Weeds, fast growing naturally pervasive invaders of an otherwise beautiful garden or lawn. There are many products you can purchase at your local hardware store that will treat these invaders with chemicals. However, with the increasing popularity of at-home gardens and concern about groundwater, many experts discourage the use of these popular chemicals. Care2.com lists 7 strategies but I’ll just repeat the 5 that I agree with.
- Keep your lawn thick and healthy to keep weeds from having any room to even start growing. Giving your lawn and garden the necessary nutrients to be as strong as possible will help your grass compete against the invading weeds and give them less ground to root into.
- Use mulch in your garden beds. Mulch is the most effective methods according to Tom Lanini, a professor of plant services at the University of California Davis. It is advised that you use a organic mulch but really anything that blocks light, landscaping fabric, cardboard, dried leaves or even newspapers will work. Straw and hay are among the cheapest options but must be made sure to be free of any weed seeds.
- The old standby, pulling weeds isn’t out of style. Pulling weeds prevents them from going to seed and can help to fight establishment of weed growth. For many species you have days or weeks to pull a weed before it goes to seed.
- Burning the weeds with a small landscape flamer (hooked to a small portable propane tank) is another good option for controlling weeds growing in sidewalk cracks and lawn edging.
- Vinegar is a possible option for killing weeds, but only if the root system is small. Larger growth most likely will not be suitably killed by the use of vinegar.
Don’t let weeds get a foothold in your landscaping this year. Use some of these eco-friendly tips to control weeds and keep your landscaping looking beautiful.
What do you think? Do you have any tips or tricks for controlling weeds?