Homemade Weed & Feed for Lawns

Lawn care multitaskers that weed and feed the lawn at the same time are great for homeowners, but they can be expensive, both in the pocketbook and environmental damage. Homemade, organic weed and feed fertilizers are an option for anyone looking to improve and care for their lawn, pocketbook and the environment.

Corn Gluten is an effective method to weed and feed without killing the grass. While it does not kill mature weeds, it does prevent the seed from growing into an adult plant. As the corn gluten breaks down, it also provides nitrogen to your soil, which is great for lawns. The nitrogen will also help kill some species of weeds. Water lightly when you have spread corn gluten and wait a few weeks before planting any grass seed.

Mulch is a good choice for weed control that feed, but it is best applied to a lawn that is starting over. For a lawn that is significantly more weed than lawn, spread mulch over the entire lawn area to smother the weeds. Since it will also smother the grass, you will need to reseed the lawn.

Pay attention to the weeds that you have and try to prevent them from growing in the first place. For example, Dandelions prefer a pH balance of the soil that is 7.5, whereas grass prefers a 6.5 pH balance. If you lower the pH of the soil to 6.5, by using compost or sulfur, your lawn has the upper hand and will grow better than the dandelions. Spreading compost is a much slower process but sulfur, though quicker, can be over applied so follow the directions carefully. Black medic and clover thrive in low-nitrogen soils. Add nitrogen, such as the corn gluten, and you give your lawn the advantage and kill off the seeds of the weed.