Get matched with top weed maintenance pros in San Mateo, CA

Yellow patches, poor growth, or widespread weeds indicate a need for treatment. Soil testing can confirm nutritional deficiencies that require intervention.

Dandelions, while hard to control and widespread across the country, are not typically categorized as noxious. Yellow starthistle, however, looks very similar to a dandelion and is highly damaging to local plants and invasive across the country.

Landscaping fabric can only help to prevent weed growth in the short term. It's not an ideal long-term solution because dirt will eventually make its way on top of it, causing weeds to sprout. These fabrics can also leave microplastics in the environment for many, many years, so pulling weeds using one of the methods in this guide as soon as you see them is a better long-term prevention strategy.

Ultimately, pulling weeds vs. spraying them depends on what’s happening in your yard and your personal preferences. Manual weed removal doesn’t introduce any chemicals into your landscape, targets specific problematic plants, produces immediate results, can be free if you go the DIY route, and is inexpensive with a weed service if you only have a handful of weeds. On the other hand, spraying is often preferable for severe weed infestations and situations involving difficult-to-pull weeds because it treats multiple weeds at once, is usually more effective long-term, is less time-consuming, and costs less when done by a pro.