Fertilizer is often touted as an all-natural weed killer. But does it really work? Or will you still need to break out the herbicide after fertilizing your lawn?
In this detailed guide, as a professional fertilizer production line manufacturer, we’ll examine if (and how) lawn fertilizers kill weeds:
- Will lawn fertilizer kill weeds
- How fertilizers work
- What actually kills weeds
- Why fertilizers alone usually don’t eliminate weeds
- When combined with other treatments, can fertilizers help deter future weed growth?
Plus, plenty of extra lawn care tips sprinkled throughout.
So strap on your gardening gloves, and let’s get growing!
Will Lawn Fertilizer Kill Weeds?
No, typical lawn fertilizer does not kill weeds. Fertilizer makes grass stronger, but weed and feed products are made to kill weeds. Weed and feed products combine fertilization with weed killer. This gives you two benefits at once. But these products are not usually recommended. This is because they do not work as well, and they can harm people and the environment.
How Lawn Fertilizers Work
Before we dive into weeds, it helps to understand what fertilizers do in the first place.
Fertilizers contain key nutrients like nitrogen, phosphorus, and potassium (known collectively as NPK) that grass needs to grow. When you spread fertilizer over your lawn, those nutrients get absorbed by the grass. This triggers the grass to grow thicker, fuller, and taller.
So in essence, fertilizer is like a nutritional power-up drink for your lawn.
These growth spurts serve an important purpose beyond just giving your grass a confidence boost. Thicker grass blades form a lush carpet that blocks sunlight from reaching the soil below. This makes it harder for weed seeds to germinate and establish roots.
So while fertilizer doesn’t directly kill weeds, it can help limit new ones from popping up. But for existing weeds, you’ll need to bring in the big guns…
What Actually Kills Weeds
To slay pesky weeds that have already surfaced, you need dedicated weed control products:
Pre-emergent Herbicides
As the name suggests, pre-emergent herbicides attack weeds before they even have a chance to sprout. These products form an invisible chemical barrier across the soil that stops weed seeds from germinating.
However, pre-emergents don’t impact mature weeds that are already up and running. For those bad boys, you’ll need…
Post-emergent Herbicides
Post-emergent herbicides are designed to annihilate weeds that are already visible. Products like weed and feed granules combine fertilizer with these types of herbicides. This fertilizes your lawn while simultaneously murdering broadleaf invaders.
Other post-emergent options (like liquid concentrates) can be sprayed directly onto specific weed types during targeted spot treatments. This precision approach is useful if you only have a minor weed infestation.
Why Fertilizers Alone Don’t Kill Weeds
Now that you understand the weed-slaying power of herbicides, you might be wondering…
Can’t I just use fertilizer alone and skip the harsh chemicals?
It’s a fair question. And the answer boils down to this:
Fertilizers feed grass and weeds alike.
As we discussed earlier, fertilizers work by injecting key nutrients into the soil that surrounding plants (both good and bad) can absorb. There’s no mechanism to restrict this nutrient infusion only to your lawn.
So while grass ultimately uses the nutrition to choke out future weeds, existing weeds relish the fertilizer just as much as your lawn does. Their leaves perk up and their roots stretch deeper, potentially even multiplying via seeds and spread across your yard.
Clearly, this is less than ideal if you’re aiming for a pristine lawn.
Bottom line? Relying solely on fertilizer won’t cut it long-term if you already have a healthy weed colony entrenched in your turf. That’s why combining fertilizer with dedicated weed control is so important…
Combined Fertilizer + Weed Control Treatments
Now we’ve arrived at the best solution for winning the war against weeds: tag-teaming fertilizer with herbicide treatments.
This duo attack helps you make the most of both products:
- Fertilizer strengthens your grass to obstruct future weed growth
- Herbicides obliterate existing weeds already causing chaos
Working in unison, fertilization and weed killers can deliver a flawless, lush lawn free of intruders.
Applying them together (as opposed to separately) also adds convenience to the mix. Weed and feed products merge both steps, allowing you to nourish your lawn and nuke weeds simultaneously.
DIY weed and feed spray solutions take this one step further by letting you customize the exact fertilizer and herbicide blend based on your lawn’s needs:
- Adjust herbicide concentrations to match weed severity
- Tailor fertilizer ratios to correct nutrient deficiencies
- Retarget formulas year after year as conditions change
Regardless which products you choose, using fertilizer and weed control hand-in-hand is a surefire way to craft a thriving green paradise safe from invaders.
Key Takeaways
- Fertilizers promote lush grass growth, which helps obstruct future weed germination. But they don’t directly kill existing weeds. For that, you need dedicated weed control products containing herbicides.
- Pre-emergent herbicides stop weed seeds from sprouting. Post-emergent herbicides eliminate mature weeds that are already visible.
- Applying both fertilizer and weed control together lets you strengthen your lawn while defeating current weed growth in one go. DIY mixes allow for maximum personalization based on specific lawn needs.
Now that you know the full story behind fertilizers’ weed-fighting prowess (or lack thereof), it’s time to start crafting your lush, weed-free lawn!
