Weed First, Then Feed: The Right Order for a Healthy Spring Lawn

How to Weed and Feed Your Lawn Properly

Work through these steps in order and your lawn will be clean, green and well-nourished heading into the warmer months.

• Identify your weeds first Before you reach for any product, work out what you are dealing with. Broadleaf weeds like bindii, clover, creeping oxalis, cudweed, dandelion and catsear call for a different approach to invading grasses or sedges. If you are not sure what is growing, take a close look or bring a sample in and we can help you identify it.
• Treat broadleaf weeds with a targeted herbicide A dedicated broadleaf herbicide is the most reliable way to knock out common lawn weeds without harming your turf. Hose-on bottles are easy for a standard backyard, while concentrate formulas give you more control around garden beds, trees and shrubs.
• Deal with invading grasses separately For small patches of grass weeds, pulling by hand is often the quickest fix. Larger invasions need a targeted spray. Sedges like nutgrass and Mullumbimby couch need a sedge-specific herbicide. Winter grass, summer grass, crabgrass and crowsfoot each have their own recommended active ingredients, so matching the product to the weed matters here.
• Wait until weeds are gone before fertilising Feeding a weedy lawn just gives the weeds a boost too. Once you are confident the weeds have died off and your turf is recovering, that is the right moment to apply fertiliser.
• Choose the right fertiliser for your lawn A quality granular fertiliser with both fast and slow release granules works well for most lawns, giving an immediate nutrient hit followed by steady feeding for up to 12 weeks. If you keep your lawn at a finer cut, a mini prill extended-release fertiliser is worth considering as the smaller granule works down through the turf profile more easily and feeds consistently for around 90 days.
• Consider a liquid fertiliser for a quick green-up If you want fast results, a liquid fertiliser applied through a hose-on bottle is absorbed directly through the leaf for a rapid nutrient uptake. Look for a product with a balanced NPK ratio plus micronutrients like iron and manganese to support both colour and overall turf health.