I finally saw what 3 months of no herbicide does to a backyard lawn

My neighbor stopped spraying in June and by September the clover and dandelions took over maybe 70% of the grass, but the soil felt way less compacted when I stepped on it, anyone else notice how letting weeds grow actually helps the ground?

2 comments

2 Comments

kevin_murray8813d ago

Yeah, I've seen the same thing on jobs I've done. Those deep roots from clover and dandelions break up the hardpan layer that grass can't touch. You get better water absorption too, stops that runoff issue. I'd actually overseed with some white clover next spring, it stays low and feeds the soil nitrogen naturally. Just mow it tall, like 3 inches, and it'll crowd out the dandelions eventually. The soil compaction fix is real though, roots do all the work aeration machines try to copy.

barnes.kai12d ago

Oh man, @kevin_murray88 you're totally right about this. I did the same thing on my backyard last year and the difference in water runoff was night and day. That deep root action from clover especially just opens everything up. I've been telling my neighbor the same thing about overseeding with white clover instead of fighting it. Mowing tall at 3 inches like you said really does the trick too, keeps everything green without looking like a mess. The aeration machines are a total joke compared to what nature does for free.