Weedol has got my lawn weeds under control to the point where I reckon hand weeding will be quicker than spraying.

Is it remotely feasible that hand weeding gets enough of the root out to kill the weed? [1]

If hand weeding is effective, what are the tools of choice? Daisy grubber and a dandelion tool?

[1] I’ve just given it 30 minutes with a weeding tool I had lying around and in soft ground the weeds just pop out bringing plenty of root with them, but I can’t imagine I’m really getting 100pc of the roots up.

The nilfisk weed tool is pretty good. Great for dandelions, if you hit it right it pulls the whole root out perfectly. It’s ok at daisies too. You walk around without bending too much and drop the weed into a bucket, releasing them with a pump action shotgun motion.

Wow

https://www.thebestthingsdirect.co.uk/grampas-weeder-gardening-tool-8124-p.asp

My mum bought me one for Christmas once. It works well on weeds with a long tap root like dandelions.

Back pack sprayer and a selective weed killer containing 2-4-d is much easier…

Just spray the whole lawn as it only kills the broad leaf weeds and not grass .

I just use a long thin knife, I usually cut them out as I mow.

I just give them a verbal warning. They rarely listen though.

Thanks all. A bit of googling suggests firstly that I’m over thinking this, but secondly that it really is tricky to get enough of the root up to kill the weed.

I think I’ll hand weed any that annoy me over winter while the soil’s soft but crack open the weedol again in spring. Full expecting that many of the weeds I will be killing in the spring are reemergence of ones I’ve already dug up. 🙁

Catfood wins the tool competition, I’ve got an old knife I can save from the bin.

Someone up there mentioned Nilfisk? I was about to recommend my Fiskers tool. Plonk the “four blade cross” into the ground around the centre of the weed, stomp on the footpedal and it pulls the weed out whole, roots and all intact.

Oops. Good point. Meant Fiskar. Works well especially with long thin roots like dandelions

Mr Greenthumb – been using them for years – lawn has never looked better. Life’s too short for hand weeding!

I have the fiskar thing I wouldn’t recommend it. It leaves little divots all over your lawn

Take out a column of soil with the roots and all. The lawn will appreciate the aeration.

Kitchen knife with long thin blade.
Either cut out a cylinder or with practice a cone shape with the root.
A very satisfying job.
What are you classifying as weeds?
I only remove coarse grass, dock and dandelion anything else I am selective about and usually leave.
Another choice is to leave the grass long about 50mm long as this helps to suppress weeds and moss.

I tried a stripey lawn this year but failed. The electric rotary blew up so went for a hand cylinder but it was not a success. It only seems to work on fine low grass on a smooth surface lawn. Mine is as rough as a bears bottom and would need to be rolled and filled and probably reseeded so back to an electric rotary.

Mr Greenthumb – been using them for years – lawn has never looked better. Life’s too short for hand weeding!

Yeah this – I usually get them in every third year and it costs me £36 per treatment (four a year) so £48 a year seems pretty good value to me.

A very satisfying job.

Yeah, instant result, and you can do it in winter.

What are you classifying as weeds?

Anything that isn’t grass. Mostly Dandelion, Daisy & Clover (can’t hand pull this quickly IME). I’ve seen, less frequently: Creeping buttercup, Yarrow, Plantain, Scarlet Pimpernel, Autumn Hawkbit, Doves-foot Cranesbill and Chickweed.

I take no pride in my Lawn, it’s uneaven and dreadful. *But* I treated the weeds once purely to control the bees on the clover because my 2yo son got stung. After that one treatment I became addicted to weed extinction. 🙁 (but no other aspect of lawn care.)

Aye, that’s what we need. Fewer bees.

And a lawn covered in poison. Sounds like just what a two year old would like.

🙄

Thread of the week.
I hand pick the little violets that invade from time to time. I’ll give it a weed and feed in February.
Neighbour Doreen favours the tiny paint brush dipped in weed killer approach.
Awesome.

Just to be a STW hand-wringer, lawns are basically green deserts. Unless you need it to be a bowling green or a cricket pitch, just mow it (medium length, 50mm-ish as someone said above. Weeds are green, grass is green, clover/daisy flowers are pretty, ecological diversity is good.

I’m with IHN, to do all that you have too much time on your hands

Just to be a STW hand-wringer, lawns are basically green deserts. Unless you need it to be a bowling green or a cricket pitch, just mow it (medium length, 50mm-ish as someone said above. Weeds are green, grass is green, clover/daisy flowers are pretty, ecological diversity is good.

I’m with IHN, to do all that you have too much time on your hands

For my entire life I’d have agreed with you and my lawns have always had more moss and clover than they had grass. …but after than first spray with Weedol I just can’t stop. It’s too late for an STW intervention – I’ve smoked the lawn weeding crack pipe and your fact based logic and reason isn’t going to make any impression. I’d just urge others to learn from my example and resist that first hit. Your mates might tell you you can handle it but after that first squirt of Weedol it’s a slippery slope until you’re on you knees with a daisy grubber.