How do we kill chickweed? At first thought, you’ll quickly find the answer to the question. You simply pull the whole weed right off from the soil, and you can get rid of it in no time. As simple as that. But here’s a follow-up question. Will that method prevent the chickweed from growing back? Most probably not, right?
Chickweed with its green tiny leaves and white little flowers
You see, the thing about chickweed and even about other kinds of wild weed is that they can grow everywhere, and they don’t just disappear in one single attempt of extermination. This makes lawn owners shake their head out of frustration. I, for one, know exactly how tiring and annoying this entire problem is. So, I decided to dedicate an abundant amount of my time to find the most effective ways on how to kill chickweed. After a number of trial and error attempts, I finally found the most effective, preventive ways on how to kill chickweed.
Chickweed can grow taller than other kinds of grass on the lawn
Since you read this article and reached this far, I’m guessing you’re just like me back then, who struggled big time with lawn weed problems. I would just like to give you the assurance that by the end of this article, at the moment that you take action out of the following methods, your problem is solved. Trust me on this. You can finally grow your crop in no time.
In this article, I give you 2 options: to kill chickweed manually or chemically. You can choose any of the two or you try both. It’s up to you. Moreover, I suggest for you to try both. It doesn’t hurt to try, after all.
1. How To Kill Chickweed Manually
A pile of dry, dead chickweed removed from the ground
A common way of getting rid of chickweed manually is by using your hands. Moreover, you can also choose to do the manual removal of chickweed using some gardening tools and don’t forget to wear shoes to protect your feet.
# Hand Pulling
A bunch of chickweed grows in the middle lawn grass
Hand pulling the lawn weed is a good option since it allows you to fully use your force with your bare hands although not really bare as you can choose to wear gloves and the like.
What You Will Need
- Gardening Gloves (Optional)
Step By Step Instructions
1. Put On Your Gloves
It’s only optional, but I suggest that you should put on your gardening gloves in this method. Aside from the fact that it keeps your hands from getting dirty, it also adds friction between your hands and the weed, which makes the pulling much easier.
2. Shower Water Over The Lawn
Soften the compact soil by showering water over your lawn to make the pulling easier.
3. Start Pulling
Start pulling by holding the stem of the weed. Your goal is to pull as much of the weed out of the soil as possible. You also want to make sure that every part of the weed – from its leaves down to its roots – is removed.
# Hoeing
Hoe is a gardening tool used to pull plants off the ground
Using hoes may also be a good way on how to kill chickweed. It’s the best tool among other garden tools to use for getting rid of lawn weeds. While it needs a little bit of knowledge to know how the tool is used, it won’t take a lot of time to learn.
What You Will Need
- Hoe
- Gardening Gloves (Optional)
Step By Step Instructions
1. Put On Your Gloves
In this method, gardening gloves are useful, but it might be a bit hard to hold and use the tool while hoeing. Nonetheless, it’s up to you.
2. Shower Water Over The Lawn
Like the previous method, water the soil to soften it to make the hoeing easier.
3. Start Hoeing
Hold the stem of the hoe with both of your hands, one on the end and the other one somewhere in the middle. Dig the blade edge on the chickweed infected area and start moving backwards, pulling the chickweed along. Repeat the process until there is no chickweed left on the ground. Also, check for weed remains, especially the root parts that may grow again.
2. How To Kill Chickweed Chemically
A pump sprayer makes spraying chemicals not only safe but also easy
An easier way to kill chickweed is through chemicals. With the right chemical, you can get rid of the annoying chickweed in no time.
What You Will Need
- Glyphosate Herbicide (Round-up)
- Chemical-resistant Gloves
- Pump Sprayer
Step By Step Instruction
1. Put On Your Chemical-resistant Gloves
In this method, gloves are necessary. And we’re not talking about just any kind gloves here. You need to wear chemical-resistant gloves that can keep your skin safe from chemical reactions.
2. Put The Chemical Inside A Pump Sprayer
The most appropriate container for gardening chemicals is usually a pump sprayer. Pump sprayer not only allows safe chemical spraying but also makes the process easier and faster. For safety and organization, label the sprayer with the chemical’s name.
3. Identify The infected Area
Identifying the infected area is very crucial in chemical spraying procedures. You want to only apply the chemical on the infected area, making sure that you don’t affect the healthy areas.
Tip: To make sure of the safety of the healthy parts of the lawn, build borders across the lawn.
Chickweed can annoyingly grow in the middle of the lawn
4. Start Spraying
Spray on the inside of the borders that you have created, treating the infected area. Hold the spray closer to the ground, perhaps at least 10 inches above the ground. Wait for the chemical to flow down to the roots of the weeds. Do not proceed to the next step unless the chickweeds are dry and dead.
5. Remove The Dead Weeds
Lastly, remove the dead weeds off the ground, making sure that there is not a leaf left of the annoying chickweed.
Conclusion
There you go, folks. The two preventive ways to get rid of chickweed in your garden. Although some people don’t mind having this plant in their garden because of its cute, white flowers, chickweeds can still affect your plant’s growth. They will become a competition regarding soil nutrients. Thus, it is much safer to get rid of them so that your garden plants can flourish without having to worry about this garden menace.
Did you find the article helpful? If so, share this article with others. I’m certain that there are a bunch of thoughts in your mind right now. Write them all out in the comment section now. I’ll respond as soon as I’ve read them.
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