Bright and cheery daisies can be a lovely addition to any garden. You can pick them for a garden bouquet, make daisy chains or simply walk barefoot through your floral meadow.
But lovely or not, daisies can be a bit of a nuisance, especially when they make their way uninvited into your lawn.
Daisies can spread easily, eating through your lawn grass and stealing all the nutrients. And in no time, they will get everywhere and reign over your lawn. So, it’s prudent to remove them early on.
There are five easy ways to get rid of daisies without damaging your lawn. You can use a daisy grubber or a weeding knife to pull out daisy roots or handpick the weeds one by one. You can also apply an organic weed killer or vinegar mix to your lawn and say goodbye to the weeds.
So, all set to remove lawn daisies? Just read on!
Why does my lawn have so many daisies?
Photo by virginia lackinger on Unsplash
Daisies are a common weed. If your lawn, flowerbeds and pathways have too many daisies, it’s because they spread very quickly. Daisies usually grow between spring and autumn. They can also appear if you don’t mow your lawn frequently enough.
What’s more, daisies are a hardy perennial. They can grow in nearly all types of soil and they don’t mind areas that suffer from heavy compaction either. Daisies also appear in lawns that lack nutrients and water and they’ll find it easy to grow in areas with too much thatch.
Together, all these reasons can lead to a lawn overwhelmed with daisies.
Are daisies bad for your lawn?
Photo by Freya Ingva on Unsplash
Daisies are one of the most recognisable lawn weeds with their white petals encircling a yellow disc. But did you know there are over 20,000 types of daisies out there?
So, are daisies weeds? Well, not all daisy varieties are weedy. Some varieties, like the Shasta daisy, gerbera daisy, and marguerite daisy, are grown for their beauty and freshness.
But the English daisy, also known as the lawn daisy or common daisy is a broadleaf weed. It typically produces flowers during spring and the seeds are easily disseminated by the wind.
This is the variety you will most likely find on your lawn. Although tiny, the English daisy will compete with your lawn grass for water and nutrients. Once established, lawn daisies will form dense mats of foliage. This in turn will smother the grass and impact the overall lawn coverage too.
That said, if you’re curious, you may taste the English daisy. It has a bitter flavour but is entirely edible. While removing this weed, you can try sprinkling the petals into salads and soups for a fancy touch.
How to get rid of daisies
There are a handful of ways you can get rid of daisies in your lawn. You can use a daisy grubber, a weeding knife or hand-pull daisies from the roots. You can also spray some weed killer for larger areas or give a DIY vinegar mix a shot.
Whichever technique you try, you can rest assured that your lawn will not become damaged in the process.
So, go ahead and get rid of daisies in lawn with any of these five methods:
1. Use a daisy grubber
Image credit: @misherramientasdejardin
A daisy grubber is a handy tool to dig out tiny weeds without much fuss. You can simply push the tool into the ground around the daisy roots and level them out. This will help remove the whole weed, root and all, in one piece.
But remember, a daisy grubber is an ideal tool only if you have a couple of daisy patches on your lawn. If your lawn is infested with too many daisies, you will have to apply a weed killer.
2. Spray some weed killer
If you are not up for using a daisy grubber, you can try to apply some daisy killer for lawns. Make sure it’s organic and doesn’t kill the lawn grass in the process.
If you have only a handful of daisies here and there, apply a weed spray for spot treatment. But if your grass is saturated with daisies, use a weed killer concentrate across your entire lawn.
Tip: Make sure to carefully follow the instructions while applying weed killer. A dilute mix will not kill the daisies while a strong mix will damage the grass.
3. Hand-pull daisies
Removing daisies manually may seem like a Herculean task but it’s an organic way to get rid of the weeds. Plus, a bit of extra exercise will help tone your arm muscles, too.
Since daisies in lawns grow in clumps, you can easily grab a handful at a time. Try and pull out as much of the root system as possible to prevent regrowth.
4. Use a weeding knife
Alternatively, you can use a weeding knife to remove daisies without damaging your lawn. A weeding knife has an L-shaped blade that points downward. Simply use it to slash through the foliage.
A weeding knife can cover a large area in no time. You can use it at weekly intervals to weaken and loosen the weeds. Eventually, you can pull out the weeds with little fuss.
5. Make a DIY vinegar mix
You can also make your own vinegar mix for daisy control. Vinegar contains acetic acid which is an effective, all-natural weed killer. It prevents daisies from growing by depriving them of air and nutrients.
Mix white vinegar with 2 teaspoons of dish soap. Pour the mixture into a bottle and spray directly onto the daisies. The acetic acid will dry out the weeds.
Tip: Apply the vinegar mix on a sunny day. The sun will increase the drying power of vinegar. Reapply the mix again after a day or two.
How to stop daisies growing in lawn
Left alone, daisies will carpet your lawn. Image credit: @kittenfu1
From mowing the lawn regularly to enriching the soil, removing thatch and reducing soil compaction, here are a few ways to prevent lawn daisies from returning in the future:
- Mow the lawn regularly: Cutting your lawn grass regularly will ensure fresh growth. This will make your lawn denser, leaving little to no room for the daisies in the grass to grow.
- Keep the soil fertile: Enriching your soil will encourage grass growth and naturally clear daisies. You can try topdressing your lawn with compost or apply a nitrogen, potassium and phosphorus-rich fertiliser.
- Remove lawn thatch: Thatch is a layer of living and dead grass roots. This layer can prevent water, air and nutrients from reaching your grass roots. Without these, your lawn grass can’t grow and stay healthy.
- Reduce soil compaction: Soil compaction pushes out the air, water and nutrients from the ground, keeping your lawn grass deprived of them. Over time, your grass will turn unhealthy and patchy, while the weeds will thrive.
- Aerate the soil: Aerating your lawn will help reduce thatch and improve soil quality. It will also help clear daisies from your lawn and make it easier for the grass to thrive.
FAQs
Let’s look at some common daisy-related questions and their answers. These may help make your daisy-removing journey a breeze.
How do you keep daisies from spreading?
There are a few ways to keep daisies from spreading in your lawn. Start by mowing the lawn regularly, keeping the soil fertile and removing thatch. Doing so will help the lawn grass thrive and daisies die out.
You can also reduce soil compaction and improve aeration. The overall quality of the soil will improve, making it difficult for daisies to spread.
What is best to kill daisies?
The easiest way to kill daisies in grass is using a daisy grubber. This tool is designed to remove daisies from the roots. It will work best if you just have a few daisy patches on your lawn.
If you want to treat the whole lawn, apply a weed killer concentrate. Make sure it’s mild and organic, otherwise it will harm your lawn grass too.
How long do daisies last in the ground?
Daisies are hardy weeds that will last in the ground almost all year. Their blooming season starts in spring and lasts until late autumn.
Daisies can grow pretty much anywhere, from your lawns to flower beds and pathways. If you don’t remove them, daisies will last in the ground for a long, long time and may overpower your grass.
Daisy means ‘day’s eye’ and the flowers will follow the sun. Image credit: @amysheirloomvegetables
The wrap up
Getting rid of daisies in your lawn may seem daunting at first. That’s because daisies are quite versatile—they can grow in all sorts of environments. Plus, they spread quickly, even through seeds.
But you can use different techniques to stop daisies growing in your lawn. Use a daisy grubber or hand-pull the weed. If these techniques don’t work for you, apply a weed killer.
At the same time, follow practices that make it almost impossible for daisies to grow back. Mow your lawn, dethatch and aerate it, and keep the soil fertile.
Soon, you will be enjoying a green, daisy-free lawn.
You might also like: Common pink & purple weeds in UK lawns and how to get rid of them
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