How to stop weeds growing through sod seams
The majority of weeds in laid grass push up directly through the gaps where the sod sections meet. Homeowners try planting new seed to choke out these seams and repair pet damage, but face conflicting advice on how to safely mow the loose soil without making ruts.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Applying pre-emergent herbicide in the spring to prevent weeds from sprouting.Did this help you?
- 2Overseeding with a tougher pasture grass, accepting that the texture and color will not blend seamlessly with the original turf.Did this help you?
- 3Waiting until the following year to treat the weeds once the grass is mature and robustDid this help you?
- 4Reducing watering slightly to discourage weed proliferationDid this help you?
- 5Mowing the grass using the one-third rule once it reaches 3 to 4 inches rather than letting it grow wildDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“we still see the majority of weeds come up where the sod seams met.”source ↗
“I’m really just trying to get good coverage with grass to choke out the weeds and fill the sod seams but also need something resistant to dog piss because they killed spots on the sod.”source ↗
“Coming into week 3 of my fresh seeded lawn and seem to have a lot of weed sprouts starting. Any insight or advice.”source ↗
“Yeah it's about 4" now. It's on some very loose soil tho and don't want to make ruts. I have a lot of mixed info on the first mow. My coworker who used to do landscaping said let it grow wild for 3-4 months and then mow it down to an inch. Idk what to do.”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
- 4How to get rid of moss without hurting new grass seed
- 112How to get rid of creeping weeds without breaking roots
- 7Why are mower wheels tearing up my new grass?
- 16Did I ruin my lawn by dethatching too deep?
- 4Why won't grass grow over an old tree stump spot?
- 9Why is green growth showing up so fast after seeding?