This is the first of two posts about non-toxic weed control: one for lawns and one for sidewalks cracks, driveways and patios.
FOR LAWNS
For crabgrass and other weeds the new corn gluten lawn products should be applied in early spring to reduce the germination of new weeds. These products are applied with a lawn spreader and prevent seeds of weeds from sprouting. Allowing your grass to grow taller and avoid cutting it too short will discourage weeds and allow the grass itself to get healthier.
If you have a dandelions, here is a method that will just about completely eliminate them. This method is not practical for very large lawns however, but I have had great success keeping smaller lawns completely dandelion free with about 1/2 hour per week or less of work in the spring dandelion season.
As soon as dandelions appear, both flowering and still only green, I use a weed remover tool like those pictured below. These tools do not require bending. Removing dandelions twice weekly with this tool alone will keep the lawn nearly free of dandelion flowers especially if you look for dandelions that have yet to flower and pull them also. If the flowers are already going to seed (forming a white puff ball) try to remove the puff ball without dispersing any seeds an dispose them in a bag.
Since this tool will not get the entire root of many of the dandelions, they will grow back. A trick that I have used to kill the remaining root is to squirt vinegar into the hole as soon as I have pulled the dandelion. This does require bending or kneeling, I often prefer to do the dandelion removal without the no-bend tool and use a long serrated edge kitchen knife. I encircle the root by making three or four stabs around the root. Then after lifting most of the weed and root, I squirt about a tablespoon vinegar into the bottom of the hole. This will kill or at least stunt the remaining root, and because the vinegar is applied below the sod it does not harm the grass. If you do this a few times in spring when the dandelions are plentiful (here that is late April and early May) I find that the number decrease dramatically through May and June. By June I can do my entire lawn in about 10 mins. twice a week. This may be less time than it takes to apply Round-Up.
I have posted below a squirt bottle I made to make it easier to get the vinegar deep into the hole. This was made simply by gluing a plastic straw on to a empty water bottle lid after making the hole in the bottle cap slightly wider to fit the straw. I used epoxy for the glue and was careful not to get glue on the inside of the bottle cap where it screws onto the bottle. I stretched the hole in the bottle cap with a the single blade of scissors just by pushing it in and turning.
FOR LAWNS
For crabgrass and other weeds the new corn gluten lawn products should be applied in early spring to reduce the germination of new weeds. These products are applied with a lawn spreader and prevent seeds of weeds from sprouting. Allowing your grass to grow taller and avoid cutting it too short will discourage weeds and allow the grass itself to get healthier.
If you have a dandelions, here is a method that will just about completely eliminate them. This method is not practical for very large lawns however, but I have had great success keeping smaller lawns completely dandelion free with about 1/2 hour per week or less of work in the spring dandelion season.
As soon as dandelions appear, both flowering and still only green, I use a weed remover tool like those pictured below. These tools do not require bending. Removing dandelions twice weekly with this tool alone will keep the lawn nearly free of dandelion flowers especially if you look for dandelions that have yet to flower and pull them also. If the flowers are already going to seed (forming a white puff ball) try to remove the puff ball without dispersing any seeds an dispose them in a bag.
Since this tool will not get the entire root of many of the dandelions, they will grow back. A trick that I have used to kill the remaining root is to squirt vinegar into the hole as soon as I have pulled the dandelion. This does require bending or kneeling, I often prefer to do the dandelion removal without the no-bend tool and use a long serrated edge kitchen knife. I encircle the root by making three or four stabs around the root. Then after lifting most of the weed and root, I squirt about a tablespoon vinegar into the bottom of the hole. This will kill or at least stunt the remaining root, and because the vinegar is applied below the sod it does not harm the grass. If you do this a few times in spring when the dandelions are plentiful (here that is late April and early May) I find that the number decrease dramatically through May and June. By June I can do my entire lawn in about 10 mins. twice a week. This may be less time than it takes to apply Round-Up.
I have posted below a squirt bottle I made to make it easier to get the vinegar deep into the hole. This was made simply by gluing a plastic straw on to a empty water bottle lid after making the hole in the bottle cap slightly wider to fit the straw. I used epoxy for the glue and was careful not to get glue on the inside of the bottle cap where it screws onto the bottle. I stretched the hole in the bottle cap with a the single blade of scissors just by pushing it in and turning.