Question
We had our yard re-landscaped w/sod 2 years ago. It looked beautiful the 1st year, but now weeds have almost completely taken over (may not have watered enough or may have been the wrong type of grass). Our lawn is actually lush with "native grass" which is ugly and resembles weeds, crabgrass, and just about every type of weed, it seems. We read an article that said not to cut the lawn short to prevent browning, however what we have are weeds and we are still following this advice - I think we're nurturing the weeds. The little bit of grass that still exists is "dormant", but the weeds are healthy. What is your advice to getting our lawn back? We prefer not to use chemicals - we have kids. Can we spread loom right over the weeds and reseed or do we need to dig them up 1st? Is there a such thing as natural weed killer that doesn't also kill the grass? and will it do anything for us if all we have is weeds?
Thanks,
Alycia

Answer
I don't know where this article appeared, but it seems that it reached an awful lot of people.  There is absolutely no truth to the claim that mowing a Lawn 'short' -- which I take to mean around 3 inches or less -- is going to expose Grass to so much UV it will burn.  Not one iota of truth.

Grass that is mowed at optimum height casts a shadow over Weeds.  When mowed and fertilized correctly, most Grass thrives, and in many field tests at some of the biggest agricultural centers in the country the Grass overtook the Weeds.

A great Lawn begin with two things:  Great Soil and Great Seed or Sod.  No chemicals needed.

You get those with (a) a soil test and (b) the right kind of Grass.

If you have a shady yard, Bluegrass is never going to do well -- unless you use one of the recently introduced shade hybrids, which excel in that situation.  If you have pets and children who love to play Frisbee and badminton on the Lawn, you need Grass that will stand up to that kind of traffic.

Please tell me where you live (zipcode or state to narrow it down) and I will give you the next step.  I can also tell you some things about soil tests that will probably surprise you.

Meantime, let me point out a few things, if I may.

Weeds do not overtake a Lawn because someone failed to put down crabgrass killer.

Did you know for instance, Alycia, that Lawngrasses and most Weeds do not like the same kind of soil?

Most Weeds thrive in Acid soil.  Turfgrass prefers slightly Alkaline soil.

A soil test will give you a good pH read.  It will also explain why your Grass was not strong enough to choke out all those Weeds.  At the very least, a big dose of Pelletized Lime in your soil right now will begin to raise the pH enough to weaken Weeds now while you prepare to sow new Grass in the Fall.

When you Mow your new Lawn next Spring, leave the clippings on the Grass; this returns nutrients to the soil and builds up a nice rich topsoil.  Mow often -- that way you don't chop off too much at one time, and the Grass stays very happy.

The Better Lawn and Grass Institute points out: 'Proper mowing, watering, and fertilizing practices develop a Lawn that needs less chemicals to control Weed, insect, and disease problems. This is particularly true when you have established your Lawn with improved Grass varieties.'  You can read the whole speech here:

www.turfgrasssod.org/lawninstitute/guide.html

What kind of Grass is growing between the Weeds?  You can't grow a first rate Lawn from second rate seed.  Rye? Fescue? Bluegrass? Bentgrass?  Maybe Zoysia?  That depends on where you live, how much sun you have, and what you want to get out of your Lawn.  There are some tough, aggressive new varieties on the market that will put Weeds in their place.  Mowing them at the perfect height makes them even tougher - and makes mincemeat out of Weeds.  Chopping off the top of a Weed is like punching it in the nose.  Mowing the tips of your Grass is like giving them a massage, it triggers lower root growth and it makes the upper growth thick and lush.  So you kill 2 birds with one stone when you mow correctly.

It's very smart of you to put the health of your family on your list of priorities.  Any product that needs to stamp a skull and bones on the package does not belong on the same Grass as small children crawl and walk.  But those chemicals are not good for your Grass, either.

Concentrated fertilizers, which many people believe are perfectly benign, are Salt by definition.  All that Salt generates thatch by destroying the microbes in the Soil.  You NEED micro-flora and -fauna in your soil to feed the
Nitrogen cycle.  You NEED Earthworms, you need Ladybugs and Butterflies, you even need Grubs and beneficial Fungi and other organisms to build healthy soil and grow beautiful Grass.

So those chemicals are of NO USE WHATSOEVER as you can see, unless you are a stockholder.

There are lots of ways to beat Weeds in your Lawn.  We've got the research to prove it.  Take Nitrogen -- one of your best weapons for whacking Weeds.

University of Illinois tested the effect of Nitrogen at different rates on Tall Fescue:
www.turf.uiuc.edu/research/summaries/1994/94_3.1.pdf#search='university%20test%20mowing%20height

The results were posted:  'Annual bluegrass populations were greatest in tall fescue maintained at a 1 or 2 inch mowing height.'  FYI, Annual Bluegrass is not Kentucky Bluegrass.  Annual Bluegrass -- Poa annua -- is one of the most troublesome Weeds going.  Only one Grass I know can be mowed that low, and that's Bentgrass.  I don't know any gas or electric lawnmowers that can get that low.

When it came to Crabgrass, the lower the Grass was mowed, the better the Crabgrass grew.

'Crabgrass populations increased as mowing height decreased...'

When it came to fertilizer, they found that when Grass is NEVER fertilized surprise surprise you get more Weeds.  The amount of Nitrogen was not what mattered -- just as long as it got SOME Nitrogen fertilizer.  Putting down ZERO fertilizer yielded the worst results: 'Tall fescue that was not fertilized had significantly higher broadleaf Weed populations than turf not fertilized with any Nitrogen.'

You will not be hearing about that in any Scotts commercials, Alycia -- Scotts ads seems to be the source of all Lawn education in this generation.  Their ads aim to sell you Scotts products.  You can't expect Scotts to tell you their Fertilizers are Salt and they're bad for your Grass.  That's not their job.  This is my job.  But keep reading the AllExperts questions and you'll see over and over how people all over the country accidentally put down too much Scotts Salt and 'burn' their Grass with it.  They do it all Summer long.  Then they go to AllExperts and ask us how to bring their Grass back from the Dead.  It just does not work that way.

Pick the right Seed.  Test your Soil and adjust as needed.  Fertilize correctly.  Mow, mow, mow your Lawn, and your Weed population will be ELIMINATED.

See what you can do with a little up-to-date Biochemistry???

No fuss.  No muss.  Now, please tell me where you live (apx) and I will give you your local Cooperative Extension's contact information to get that soil test, and help you pick out your Grass seed.  I also need to know how much Sun you get, and what you are going to do on that Lawn.  Thanks for writing.