Most of us can identify with the typical scenario that takes place every year. We endure the gold and yellow tones of the grass during the colder months, and just after the spring rains bring some refreshing green buds, we get the emergence of weeds. A good cutting with the power mower will give the yard the ideal appearance for a few days, but the tenacious weeds poke their sprouts up again by mid-week.

There are a few things that can be done, such as hiring the neighbour kids to pull the invaders by hand. However, the ground is most likely hard from a lack of watering, and leaving the roots makes the effort all the more futile, since the weeds will come right back. The local nursery will recommend a particular method or two, such as using chemicals to help the grass overcome the weeds, but overall these are a waste of your time and money. The truth is, as long as any yard has weed growth, it's going to be a hands-on issue. In light of this, the only solution is to line up a carload of cheap labor, and in the meantime, start preparing the yard for an assault on the weeds.

As stated earlier, in order to rid the lawn of as much weed growth as possible, it's necessary to get them out by the root, before they mature and go to seed. Watering the area for about an hour in the morning, and again in the evening, will eventually loosen the soil to the point where the weed roots will let go when pulled. The number of days it takes to do this will depend on the nature of your particular soil. Pulling a weed or two after a couple of days watering will give you an idea of when the ground is ready for an effective weeding.

Once the lawn is ready, it's time to bring in the troops and the plastic bags. Depending on the size of your lawn, you'll want to enlist enough help to take care of the entire area in about half a day. The morning is best, since everyone is fresh, and you'll be surprised how fast this will move along. In addition, there are inexpensive weeding tools that will help as well. Once the yard has been completely weeded, it can be cut.

At this point, you can abandon the intensive watering program, and return to a schedule that keeps the lawn healthy, with a minimum of water. The lawn is going to look really good after the weeding assault, and if you're fortunate, you'll only see a few weeds here and there on a regular basis. Even though it's tempting to slice them off with the mower, take a minute and pull these out by the roots. You may be surprised at the lack of weeds that make their return next spring.