July good time to start lawn renovation

The best long-term control for lawn weeds is a dense, healthy stand of turf.

“That’s true everywhere, but it can be a little hard to achieve in the central Plains. Our region is great for growing grass, but that doesn’t necessarily include the popular lawn turfs,” said Ward Upham, Master Gardener program coordinator for Kansas State University Research and Extension.

The last two year’s weather extremes have made that point obvious — again, Upham said. Weeds have choked out some turfs. Other lawns have bare spots, thinning, sore-thumb weeds, and/or hillocks of stressed fescue.

“The only good thing about the situation is that if homeowners are thinking about starting over with a cool-season lawn turf — tall fescue or Kentucky bluegrass — July is a good time to begin,” Ward said. “Seeding won’t take place until September, but a July start provides that extra time homeowners often need to get everything ready.”

To achieve a clean planting bed, homeowners must kill the existing lawn and as many of its weed invaders as possible. Typically, that means using a non-selective herbicide, such as glyphosate (Roundup, Kleen-up, Killzall, Kleeraway).

Getting rid of most weeds typically requires a single treatment, applied at least two weeks before preparing the soil for seeding. Controlling field bindweed and wild bermudagrass, however, require multiple, spaced-out applications, Upham said.

“K-State research has found 2 percent glyphosate, applied in July and a month later in August, can kill bermuda that’s been established for more than a decade. We saw no regrowth over a year later,” he said.

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