INDIANAPOLIS — Now that cold weather is mostly in Indiana's rearview mirror, lawns and trees are starting to bud and get green again.
But weeds are popping up, too.
Pat Sullivan from Sullivan Hardware and Garden shared some tricks to take care of pesky weeds Sunday on 13Sunrise.
"Some people want to do all organic," said Sullivan. "Some people are into 'nuking' the whole lawn." But striking a balance may suit you and your landscape. Many organic products target weeds, but kill grass, as well, and need to be researched and applied carefully.
The "yellow bag" of weed and feed fertilizer applications are popular.
"The only thing I don't like about that," Sullivan explained, "is that it's weed killer, not weed preventer."
So if you spread it over 100% of your lawn, you are spreading killer over a lot of spots where no weeds are growing, essentially wasting the weed killer. If you do use such a product, plants have to be wet so the granules dissolve, which means watering the lawn before you apply it, or applying in the morning when dew is on the plants.
Sullivan recommends using liquid weed killer in a spray bottle to spot treat weeds. Some liquid products are formulated to target certain weeds, like chickweed and clover, but not harm grass. Sullivan said that if the product shows a certain weed on the label, it usually means that that species of weed is difficult to kill and you may need to spray multiple times.
To save money, consider buying a concentrated weed killer that mixes with water from your hose to spray on weedy areas.
Crabgrass preventer can be applied in August to hinder germination in September.
If you only have a few dandelions, you can invest in a weeding tool that reaches under the plant and cuts off the root underground so the plant is less likely to grow back and spread.
Watch Sullivan's full 13Sunrise segment in the video player.
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