Weeding a neglected lawn?

worlds goodest teecher

Whats the best advice for using weed killer with kids around? Obvious not while they are outside but how long afterwards can they play on the lawn? Is there a non toxic alternative? For some reason I have it in my head that weeds don't like salt. Bought a second hand house recently and it almost looks there are more weeds than grass.

Lumen

Regular mowing to the correct height is a good way to rejuvenate a weedy lawn.

mulbot

I've used bicarbonate of soda and it works really well, but I'm not sure how viable that is on a big lawn full of weeds.

exaisle

As the above posted says, regular mowing will help hugely. The tendency here seems to be that lawns get a weekly skinning.

A twice weekly cut, and allowing the lawn to grow higher will generally result in a better quality of lawn.

The grasses will smother most of the weeds.

You could also consider trying a slow release fertiliser along the lines of Humber Palmers No 13 which won't cause mad growth but will give you a lovely healthy lawn throughout the growing season.

Seve OB

cut it, it might not be as bad as you think
then when it is low, get a bag of this
https://www.woodies.ie/goulding-extra-strength-feed-weed-mosskiller-15kg-1158243
be generous, water it following the instructions
after a couple of weeks the weeds & moss dies off and go black, rake it out, hard work but it works
lawn may now look crap but don't worry.
mix some grass seed with some sand and compost and spread it around the bare patches, water it if no rain, in a few weeks it will knit well together

if it is still crap.... you may have to start from scratch, rotate it, mix in some sand and compost depending on what your soil is like, level it out and spread seed

then you should scarify it at least twice a year
pole fork it and fill the holes with some sand a couple of times a year also.

80j2lc5y7u6qs9

Vinegar is a sort of organic weedkiller. It would be safe near children

_Brian

Madison Drab Respirator wrote: »

Vinegar is a sort of organic weedkiller. It would be safe near children

It will kill the grass !!

80j2lc5y7u6qs9

_Brian wrote: »

It will kill the grass !!

any weedkiller will kill grass. I don't understand that. .If you put vinegar it will kill weed but the ground will grow things again but if you mix salt and vinegar on a part of garden nothing will grow there again. Or so I have read. Vinegar is similar to perlagoric acid which is found in organic weedkillers

Lumen

Madison Drab Respirator wrote: »

any weedkiller will kill grass.

Not true. Selective broad leaf herbicides do not kill grass.

Salt and vinegar are non selective chemicals. They may also be more persistently toxic than alternatives.

Ginger83

worlds goodest teecher wrote: »

Whats the best advice for using weed killer with kids around? Obvious not while they are outside but how long afterwards can they play on the lawn? Is there a non toxic alternative? For some reason I have it in my head that weeds don't like salt. Bought a second hand house recently and it almost looks there are more weeds than grass.

This stuff is great.....

https://www.amazon.co.uk/EverGreen-400sqm-Complete-Lawn-Killer/dp/B00IHVNNJ4

listermint

Just cut the grass . Don't be pouring weed killer on it. If it's cut and watered it will improve. You can pull any big ones out by hand

80j2lc5y7u6qs9

Lumen wrote: »

Not true. Selective broad leaf herbicides do not kill grass.

Salt and vinegar are non selective chemicals. They may also be more persistently toxic than alternatives.

that is true i though the OP just wanted to kill weeds with something like glyphosate when he mentioned children. Apology OP

Jim_Hodge

Weedol Lawn weedkiller. Easily sprayed on and not a weed in the lawn three years after I used it.