Controlling rampant weeds can be hard to do, especially if your weeds are the strong and resilient type (think Dandy loins). Once a particular weed as set up shop in your lawn removing it can be a long and trying ordeal, and many people simply give up. This is when you see houses with front lawns that are more weed than lawn- your first reaction might be to frown upon the homeowner for keeping their property in a state of disrepair, but the reality is that they simply might not know what to do.
You're faced with a few decisions when you get an infestation: go buck wild with weed killer and spray the whole lawn; try “natural” techniques for removal; pick them out by hand; or spot spray and pray with the weed killer. Unfortunately there is never a single, universal solution.
Going crazy with the weed killer and coating your lawn in a thin layer of it often does more than you'd like. Chances are good that more than just the weeds will get killed when your spray- any flowerbeds, shrubs, and sometimes even the grass itself could go the way of the deceased. If any weed killer got caught in a breeze you may find yourself unintentionally spraying flowerbeds or trees.
Most “natural” methods for weed removal are painstakingly long and often don't work. If they do work, chances are good that you're ready to give up using them by the time they do. The same can be said about physically removing the weeds by hand- are you willing to get on your hands and knees twice a week and comb your lawn looking for new growth? Unless you've got nothing but time there are probably better things you can do with it.
The most practical solution is spot spraying your weeds as they appear. As opposed to performing one all-covering layer you would apply only where needed and in small amounts to avoid over spray (and consequently, overkill). Unless your entire lawn is blanketed in weeds this may be the best option for you.
You can buy small liquid sprayers that are light and get the job done. Make sure that you get a plastic one as some weed killers are corrosive and will slowly eat away at a metal container.
There are several different types of weed control- some are non invasive and only affect a certain type of leaf, whereas others are less discriminating and will kill anything with a small amount of chlorophyll in it. When you are shopping around for your herbicide make sure you read everything that is on the bottle- pay close attention to the manufacturers recommendations.
Though you are walking into this “war” completely armed, murdering your entire lawn by mistake doesn't leave you with a moral victory.
