We had the same issue when we moved into our new house. The previous owners had an above-ground pool which was not in great condition. We decided to take the pool out for various reasons. Below it was a couple inches of sand and then pure clay below the sand.
Nature abhors a vacuum of course, so when the pool came out the weeds moved in! We let it go for a year, because we weren't sure if we wanted to pull the deck out from around the pool area and had no clear idea what to do.
This year we tilled all the sand into the clay below, spread the entire contents of our compost pile on top and planted some vegetables. The new garden got a good layer of straw spread on top to minimize new weed germination. It looks pretty good so far, but only time will tell if our terrible clay soil will grow anything. It may take a year or two of adding organic matter for it to develop good soil
As to the weeds in your lawn, my suggestion would be to sow more grass seed. Make sure to get a type of grass seed that is suitable for your yard. There are different types of grass that work for shade, sun, dry, wet, etc. You may need to get rid of some of the weeds in order for your grass seed to get a good start, so it's up to you whether you want to use a lawn weed killer or a hands-on method. I know many people will tell you herbicides are the way to go, but I am not a fan of spreading poisons around the world.
Weeds will grow wherever there is available space, so the only realistic options are to crowd them out with things that you want to grow, or cover the soil with something to take up the space instead.
"But a weed is simply a plant that wants to grow where people want something else. In blaming nature, people mistake the culprit. Weeds are people's idea, not nature's."
Submitted 305 days ago...
Awarded Answer (What’s This?)
Answer 1 / 5 - Submitted 305 days ago...
I agree with you about the poisons...
Thanks..
My dad actually makes a hole in a piece of cardboard, settles it around thye weed and just RoundUps the weed only.
Sound goofy, but it seems to work for him!
Forrest
The only thing with that is I am HIGHLY allergic to weed killers. That is why I am asking how to prevent them from growing.
Hi Lissa,
Most people don't know that weeds can't survive if cut short for a long time.
Grass CAN.
I suggest you do the easiest way,
Mow your lawn pretty short (about 1 to 1 1/2 inch tall) Mow it regularly, like everytime it starts to 'Not look freshly mowed'. By the end of summer it should look nice and be MOSTLY weed free.
It'sa good idea to sow more grass seed, That's not required but will speed the end result.
---------------------------------------------------------------------- --
Same with Pool area, just treat it like the rest of the yard. The reason there are weeds and Not grass, is Grass growes slower than weeds.
This answer was edited by jamieboyster 304 days ago.
Reason: add last line
This Question was awarded 304 days ago therefore you can no longer post an Answer. However you may post a comment below.
One other thing I forgot to mention in the answer above:
Since you said you are very allergic to chemical weed killers, you might want to look at a "flame weeder," which is basically a small propane or LP tank with a hose and nozzle that you can use to heat the weeds until they shrivel. I have not used one of these, but they have a good reputation according to the gardening articles I have read. There's one called the Weed Dragon that seems to be very popular.
Add A Comment
