Hello,
I am hoping someone can help. I am in the process of drawing up layouts for my backyard but need advice on what I can do/use to kill the weeds and crabgrass etc. I know the common thing is roundup and vinegar I heard is supposed to work? What is the safest and fastest way I can go about this project? Roundup is not cheap and I would go about this the best way and friendly to the ground for planting.
Rich

Are you saying you want to kill off everything?

What do you plan to do with the area afterwards? Because one "friendly" (that is, non-chemical) way to do it is to have everything scraped off with a bobcat or other equipment.

If you want to just kill the weeds and not the grass, you need a different approach (like Weed-B-Gon).

Sorry should of been more clear thank you for the reply. I do plan on using a skimmer. I planting new lawn, low maintenance plants and a small garden.

If you are going to use a skimmer then perhaps you don't need to kill anything in advance?

The most environmentally best way to do that would be to cover the area with newspapers and a good mulch to kill off the present growth. This mulch can then be tilled into the soil to provide needed organic matter, once the plants now growing there have died, although tilling may not even be necessary.
This would also be a good time to find out about having a good, reliable soil test done. Find and contact your state universities USDA Cooperative Extension Service, http://www.csrees.usda.gov/Extension/index.html to find out how to do that.

Look for a product called " Honcho ". It's a generic Round-up and is much cheaper. Spray, wait 10 days...then till, level as needed and plant your new lawn.


LandscapePro
L.C.#2576

Rick, no, RoundUp is not the common way to handle weeds.
It is a herbicide designed to kill anything green it touches. So if the plan is to kill the entire flora of the yard, then yes, RoundUp is the way to go.

If you do use this product, do read and follow the instructions to the letter. Changing how the spray is applied will end up not resulting in what you want and re-applying--and more cost--will be needed.

But, if the area's weeds are just what is wanted to go....if there is grass there and you think such grass can be part of the new lawn, then the use of any brand named broadleafed weed killer will suffice. It does not harm native growing grasses.
It will kill the common weeds--dandelion, plantain...etc etc. This allows any grass there to fill in spots. Overseeding and/or removing area greenery can be replaced with sod.
(you cant put sod down ontop of present grass)
Then following a schedule of fertilizing will help fill in such poor, weak growing areas.

Crabgrass is a warm season ANNUAL which grows best in heat of summer. Right now, it is seed, sitting on your lawn--or what poses as a lawn.
Building such a good growing lawn is a good defence against crabgrass. But to get there first is the immediate problem.
If you were not going to have to dig up, till up, or otherwise change the soil of your lawn, a pre-emergent might be suggested.
If you plan on using any grass seed, you cant think pre-emergent...it would kill such seeds.
But, the time to apply such pre-emergent is NOW...so make use of your planned start of action with this in mind.

A good lush lawn is a good defence against crabgrass.

Hmmm.
If you live in a rural area, I'd say borrow someone's hogs for a week or 2 then you won't have to worry about killing everything off...the hogs will do that for you...and fertilize it as well.*G*
Then all you'd have to do is level the ground & start laying sod,and start planting your flowers.*s*

otherwise,if you live where farm animals are not allowed/not an option, then till everything in,crab grass & all; then putdown a weed fabric & then start putting everything in...sod,plants,etc.