5 Proven Methods to Eliminate Weeds
Nothing can distract more from a beautiful landscape than to see ugly weeds popping up from everywhere whether they are big or small weeds.
I remember the days when I would be out there in the landscape for hours weeding. For me, those days were days that I worked my fingers off and to make matters worse, weeding in direct sunlight on those long summer days. Oh, how I would pray for lunchtime and knock off time to come.
In this article, we will be looking at weeds and how to deal with them.
I want to first establish this fact. Weeds are here to stay! It does not matter how much we weed whether hand weeding, weeding with a cutlass or hoe, or even using the many herbicides that are on the market, weeds will continue to show up where they are not wanted in our landscapes and gardens.
Winning the war on weeds
How do we win the war on weeds?
I believe that by putting an effective program in place we can stay on top of the many weeds that show up in our gardens and landscape. There would be times when it would rain for days and I was overcome with joy just to see how the landscape and gardens were being watered (nothing like good old fashion rainwater) not to mention the relaxation that I would experience during those times. As they say ‘all work and no play makes Jack a dull boy’ as for me this jack was enjoying every moment of it.
In the midst of all that excitement, as soon as the rain would stop you would be faced again with the popping up again of all the weeds that were just abundantly watered by nature and energized by the radiant sunlight.
Knowledge of weeds is the first key I believe in winning the war against weeds. With that in mind, it’s only a matter of putting not just any program but an effective program in place. The thing about weeds is that weed seeds are present in the soil waiting for the right opportunity to germinate. Weeds will compete with plants for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight. If you take away one of these elements, weeds won’t stand a chance. With this said, we will be looking at some weed control methods.
Cultural control
As was said before, weeds will compete with other plants for moisture, nutrients, and sunlight. So by maintaining a landscape and garden that is growing vigorously and healthy will go a long way in the war on weeds. Any space or bare spot within the landscape will sooner or later be taken over by weeds so make sure there are no bare, unmaintained spots within your landscape.
Mulches
Mulches are another method of cultural control that is effective in the war on weeds. Mulches not only beautify our landscapes, add nutrients to the soil, conserve soil moisture or keep soil temperature cool but mulches are also used to help suppress weeds. When applying mulch you should apply no more than 3 inches. If applied too thin, weeds will grow through. You can also purchase synthetic mulches that look natural and last a lot longer.
Mechanical control
Mechanically controlling weed is a process by which weeds are physically removed whether by mowing, hoeing, pulling by hand, or digging. This method can be very time consuming plus costly as far as labor is concerned. Cost depends on the extent of the work. Remember when pulling, hoeing, or digging, it is important to not only remove the top part of the weeds but also the roots if you want success.
Tillage is another means by which weeds are controlled. This method is usually used in large areas where the weeds are plowed under or turned to loosen up the soil. This method buries the weeds.
Chemical control
Chemical control is another effective means of weed control. Chemicals are dangerous and should be handled by someone that has been trained in this area. There are selective herbicides and non-selective herbicides to choose from. With selective herbicides, you can treat planted areas within the landscape. Extreme care should be taken.
Non-selective herbicides are highly dangerous and should only be used in areas far from other plants. Non-selective herbicides will kill everything that it comes in contact with. Even drift off when attempting to spray plants on a windy day can have an effect on nearby plants.
Herbicides can be used by spot treating or by broadcasting meaning putting the herbicides in a tank sprayer to treat large areas. Protective clothing should be worn when applying these chemicals along with goggles, gloves, respirator, and protective footwear. Also, follow the label for the label is the LAW.
Then there is pre-emergent meaning this type of herbicide is applied before weeds germinate. Therefore timing and having proper knowledge of weeds that are affected by this herbicide is important.
There is also the post-emergent herbicides that are applied after weeds germinate.
Biological control
This method uses animals such as sheep, goats, cows, and horses to graze in large areas. This is an environmentally safe way to reduce the weed population.
Final word
Winning the war on weeds is possible no matter how challenging it may seem. Once you put the right methods into practice. Weeds do not only detract from our landscapes and gardens but weeds can also harbor insects that can attack our gardens and landscape plants and they can also be a resting place for snakes and mosquitoes.
Another way to control the mosquito population is by keeping our landscape and garden free of weeds. So let’s get started by putting these methods into practice.
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About the author
Norman loves being in the garden, both at home and for his job....
he is 'Natures Little helper' being outdoors, growing his vegetables and flowers from an early age.
Now having spent over 22 years in the profession he want to give some of his knowledge to others...
his vast array of hints and tips you will find scattered over this site will help you no end growing plants in your garden.
Hi There
A very interesting read on weed control.They surely do put a damper on those beautiful looking landscapes.
I did not know that an abundance of these things, can increase mosquito population, that is interesting to know.
Are there safe organic herbicides that can be used to kill weeds?
Thanks for a very informative article.
Regards
Roopesh
Good morning Roopesh first I want to say that I am sorry about thursday I tried to respond to your question on planting plants to deeply but I just don’t know why my computer was not responding. So I first want to answer this question first. The danger in planting plants too deeply is the roots of the plant will suffocate secondly if the trunk is planted in the ground instead of the root ball itself that part of the trunk will begin to rot because as you water that plant water will continue to wet the trunk and decay will set in when this happens the plants vascular system will be affected causing the plant not to be able to take up water and nutrients the right way when this happens the plant will fall back death of the plant will begin to set in.
Now your question about organic herbicide. There are lots of organic herbicide on the market these are just a few of the many brands that you can find. 1.Avenger weed killer concentrate, 2.Pre emergent earth harvest, 3.Orland’s safe-T weed corn gluten pre emergent herbicide9-0-0. Hope I answered your questions. Sorry for such a long responds but if you need my help going forward just gave me a shout again thanks for the follow and have a good day.
Hi Norman! Your 20 years of landscaping and gardening experience is easy to feel from the vastness of scope of your site. I’m a farmer and I know how problematic weeds can be. And I’m already familiar with your suggested cultural, mulching, mechanical, chemical and biological methods of controlling weeds. indeed, I prefer to use the non-selective method during preparation of land before plowing. Will I find suggested weed control products in your site in the future?
Good morning and thanks for the follow and for those very kind words. And the answer is yes going forward I will be making available control products.
Good day thanks for the feed back my site is still under construction I will do what ever it takes to improve. Again thanks and have a good day.