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Question & Answer

We are discussing Gardening, Growing and Green Thumbs!
With Brian Walters, Diana O'Brien and Pauline Cornish

Question:
What can we do about weeds in our cool climate lawn? It’s a problem that seems to get worse every year.

Answer:
Diana - Most of the problem weeds in lawns tend to belong to the broadleaf category such as dandelions; the yellow daisy-flowered capeweed and unwanted clovers. While they can be effectively removed from soft ground with a two-pronged weeder or even a sharp knife, be aware that each small piece of root that is left behind will usually regrow.

A less labour intensive method is to use a weeding wand or a brush dipped into a small container of glyphosate, the active ingredient in several kinds of herbicides such as Zero and Roundup.

The most effective method of maintaining a green sward when local water restrictions apply, is to set the mower a notch or two higher than your usual cut which will not only allow the grass blades to shade the roots and thus reduce the rate of evaporation from the soil, but also to thicken sufficiently to choke out most annual weed growth.

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