Lawn fertilizer with weed killer: overview & recommendation

How practical it would be if you could combine lawn fertilizers and weed killers. We inform you here about the benefits and risks.

Lawn fertilizers with weed killers are offered by various manufacturers and advertise a more beautiful lawn in just one step. Hobby gardeners in particular like to use this chemical club, while many experts advise avoiding the use of pesticides in order to protect the environment. In the following, we will weigh up the benefits and risks for you and point out alternatives.

The promise is simple: wild herbs are damaged, lawn grasses are strengthened. Whether lawn fertilizers with weed killers can keep this promise, what disadvantages they also have come with them and what can be done to prevent weeds in the lawn in a more sustainable way, you will find out in the coming ones finishes.

Is lawn fertilizer with weed killer useful?

What actually leads to weeds in the lawn and what are the more environmentally friendly options for removing them? Before resorting to weed killer, these questions should first be answered. We have summarized for you what promotes the establishment of wild herbs in your lawn and what you can do about it. More information about weeds in the lawn can also be found in this special article.

problem	solution
Nearby seed source	Shield the garden in the direction of the source with a hedge that is as dense and high as possible
Ground heavily covered with weed seeds	Replace the soil when preparing for sowing or steam the soil to kill the weed seeds (information on this can be obtained from a local specialist company)
Too deep a cut leads to the establishment of rosette-forming wild herbs (daisies, dandelion, plantain)	Avoid pruning too early and too deep (less than 4 cm) at the beginning of the year. The vertically growing lawn grasses also shade rosette-forming wild herbs and force them to also grow vertically. In this way, they can be caught by the mower during the first mowing passes and weakened to the point of dying
Too thin/open turf gives wild herbs light and space to grow	Can have various reasons, which are named in the following columns
Soil pH favors weeds	Test soil pH and optimize towards optimum for lawn (5.5 - 6.5).
Soil compaction favors weeds	Avoid beaten paths. Scarify the soil deeply and then sand or (in the case of heavy and deep compaction) aerate and sand. Using organic fertilizers to keep soil loose through humus
Lawn too shady	Use of standard seed mixtures for shadow lawn, consider the future location and size of buildings and trees when planning
Too dry soil	Use of suitable standard seed mixtures for dry grass; regular application of compost and organic fertilizer to promote water storage capacity through humus; possibly. irrigation
Nutrient deficiencies (especially nitrogen)	Regular and needs-based fertilization to create optimal conditions for the severely depleting lawn
Improper soil preparation at the facility	Optimum soil preparation ensures that the grass emerges evenly, that dense turf develops quickly and narrows the time window for wild herbs to emerge
Use of unsuitable standard seed mixture (RSM)	Use of a seed mixture adapted to the location in order to achieve the best possible lawn growth
Too rare cut	Regular mowing ensures a dense turf that prevents weed seeds from getting onto the ground. which deprives wild herbs of the light they need to grow

tip: Raising the pH of a lawn is much easier than lowering it. Therefore, you should always use lime with caution and knowledge of the current pH value. In this special article you can find everything on the subject lime the lawn Experienced. If the pH value is too high, only a few things help: fertilizing with ammonium, watering only with Rainwater and a compost of coffee grounds, oak leaves, coniferous wood chips and ammonium lead to a sinking of the pH value.

As you can see, there are many ways to avoid weeds in the lawn: during the lawn installation and also in existing lawns. Herbicides should only be an option when all these options have been exhausted and you do not want to tolerate the ecological benefits of a low weed population in the lawn.

Disadvantages of mineral lawn fertilizers with weed killers

As already mentioned, mineral lawn fertilizers with weed killers have some disadvantages, which we will explain to you below:

1. Pesticides can be harmful to wild and domestic animals and of course the user. After the application of lawn fertilizer with weed killer, the lawn area should not be walked on according to the manufacturer's instructions. Keeping the native, partly protected shrews, songbirds or house cats away is almost impossible.
2. There is a risk that the application will become a habit: The prophylactic use of weed killer directly when fertilizing the lawn can sound tempting for some. However, this creates a thoughtless and irresponsible environmental impact.
3. Weed grasses remain unaffected by the application of the herbicides: In order to protect the lawn grasses, they only act selectively against dicotyledonous (two-cotyledonous) plants. However, all grasses belong to the monocotyledonous (one-cotyledonous) plants.
4. Careless handling can also damage various other dicotyledonous garden plants. All garden plants except grasses belong to this group.
5. The sole use of mineral lawn fertilizers leads to a loss of soil quality and can disturb the soil chemistry in such a way that the pH value changes. This in turn can encourage the growth of wild herbs. So, in the long run, using mineral lawn fertilizer with weed killer helps keep weeds from being a problem.
6. The packaging of fertilizer containing pesticides must be disposed of properly in order to pollute the environment as little as possible. It should also be stored safely – i.e. out of the reach of children and animals. Dealing with pesticides therefore means a certain amount of effort and always a residual risk.

Conclusion: Are lawn fertilizers with weed killers useful?

From lawn planning to maintenance care, there are various ways to prevent a heavy infestation of weeds. Mineral lawn fertilizers with weed killers only ensure the death of some in the short term Weeds, at the same time, they pose risks to the soil, environment, animals, the user and even loved ones garden plants. Rather than solving the problem, they exacerbate the problem. Unfortunately, lawn fertilizers with weed killers are therefore not a sensible long-term solution on the way to a uniformly weed-free lawn. More to mineral fertilizers you can also find out here.

Separate lawn fertilizers and weed killers: fertilizer recommendation

Precisely in order not to let the use of weed killers become a habit and from the whole range of To select the best lawn fertilizer, consider weed treatment and lawn fertilization separate. In this way you can also save soil organic lawn fertilizers or Organic Lawn Fertilizer use, which promote the lawn grasses instead of frugal wild herbs by maintaining or increasing the soil quality. Ours is one of the primarily organic and bio-certified lawn fertilizers Plantura organic lawn fertilizer, which not only protects the animals in your garden, but all animals: The organic material contained consists of purely natural raw materials and can also be used in organic farming.

The use of such fertilizer and observance of the tips presented in the table above to avoid wild herbs you will be guaranteed against an invasion of dandelions and clover maintain. And if one or the other meadow herb finds its way into your garden: make yourself clear, that ecological diversity is extremely valuable and try to add variety to the uniform green enjoy. Even most specialist gardeners advise such a view in the private sector.

More information about the various lawn fertilizers get here. Everything else about the big topic "fertilize lawn’ is also available in our overview article.