The lawn is freshly sown and weeds are already spreading? You can find out why and how you should fight unwanted growth by reading our guide.
In a nutshell
- Weeds grow faster than grass, so they're easier to find on newly laid lawns
- Weed weeds as quickly as possible, pull out the roots of root weeds
- Water and fertilize the lawn regularly to stimulate grass growth
- Mow as short as possible at least once a week
- Repair damaged areas and promote dense grass growth
cause and action
Especially on newly laid lawns, weeds often sprout faster than the desired grass. From the start, grasses need the right temperatures and, above all, a lot of moisture in order to grow - weeds, on the other hand, thrive even in bad weather, cold temperatures and drought. Therefore, you should water regularly when it is dry to encourage the grass seeds to germinate. Of course, this will not stop dandelions, daisies, clover and Co., but the lawn has a better chance of growing taller.
white clover; Source: Leo Michels, Trifolium repens IP, Adapted from Plantopedia, CC0 1.0
Tip: Even before the lawn is laid, you should weed the area thoroughly and free it from weeds. You can also cover heavily infested areas with a weed fleece and spread topsoil over it. The fleece reliably keeps stubborn root weeds away.
weeding
The first measure against weed growth is manual weeding. Pull out weeds regularly, making sure to pull out the roots as well. Dandelion, horsetail, goutweed, morning glory, scratching thistle and couch grass, for example, form extensive, dense root networks and grow back again and again from even the smallest root remains. Therefore, you must not only remove these weeds superficially. Seed weeds such as chickweed or French herb must be weeded before the seeds ripen, as they sow themselves and keep coming back.
Proceed as follows when weeding the weeds:
- Pluck out seed weeds
- Remove root weeds with a weeder or root cutter
- Use a long-handled weed puller for larger areas
- a pendulum hoe is also very suitable
Tip: It is usually not recommended to walk on a lawn that has just been sown and has not grown higher than two inches. For weed removal, however, stepping on it is essential and also important, otherwise soon no grass will grow at all.
cut the lawn
Especially on larger lawns, weeding can be very time-consuming and therefore hardly practicable. The best way to combat unwanted growth is as follows:
- Fertilize and water the area
- Allow grasses to grow like weeds
- Mow as short as possible from a height of ten centimetres
- then mow at least once a week
- water and fertilize regularly
The more you mow, the fewer weeds you have over time - you're practically starving them out. While the weeds are weakened by mowing, the grasses grow back all the more vigorously and now also have the chance to overtake the mostly faster-growing competitors. Re-sow any bare spots or unevenly overgrown areas after you have removed the weeds growing there. The area should be covered with grass as densely as possible so that the weeds cannot come through again.
Tip: Although this measure requires patience, it is very successful - except for clover, daisies and dandelions. You still have to pluck these by hand.
new system
If neither weeding nor mowing helps and if there is hardly any grass to be seen apart from weeds, then only the new planting will help. To do this, proceed as follows:
- Thoroughly dig up the lawn
- remove all weeds above and below ground
- Lay out weed fleece
- Spread fresh soil on top (at least 20 centimeters thick)
- Sow lawn seed
- press seeds
- Water the surface vigorously
Make sure you water and fertilize regularly right from the start. Even if the lawn has been freshly sown, the young grass needs a lot of nutrients for vigorous and rapid growth. How much fertilizer and water you need to apply depends on factors such as
- the concrete lawn mixture
- the soil composition
- as well as the weather
away. If it is dry after sowing, you can water several times a day.
Tip: Before sowing, a professional soil test by a specialized laboratory is recommended. This gives you recommendations for targeted fertilization.
weed killer
Why all the effort when you can simply apply a weed killer and get rid of the weeds in the freshly sown lawn? In fact, there are some herbicides that can be applied immediately after seeding. For this purpose, there are special lawn fertilizers mixed with weed killers on the market. However, even these do not help without additional aids, because even after they have been used, you have to mow more often and overseed if necessary.
Furthermore, the chemical club has some serious disadvantages:
- not only weeds, but also young grass is controlled
- contained toxins damage the direct environment, including ornamental plants and insects
- fewer beneficial insects in the garden mean more pests
- Toxins seep into the soil and contaminate it
- this disturbs soil life and humus formation
- also seep into the groundwater
Therefore, you should avoid using chemical weed killers if possible and instead take the measures described.
frequently asked Questions
Why is it that weeds are growing so much?Another reason for the strong weed growth and the lack of green lawn is the use of too old or unsuitable seed. If you select the lawn seed to match the location, a shaded lawn should definitely be placed in a rather shady location.
Is the soil contaminated and needs to be replaced?If the lawn is freshly sown and the weeds grow vigorously at first, this is not a sign of "contaminated" soil. The most that can happen is that you have not weeded the area in front of the lawn thoroughly or that the soil is compacted and therefore not very suitable for grass growth. Improve loamy or clayey soil with plenty of sand and compost before sowing, then the grass will grow better.
Where do all the weeds come from?Like grass, weeds are a natural part of nature and therefore cannot be completely avoided. The seeds fly onto the lawn with the wind or are dragged in by animals. Weed seeds and root remains can also be found in extra potting soil or topsoil, which sprout under appropriate growth conditions.