How to remove lawn weeds

Perennial weeds can look unsightly on a lawn. We show you how to remove them.

A table displaying which months are best to sow, plant and harvest.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
At its best
At its best

Plant is not at its best in January

Plant is not at its best in February

Plant is not at its best in March

Plant is not at its best in April

Plant is not at its best in May

Plant is at its best in June

Plant is at its best in July

Plant is at its best in August

Plant is not at its best in September

Plant is not at its best in October

Plant is not at its best in November

Plant is not at its best in December

To do
To do

Do not To do in January

Do not To do in February

Do To do in March

Do To do in April

Do To do in May

Do To do in June

Do To do in July

Do To do in August

Do To do in September

Do To do in October

Do not To do in November

Do not To do in December

A large, broad-leaved weed can look quite out of place in a lawn full of uniform, green turf. Plantains, dandelions, daisies and buttercups all have ‘rosette’ foliage, and one plant in the lawn can easily block the light to the grass, killing off a round patch below.

Removing lawn weeds as and when they appear is an effective way to deal with them. And filling in the hole that’s left behind with fresh compost and lawn seed makes for a quick, seamless fix.

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You Will Need

  • Trowel or long blade
  • Multi-purpose, peat-free compost
  • Grass seed

Total time:

Step 1

Use the trowel or long blade to lever out deep-rooted weeds such as plantains or dandelions. Make sure you remove the whole plant, roots and all.

Removing plantain from a lawn
Removing plantain from a lawn

Step 2

Once the weed is removed, use compost to fill the hole it leaves behind. Push the compost down deeply into the hole, firming it level with the soil surface.

Filling in with compost
Filling in with compost

Step 3

Sprinkle fresh grass seed over the patch, then cover with extra compost before watering. Keep the area damp until the seed has germinated and is growing well.

Sowing grass seed
Sowing grass seed
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