This story originally appeared in my local newspaper’s Master Gardener column.
They’re the enemies of every gardener: weeds, the plants that don’t belong in our flower and vegetable gardens. We start out each spring planting our tomatoes and zinnias, and as soon daily high temperatures are greater than 80 degrees Fahrenheit, we’re fretting about weeds.
Before we strategize about tackling weeds in your yard, let’s first talk about what makes a plant a weed. Master Gardeners use the definition that a weed is “a plant out of place.” Dandelions are a good example of this kind of weed. The bright yellow blooms are among the first to emerge in spring. For this reason, gardeners often leave dandelion flowers for pollinators like bees to enjoy their nectar. If you have a meadow or a country-type lawn, dandelions can grow along with grasses. However, dandelions can be aggressive spreaders, and if you live in a neighborhood with a homeowner’s association, you may be compelled to pull up dandelions or risk facing a weed fee.
While many gardeners reach for herbicides to kill weeds, there are many strategies to consider before using chemicals. (It’s worth noting that homemade weed-killing solutions using vinegar, dish soap and salt are herbicides and can affect your local ecosystem by harming plants and small amphibians.)
To control dandelions and weeds like crabgrass and knotweed in your lawn and landscape without using chemicals, you have several options. The first option with weeds in your landscape is always hand-pulling. When you manually remove weeds, you can be assured that you’re getting the root and the seed head and therefore reducing potential for new weeds to emerge.
When hand-pulling weeds, keep these tips in mind:
- Work in the coolest part of the day. Mornings are best, when temperatures are cooler and bugs are less active.
- Pull weeds when the ground is soft after a rain. (Not a problem in the past month when we’ve had rainstorms nearly every day).
- Bring your equipment to the garden: a bucket for weeds, a hand cultivator or weed-pulling tool, gardening gloves and a garden stool if you’re working close to the ground.
A second strategy is to use mulch to suppress weeds. This is a good technique to follow a weed-pulling session. Use shredded wood mulches or pine straw. Many gardeners use the lasagna layering method to build up soil and reduce weeds. Begin by laying cardboard over native soil, then top with good quality garden soil and organic compost. Top the soil with mulch. You can plant in this soil or let layers settle and the cardboard break down.
Tip: If you want to sow seeds like annual flowers in this new bed, consider making a ball out of moist, good quality garden soil and tucking seeds inside. Put the seed ball in the soil layer of your lasagna garden bed and pull mulch around it.
Keep in mind it’s far easier to prevent weeds from taking root than it is to control weeds that have set seed.
Consider trying a “living mulch” to reduce weed growth. This technique uses groundcovers and thickly planted perennials to crowd out weeds. In your lawn, focus on improving soil and turf health to eliminate the potential for weeds to take hold.
Soil solarization is a popular technique to kill weed seeds and turf to create garden beds. Summer is a good time to try soil solarization.
Here’s how to solarize soil:
- Smooth an area and water deeply.
- Cover with clear plastic, like sheets of 1-mil thick plastic sheeting used for drop cloths. Thicker plastic may be needed if wind is a concern where you live.
- Secure the sheeting with landscape staples, rocks, pavers or lumber.
- Leave the plastic for up to six weeks. The plastic sheeting concentrates the energy of the sun and superheats the soil to eliminate weed seeds and some soil organisms.
- Experts say that beneficial earthworms burrow deep enough to escape the heat and will return when the plastic is lifted.
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