isolated weeds in the driveway or sidewalk.
3. DIY treatments usually give short-term relief at best.
For weed removal techniques to be effective, the method must completely remove or destroy the target weeds’ root system. Achieving complete root destruction can be very difficult with most DIY plans.
While it may appear that the DIY technique has removed the weeds, what most people experience is the reappearance of the weeds over and over…which then means having to retreat the weeded areas again and again.
This is a lot of work and increases the odds that the DIY products will harm your other desirable plants. Figuring out store-bought products and home remedies usually end up being a lot of work for minimal effect and short-term relief.
4. You may not learn why weeds are popping up in your lawn without a professional to guide you.
Many factors come together to create a weed problem on your property. Factors such as soil conditions, shade, watering, mowing, and more can all affect weed growth in your yard. Without understanding what it is about your yard that is helping weeds to thrive, the odds are good that your weed problem will continue.
Even though you keep adding herbicides or home remedies, the weeds can still manage to spread or pop up in new areas because the conditions in your yard are ripe for weeds.
Without professional guidance, you will have difficulty figuring out what about your yard is continually breeding weeds. Therefore, fixing the problem will be a challenge.
The Solution – Professional Weed Control Service
1. Professionals ensure they use the perfect product for your lawn.
One size does not fit all. Professional weed technicians will inspect your property and skillfully observe the unique conditions of your particular property.
With their knowledge, they can select the appropriate spray for your lawn to prevent weeds and also not harm your desirable plants. By choosing the perfect products for your property, professional herbicides provide long-term weed prevention.
With professional strength weed control products and a technician monitoring your property, you’ll never have weeds take over.
A knowledgeable service technician ensures that weeds never see the light of day in your yard.
2. A weed control service can prevent weeds before they ever grow in your yard.
Weeds are an unsightly problem that can take over and harm your desirable plants. BUT weeds are really only a problem once they’ve grown. If you consistently have a seasonal weed issue on your property, the smartest choice is to hire a weed control service to eliminate weeds before they are a problem.
A weed control technician can apply a pre-emergent weed control product that stops weeds before they have the chance to germinate. These products target weed seeds in the soil and prevent the germinating process. When applied at the proper time, a pre-emergent weed control product can spare your lawn from the redundant seasonal battle against weeds.
3. Hiring a professional weed service improves the health and appearance of your lawn.
Weeds drag down the health and overall aesthetic of lawns. Weeds typically make yards and gardens look messy and untended. Not to mention, weeds can cause significant damage to the plants and soil in your yard. Having a professional weed control service keeps your grass and gardens free of weeds and many other potential contaminants.
Additionally, a weed control service can actually improve the levels of organic matter in your soil. This encourages desirable plants to grow healthy and vibrant. Lawns with a strong, healthy immune system have a much better chance of avoiding weeds and fighting weeds off if they do arrive.
4. A weed control professional can provide you with lawn maintenance guidance to help your lawn stay weed-free
Keeping a healthy, vibrant yard should always be the first step to keeping weeds away. Although you may feel you have a good handle on your yard, there are quite a few lawn maintenance factors to consider that the average homeowner might be unaware of.
How your lawn should be maintained is determined by many circumstances such as location, shade, moisture, soil type, and what trees and plants you have. Local experts are your best source of knowledge on keeping your yard healthy and weed-free.
When it comes to mowing, weed control experts can explain the optimal length to mow your type of grass to keep weeds at bay. Technicians can also educate you on how much you should water your lawn, trim your trees/bushes, how your soil needs to be treated, and other tips to keep your yard healthy and prevent weeds.
Having a weed control expert at your dispense can help you keep weeds away and help your lawn to win “yard of the month.”
Gecko Green’s Weed Control Service
Our professionals have been caring for the Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex area’s lawns and landscapes for over 30 years. At Gecko Green, we pride ourselves on providing our community with the best possible lawn care and pest control services – and that is why our services are always guaranteed.
Our bed weed control service ensures that you have protection in every month of the year. Our experienced specialists follow a plan tailored to the Texas climate, which includes: early-season weed prevention, spring weed control and prevention, summer weed control, and fall weed preparation.
Our knowledgeable technicians apply their extensive knowledge of the Texas climate, local plants, and risks to control and prevent unwanted weeds in your landscape.
With Gecko Green, you can leave your lawn and weed worries behind you and enjoy a lush, healthy lawn year-round.
