Lawn full of weeds - step by step advice needed pretty please

Weedkillers work best when the weed is in full growth, apply when dry and calm.
Ive turned down some scarifying jobs as it’s way to wet and cold for the grass to recover. If you do it early and go too hard you will end up with more work than needed.
Also you need to avoid the frosts and while it may seem good weather I don’t think we are out of the woods yet.
Once you scarify you then need to promote the grass growth after at least one week so it’s best to apply a spring feed afterwards then as the temps rise and the ground temps insure good grass growth you can aim at a higher N feed.
A word of warning, many domestic machines are not able to set depth correctly or have the power the keep the blades at max. On wet ground you will churn the ground if not careful and end up with a mess that then needs more work to correct the work you have done.
Rule of thumb is you want a light scarify in the spring so it’s quick to recover but after a season of wear and feeds a heavier scarify come early autumn.
Looking at some of the pictures the lawn looks weak in places so careful use of a herbicide should be applied as grass is not immune to herbicides and if it’s week or the climate is not favourable you can also harm the grass. That goes with the mixture rate of the herbicide too.
A little tip as I can see moss, don’t try to go over it multiple times when scarifying, the biggest mistake is trying to remove all the moss which just ends up with the grass plant being hammered and needing seed. If you have moss you can either apply an iron mixture before or after scarifying depending on the amount of moss.
Last year the weather went from cold to very hot and I never scarified, let’s hope this years not the same.

 

Excellent info liz the pot
Mind you, grass hasn’t stopped growing here ....grass seed sown has already germinated

 

You lucky so and so I’ve got to wait till November then I’m down your way again for my hols.

 

Well I’ve just been to screwfix and got the scarifier but going to wait to use it as the ground is quite damp still. So can get straight on it when the weather is better.

So do you think I should wait before putting the weedkiller/herbicide on @Liz the pot ? Are there any brands you recommend?

 

There’s 2 ways of applying herbicide, liquid or granular. To be honest best results tend to be liquid but I’m not using domestic stuff but there’s a few tips to make the herbicide work better.
For best practise and for best results the targeted weeds need to be in full growth and so applying say a granular/liquid feed only prior to liquid or granular herbicide treatment will give great results when the weather is at a warmer temperature.
If it’s a large area a granular feed is fine, most weed and feeds are the same which makes life easy if the same manufacturer produces drop or broadcast spreaders, you don’t need to calibrate as the manufacturer tells you the setting.
For me adding a herbicide when it’s cold and damp is a no no as I have to think about the environment as well as best practise, it’s just not going to get the results if I do go ahead.

Ive tried this, the link just shows the product which is available in larger bags.

Miracle Gro® Evergreen® Complete 4 in 1

To spread it this is another item I use.

Scotts® EvenGreen™ Drop Spreader

They also do broadcast spreaders but you need to watch flower beds but a broadcast spreaders is best for large areas and is quicker.

The results are as good as the commercial Renovator Pro and with increasing amounts of herbicides and pesticides being banned there’s very little difference when it comes to granular feeds.

I would scarify first if you take this route, then after at least 2 weeks as the weeds need to grow as you need leaf I would then apply the 4 in 1. Make sure it’s applied before rain is due so it’s watered in and a light rain is best if possible.

It will hit the weeds and you will have to wait 3 weeks to see the results and after 6 weeks you can apply another weed and feed if it still needs it.
The high N will promote grass growth, the small amount of iron will toughen the grass plant, deter and kill small amounts of moss as well as the herbicide targeting plants.
You can if you wish apply the feed first but it needs at least 3 weeks before you scarify so the the weeds uptake the herbicide to a degree where they are doomed. Just be aware fertilisers are corrosive so if you scarify straight after a feed, say a week and with granular it’s not broken down any metal parts will be attacked.

 

Thanks very much @Liz the pot . lots of useful info there. I guess I will just have to be patientand wait for the warmer weather to be here. It’s annoying when all I want to do is get on with it.

 

I too like some weeds in the grass but if you not careful you can end up with weeds no grass
So I do once a year put some lawn weed killer down to kill some weeds
there are black patches where weeds are dying but I just leave grass cutting on top and with in a couple of months lush grass
I also use diluted white vinegar in spray bottle as once I had a ants nest in grass and as I read they hate the smell I tryed it and with in 3days they went also it said it kills and deters most pests so now I always keep a bottle

 

That's a good tip Janet. We suffer with ants really bad so will see if that works.

 

Hi snorky i have used it neat on the pavement and yard and i even used malt vinegar but white seems stronger last summer i diluted some white vinegar and sprayed a tomato plant that had some insects on it and it killed them and the plant was ok so i keep some handy in case plus its cheap in fact I use it in the home as well i use it for many things so its useful to keep in the house

When i cut or put any plant grass cuttings etc in the bin i spray some white vinegar in the bin if any insects are in there it will kill them and your bin smell fresher

I also use slug gone a natural slug pellet made from sheeps wool it works very well slugs are detered by it so they tend to leave the plant alone you can only buy it on net and they come in a bag , its not expensive and it goes along way much much better than those green slug pellets ,safer and cleaner

 

Ah yes, I might try the vinegar on on of my trees...ants seemed to be harvesting aphids and causing leaves to die and curl. I used tree glue bands last year which also worked well.

I’ve also used slug gone wool pellets, 2 years ago they worked great but not so much last year. I used the organic copper based slug pellets and they were good...and not harmful to wildlife.

I dont mind the insects so much as they feed the birds but when you cant work raised beds or even walk on the grass for fear of red ant bites then its time to take action lol

 

Hi snorky i leave every year some weeds in the grass like dasiys for bumble bees i also grow borage up a corner and they have little blue flowers and smell like cucumber but the bees love it and butterflies, they tend to stay in that corner
I did have an hedge at the front garden which attacred insects and birds i hardly cut it but 2 yrs ago i had to remove it and replaced it with a fence so insects are goodto a degree but when when you cant work raised beds or even walk on the grass for fear of red ant bites then its time to take action
So i hope the white vinegar will help as red ants are nasty in grass 50/50 half vinegar half water and use neat pavements,yard and drain etc
It might not kill all at once but the smell will make them go elsewhere and then you can work raised beds etc without fear