5 Organic Weed Treatments

If you prefer to avoid the use of herbicides on your lawn, there are some organic options which appear to work against particular weeds. Some work well, some take perseverance, some may not actually work at all and are nothing but an old wives’ tale.

The team at Daleys Turf have put together 5 Organic Weed Treatment that might be worth a try:

Large amounts of salt will dehydrate plants and throw their internal water balance out of normal function. If you dilute a decent amount in water and apply it, you will likely get the result you are after. Unless you have a turf variety that can manage a high concentration of salt, it may also be affected. The salt will stay within the soil for a time before it eventually leeches away, so growth in this area may be stunted and prevent initial re-establishment of turf.

Boiling water is like the organic version of glyphosate (Round Up or Zero). It works well at killing weeds, but like glyphosate, it is non-selective and will also kill your grass. Boiling water is a really good option for concrete areas where you have weeds growing through cracks, but best kept away from your lawn if you don’t want to end up with dead patches.

This one is specially designed for the prevention of clover. Clover creates its own nitrogen, so as a result it tends to thrive in under-nourished lawns. If you apply a good quality nitrogen-based fertiliser to your lawn regularly, you will help your grass grower thicker which will help to crowd out the clover.

If you’re a fan of salt and vinegar chips, why stop at just salt? Vinegar too is another organic weed killer which has showed to receive quite positive results. If you mix the two together in theory, you should see even better results.

Lawns can handle an abundance of iron reasonably well, but some weeds like Bindii can’t. A home remedy requires 2 tablespoons of iron sulphate mixed with 4 ½ litres of water. Spray the bindii with the solution and if all goes well the bindii should die off within 24 hours.

The best advice Daleys Turf can give to anyone looking at using a completely organic herbicide regime, is firstly to choose a weed resistant turf variety. Then with regular mowing, decompaction of the soil and a proactive approach of removing weeds by hand as soon as they appear, you will find that the need for organic or chemical treatments for the most part won’t even be required.

For more lawn care tips and tricks, or to order your new natural lawn, contact the team at Daleys Turf today.