How To Clear a Yard Full Of Weeds (6 Practical Steps)

Clearing and restoring your weed-infested yards can be tricky, but it is possible. Everyone with a lawn would want a green and lush environment, which would be the envy of the yard, and with weeds, it would be tough to achieve this.

There are several ways you can get rid of this issue, and in this article, We will be providing you with a straightforward and practical steps on how to clear a yard full of weeds.

Let’s get started!

How To Clear a Yard Full of Weeds

Below are the steps you can use to restore your yard infested with weeds. 

Step 1: Identify The Weed Type 

For your plan to clear your weeds to work, you must be sure about the weed you’re dealing with. There are several categories of weeds and several types also. The three major categories of weeds are; 

• Grass-like weeds
• Broad leaves
• Grassy weeds 

And they can be further classified into- annuals, perennials, and biennials. Apart from just knowing the type, you have to be able to know what characteristics make weeds grass, like broad leaves and grassy. 

Broad leaves are usually flat weeds that have overall appearances. Some common examples of broad-leaved plants include clovers, ground Lilies, and chickweeds. Grass-like plants are similar to grasses, except they are hollow leaves that are usually triangular or tube-shaped. 

Some common examples of grass-like plants include the nutsedge and wild onions. The grassy plants look like grass-like plants, except that this category grows with one leaf at a time. Good examples are quack grass, crabgrass, and blue grasses. 

Annuals, biennials, and perennials are plants that produce seeds in one, two, three, or more seasons. To get to know If your plants are either annuals or even perennials, you can google it.

See Also: How to Keep Grass Out of Flower Beds

Step 2: Look for The Proper Herbicide to Match Your Weed Type 

Now that you’ve known the weed classification and its life cycle, you can now select the proper herbicide to go with it. There are two classifications of herbicides; pre-emergent herbicides to tackle weed issues before they come up and post-emergent herbicides to target already established weeds. 

Even if these herbicides have labels, you should remember that they can kill whatever plants they come in contact with, so you should be careful when applying them so you do not harm your flowers and valuable plants. 

Step 3: Properly Applying the Treatment

In this step, you should ensure that you follow the instructions on the packet. Also, before applying, you should check the weather forecast; this is best done during the summer because you wouldn’t want the rain to wash out your herbicide after application. 

After drying out these weeds, you can start thinking of a suitable time to plant new seeds. If you apply a pre-emergent herbicide, you should ensure that you wait for some time for the effect to wash off before planting new seeds. 

Step 4: Raking the Dry Weeds 

After these weeds dry out, you must take them out of your yard. You should rake as much as you can daily, depending on the size of your yard.

You can also use a tilting fork to pull out any more extra weeds; you can also reach out to your local garden center for more information on when it is suitable to plant again. 

Step 5: Dethatch and Aerate 

If you aerate your lawn, you can even correctly dethatch in the process. By dethatching your property, you are trying to break up the soil layer and make it softer and easier to work with. 

You should note that thatch is essential because it provides your lawn with a certain degree of insulation from extreme temperatures and improves soil moisture. Still, if your soil is too clogged together, there is a problem that can lead to root rot over time. 

If you have a thick layer, you can use a dethatching rake. By aeration, you would be improving the grassroots layer of your soil by exposing it to air, more sunlight, moisture, and even water. 

Step 6: Repair Your Soil 

After clearing and packing out the weeds, dethatching, and aerating, you can now amend your soil by applying soil amendment. After applying, lay down your seed or sod. You can choose to lay down any, but they both have pros and cons. 

The seeds are relatively cheaper, but the only problem is that they would take more time to germinate for the sods; you can lay them any time of the year and still have them grow properly with little maintenance, but the only problem is that they are very costly and fewer varieties, which results in a less healthy lawn. 

Ensure your soil is six to eight inches deep before laying your seed or sod.

After following these steps, you have successfully cleared your lawn full of weeds and can start planting varieties of valuable crops and grasses.

See Also: How to Build a Stone Flower Bed Border

Common Reasons Why Your Yard Is Full of Weeds 

These weeds do not just come. Naturally, there has to be a reason why they appear on your lawn. Some common reasons why your yard is filled with weeds include; 

1. Poor Grass Growth

Weeds usually thrive in thin grasses, so you must keep your grasses healthy and growing so these weeds wouldn’t stand a chance. When mowing, set your mowers to the highest setting because if plants are too short, it allows weeds to mess with them. 

2. Not Watering Enough 

Weeds usually have a robust root system, which makes it very easy for them to compete with your plants for moisture. So if you do not water your plants enough, these weeds have higher chances of outgrowing your plants. 

3. Irregular Maintenance 

Proper maintenance is critical if you do not want your lawn to be invaded by weeds. Ensure that your plants and flowers get enough sunlight, water, nutrients, and moisture. Also, ensure that you do a yard check twice a month at least to ensure that your plants are in excellent condition. 

If you do not have time for these plants, maybe due to work or some other reasons, then you can hire professional lawn services like TruGreen to keep your yards healthy and lawn free,