Back to basics Beating lawn weeds Four ways to a weed- free lawn Weeds, daisies, dandelions and chickweed, weaken the lawn. The four basic ways of controlling the growth of weeds is hand weeding, spot weeding and the use of soluble or granular weedkillers. The fastest method of digging out the persistent perennial weeds on a small area of lawn is using a daisy grubber or trowel. All of the root should be removed or it will quickly re-grow. Weeds should be dug out before they are allowed to set seed.
Spot treat stubborn weeds by squirting an aerosol or stroking a wax bar onto their leaves.
The weeds are killed in situ, so there is no need to fill in the holes as you would have to do with hand weeding. Also, you do not need to re-seed, since the surrounding grass will soon grow back to cover over the area. Watering away the weeds Use soluble weedkillers on larger lawns. These come in liquid or powder form and are mixed in water and applied with a watering can. The weedkiller will not harm the grass but you should wear gloves when handling them and always use the same watering can.