What to Do About Those Annoying Weeds!

Fortunately, there are several ways to keep weeds under control, including both organic and chemical solutions. In this blog post, we’ll share the two programs we use to help our clients control the weeds on their property.

What is a weed anyway?

A weed is simply any plant that is growing where it’s not wanted. The wrong kind of grass, such as bermudagrass or crabgrass, can ruin the look of your lawn and any type of grass is not welcome in your garden! Even desirable plants can become weeds if they happen to be aggressive growers. Just plant some mint in your garden and you’ll see exactly what I mean.

How to control weeds in your lawn and gardens

At Brandon Rushing, we have two programs that tackle the weeds in our clients’ lawns and gardens — an Organic Program and a Premium Program. The one you choose would depend on a couple of factors, such as your tolerance for weeds and any concerns you may have about using pesticides.

Organic weed control

Our Organic Program is perfect for people who are concerned about using chemicals to treat their lawns and gardens, especially if they have children or pets. Instead of using a chemical herbicide, the Organic Program uses a combination of lime, corn gluten and fertilizer, which is applied at specific times throughout the growing season.

1. Lime, which is a soil amendment made from ground limestone, is applied in early spring. Adding lime makes your soil less acidic, which is the perfect environment for grasses to thrive. How much or how little you need can be determined by conducting a soil test, which is something we do for all our lawn care clients.
2. The second application is performed 8-10 weeks after the lime has been applied. This application consists of corn gluten meal — which is a natural, organic pre-emergent herbicide — and a fertilizer. Corn gluten inhibits the development of roots in newly germinated seeds, preventing them from growing into mature plants.
3. The third application — which is another round of corn gluten and fertilizer — is made 8-10 weeks after the second application.
4. A final application of fertilizer is included in the Fall Recovery portion of the lawn care program, which also includes core aeration and overseeding. The more robust your lawn is, the harder it is for weeds to take over.

Premium weed control 

This program is similar to our Organic Program when it comes to the service provided and number of visits. The difference is the use of chemical herbicides to control and kill the weeds in your lawn and garden. 

This program eliminates 99% of weeds, while the Organic Program is only effective in reducing weeds by 60-80%. If you want your lawn and gardens to be virtually weed-free, this is the way to go.

Spot-spraying and hand-weeding

Herbicides, whether organic or not, affect anything that’s growing, so we spot-spraying individual weeds. This way we don’t risk harming the grass or your garden plants. 

If weeds are too close to your gardens (or hiding among your perennials), it’s best to hand-weed them. If you’ve applied mulch to your garden beds — like we do for our Garden Care clients — this should be fairly easy to do. Just make sure you know for sure it’s a weed before you yank it out… sometimes it’s hard to tell, especially in early spring when the plants are small. 

Whether you prefer a chemical-free approach or want the most effective weed control possible, at Brandon Rushing we have the expertise to help. All you have to do is contact us.

If you prefer to tackle the job yourself, be sure to use caution when choosing and applying herbicides to avoid damaging your grass or garden plants. You’ll find more detailed information about caring for your lawn and gardens on our blog. 

Whatever route you choose, the result will be a healthier, more beautiful lawn and gardens that you can be proud of!