I just moved into a place with a yard that's basically overrun with weeds—some of them are up to 2 feet tall, and there's no grass, just dirt. I have a push mower and a weed whacker, and I'm looking for the quickest and most affordable way to get rid of all these weeds so I can start fresh. I'm considering mowing everything down and then using Roundup, but I'm open to other methods. Any suggestions?
5 Answers
Ortho GroundClear is another option—it's designed to kill weeds and any green plants. Just make sure you spray on a calm day to avoid affecting your neighbors' plants, and definitely wear gloves!
You could also use a flame thrower attachment on a propane tank to burn the weeds down to the ground. Just be careful with it—make sure you’re in a safe area. It works great, but keep in mind that some weeds might come back after a week or so if they have strong roots.
A solid plan is to mow everything down to a manageable height, apply Roundup according to the label instructions, and then wait for about two weeks. After that, use the weed whacker to clear everything out and consider putting down mulch. If you plan to lay sod later, make sure to prep the soil!
Instead of going with Roundup, you might want to try using vinegar at a higher strength. It’s pretty effective and can usually be found at hardware stores for a decent price.
For fast results, consider just pulling the weeds out by hand. Mowing and spraying will take some time and you'll have to wait to see results.
I actually got one of those attachments recently, and while it does wipe out a lot of the weeds, I was bummed to see some of them regrowing after just a few days.