This depends on where you are located.

I am located in Northern Kentucky. I don't want to kill the grass any more than I have to? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks!

I am located in Northern Kentucky. I don't want to kill the grass any more than I have to? Is there anything I can do?

Thanks!

Okay that's a good start. The way you keep weeds out is (1) to have a dense turf and (2) to water deeply and infrequently. If your lawn is a Kentucky bluegrass lawn, then it will become dense all by itself once you get it watered, mowed, and fertilized properly. If it is a fescue or rye lawn, then you need to kill the weeds now with a specific weed killer, and then reseed with more seed of the same type...unless you want to convert to Kentucky bluegrass.

Do you have broadleaf weeds like dandelions or do you have grassy weeds that look like grass but uglier? You can treat the dandelions and clover type weeds with Ortho Weed-B-Gone Clover, Chickweed, and Oxalis (that's the full name). After a week or so the only thing remaining will be grass and grassy weeds. The grassy weeds pretty much have to be taken out with a grass killer which will also harm your grass, so use it very carefully and only on the weeds.

Then plan to get on a deep and infrequent watering program for next year. Let Mother Nature do Her thing for the fall, winter, and early spring. When the temps rise into the 70s, you can begin to supplement the rain. If you don't have a full inch of rain for a month and the temps are in the 70s, then you can water once, but a full inch at a time. Water every 3 weeks like that unless it rains. If it rains then start counting and water in 3 weeks. As the temp rises into the 80s, you can water once every 2 weeks, again at a full inch. When the temps get into the 90s, move up to once per week, a full inch each time. You can measure an inch by putting out cat food or tuna cans and turning on the sprinkler. Time how long it takes to apply an inch. That's how long you will water each time. My oscillator on full spread with my water pressure takes 8 full hours, so don't be surprised if it goes a lot longer than you think it should. My neighbor's high flow, in-ground system takes 20 minutes to fill the cans. That's too fast in my opinion because he has a little runoff.

So that's how you control weeds. Once the grass is getting deep and infrequent watering, you should only have a very minimum of weeds. Why? Because weeds need daily moisture to germinate. When you withhold water for weeks at a time, they can't germinate.