Lawn from sod to pretty weeds - how to - Ask Extension
I bought a house newly renovated with a sod lawn four years ago. The local weeds are lovely, bamboo grass (maybe), clover and violets, and they are tr...
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Lawn from sod to pretty weeds - how to #880586
Asked August 07, 2024, 3:54 PM EDT
I bought a house newly renovated with a sod lawn four years ago. The local weeds are lovely, bamboo grass (maybe), clover and violets, and they are trying to take over the lawn. It's about 50/50. The grass turned brownish as soon as it hit 90, but the weeds are lovely, and low-growing (I irrigate and mow, since I'm elderly). How can I discourage the grass next year? Should I not have it oversowed?
should I not aerate or feed? (Fall or spring?) We did use an approved weed preventer, and there are no crabgrass or dandelions, which is good. I don't want them.
Montgomery County Maryland
Expert Response
Not overseeding the lawn yearly can lead to its thinning-out and being colonized by more weeds, yes. While some gardeners are fine with a weedy lawn, not all weeds survive the winter (though their seeds usually do) or keep their foliage in winter, which can lead to bare areas that may be prone to erosion and colonization by undesirable weeds. (For example, maybe Canada Thistle, which can be difficult to eradicate, and very likely Crabgrass or Dandelion as well.)
Core-aeration helps to alleviate soil compaction, and even though it is used to maintain turfgrass health, it can also benefit weeds which you may want to keep in the lawn as well. Some weed species handle compacted soil better than others. If too compacted, the soil will not readily absorb water once it gets too dry, so this can also have an impact on how easy and effective it is to try irrigating during droughts. Compacted soil is also more at-risk of staying too wet during wet stretches of weather (like with spring rains), and soggy roots can die for plants vulnerable to poor drainage, which would lead to bare patches of lawn in that situation.
You probably need vigorous turf to help keep Crabgrass and Dandelion at bay, but you could mix-in clover or allow Wild Violets (which are native and valuable for pollinators) to grow in the lawn if they appear on their own. If a patch of violets grows too extensive, it can be dug out or treated with an organic herbicide, though the latter approach isn't nearly as effective. You don't want extensive amounts of either (clover or violets), since they lose leaves in winter, but they can coexist in a lawn in moderate numbers just fine. We have a web page about Lawns and Microclover (the specific type of clover best for mixing with turf), which includes a link to a PDF document that presents more detail about how to set up a mixed turf-clover lawn.
If there are areas of lawn you don't need to maintain as turfgrass for the sake of its tolerance to human or pet foot traffic, then we encourage gardeners to convert them to non-lawn, either as planting beds or alternative groundcovers. If too laborious, a landscaper could be hired to do the conversion for you, even if it's in stages for the sake of budget or trial-and-error to see what works well and what you like the look of. The Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional program, for example, trains landscapers in sustainable landscaping techniques, and may be a good resource to look into if you prefer to add some native plants. (Clover can feed some generalist bees, but not our specialist bees that need more help from gardeners.)
We're not sure what species the "bamboo grass" may be, though you can share photos so we can try to ID it if you would like. If it's Japanese Stiltgrass, this is an invasive species that ideally should be discouraged from invading a lawn or garden. The linked page has ID and management information. If it truly is a bamboo (and there are some species that stay fairly short, like just a couple feet tall), this can be difficult to eradicate and may require the use of herbicide, if permitted by county laws.
Miri
Core-aeration helps to alleviate soil compaction, and even though it is used to maintain turfgrass health, it can also benefit weeds which you may want to keep in the lawn as well. Some weed species handle compacted soil better than others. If too compacted, the soil will not readily absorb water once it gets too dry, so this can also have an impact on how easy and effective it is to try irrigating during droughts. Compacted soil is also more at-risk of staying too wet during wet stretches of weather (like with spring rains), and soggy roots can die for plants vulnerable to poor drainage, which would lead to bare patches of lawn in that situation.
You probably need vigorous turf to help keep Crabgrass and Dandelion at bay, but you could mix-in clover or allow Wild Violets (which are native and valuable for pollinators) to grow in the lawn if they appear on their own. If a patch of violets grows too extensive, it can be dug out or treated with an organic herbicide, though the latter approach isn't nearly as effective. You don't want extensive amounts of either (clover or violets), since they lose leaves in winter, but they can coexist in a lawn in moderate numbers just fine. We have a web page about Lawns and Microclover (the specific type of clover best for mixing with turf), which includes a link to a PDF document that presents more detail about how to set up a mixed turf-clover lawn.
If there are areas of lawn you don't need to maintain as turfgrass for the sake of its tolerance to human or pet foot traffic, then we encourage gardeners to convert them to non-lawn, either as planting beds or alternative groundcovers. If too laborious, a landscaper could be hired to do the conversion for you, even if it's in stages for the sake of budget or trial-and-error to see what works well and what you like the look of. The Chesapeake Bay Landscape Professional program, for example, trains landscapers in sustainable landscaping techniques, and may be a good resource to look into if you prefer to add some native plants. (Clover can feed some generalist bees, but not our specialist bees that need more help from gardeners.)
We're not sure what species the "bamboo grass" may be, though you can share photos so we can try to ID it if you would like. If it's Japanese Stiltgrass, this is an invasive species that ideally should be discouraged from invading a lawn or garden. The linked page has ID and management information. If it truly is a bamboo (and there are some species that stay fairly short, like just a couple feet tall), this can be difficult to eradicate and may require the use of herbicide, if permitted by county laws.
Miri
