CHEMICAL VS MANUAL

When it comes to removing weeds, we have the option of either chemical (lawn weed killer) or manual (using hand tools). Both of these have their pros and cons, but generally, a chemical method is always the best way to go. 

Chemical

The main way of removing weeds is to use a chemical method, which is most commonly a lawn weed killer. This is generally the most commonly used type of weed control and tends to be the best way of controlling weeds, however it does have its pros and cons:

Pros

• Easy to apply - the lawn weed killer simply needs to be sprayed onto a weed
• Kills the whole plant - despite it being sprayed onto the top of the weed, it kills the whole plant including the roots
• Doesn’t create holes - when the weed is removed, there is no whole or damage caused to the lawn
• Cheap - a bottle of lawn weed killer can be picked up for between £4 and £6 which should last for the majority of the year, so the cost associated to it is not a lot

Cons

• It isn’t instant - when you have applied the lawn weed killer, you need to wait until it is fully gone and removed from the lawn
• Follow up work - once you have killed your week, you will normally want to rake to remove it rather than waiting it for it to break down fully
• Appearance - when the weeds are dying, they will turn black and you will have a temporary period where the lawn looks unsightly 
• Risk to the lawn - if you follow the instructions correctly, this will not be an issue, however if you are a little overzealous, you can cause slight damage to your lawn. 

Manual

The main way to remove weeds manually is with some sort of hand tool, whether this is a small trowel or a purpose built weed removal tool. This option is less popular than a lawn weed killer, but may be appropriate from time to time:

Pros

• No risk to the lawn - because no chemicals are involved, there is no chance whatsoever of causing harm to the lawn
• Cheap - once you have bought your hand tool, this should last forever and they can normally be picked up for £5 to £10
• Instant - once the weed is removed, it is done and no follow up is required

Cons

• Hard work - the effort to remove just one weed fully can be rather high. So if you have any more than a couple of weeds, opting for a manual method could be a lot of work
• Missing the root - it is very common to only remove the top part of the weed and leave the root in your lawn. If you do this, the weed will keep coming back until the root is removed or killed
• Creates holes - if you are going to remove the root, it is very likely that you are going to pull out soil with the root and create an uneven lawn
• Pulls up your lawn - it is tough to only remove just the weed. You will find that you remove part of your lawn along with the weed and this can often create a large hole or gap in your lawn