subject: Removing Weeds Effectively And Efficiently [print this page] By the time spring comes, every yard is in serious need of a makeover. The muddy pathways left over from last winter, the dead branches strewn over the lawn, and drooping flowers from last are not very inviting and not a great place to have people over to.
However, the sprouting buds on the trees, fresh green in the lawn and moist soil show promise of the new life that is waiting to spring forth. As you clear away the debris from last year and begin planting new plants for the coming year, you may realize that there is a new threat to your garden.
In addition to the plants you are trying to cultivate, weeds are springing up all around them. There are many different varieties of weeds.
Dandelions, stinging nettles, creeping charlies, and thousands of other weeds may be threatening your beautiful yard. Year after year you may find it difficult to stay on top of these weeds.
Here are a few suggestions on how you can deal with these invaders in a more efficient and effectively manner. The first thing you should do it mulch your soil heavily as soon as you get clear soil.
In other words, in the early spring when you clear away the debris and plant flowers, the rest of dirt should be free of weeds. At this point, you should apply the mulch so that it prevents the weeds from growing.
Bare soil is like heaven to weeds. It invites them to settle down there and to grow strong very quickly with plenty of nutrients and room to grow.
On occasion, a weed may find its way into your mulch. However, it will be very easy to pull out because the mulch is very loose and there will not be very much for the roots to hang on to.
Put down a layer of newspaper and then a three inch thick layer of mulch if the dirt area is one where you do not plan to plant anything. These areas may include walkways in the garden, soil patches you are letting 'rest' for a year, and so forth.
The second thing you should do is water completely before you weed. This will make the soil muddy, but it will make it much easier to pull weeds out of the dirt.
This is especially important in areas where the dirt is very compact and hard. In these areas the roots have a lot to hand on to, so when you try to pull the weeds, the roots stay firmly in the ground and the plant breaks off somewhere in the middle.
Unfortunately, you know that this means the weed will simply grow back as they are very hardy plants. This means more work for you as you will have to come back in a week or two to try and get it out of the ground again.
It is much easier and much less work in the long run if you water the area a day before you plan to weed. By the time you get around to weeding, the soil will still be soft, but it will only be damp instead of muddy.
The third thing you should make sure that you do is weed while the weeds are small. Some people justify weeding when the weeds are larger, because they are easier to grab and pull on as they are larger in size.
However, you will only have to pull harder when they are larger because their roots will be bigger and stronger as well. When they are small, they are very easy to pull out of the ground.
At this stage, you can even use a garden hoe to take care of them. A hoe is very effective at clearing a large area of weeds very quickly.
In order to catch the weeds when they are small, you will need to weed quite often. Most professional gardeners suggest at least once a week.
However, if you implement mulch or other technique, you may not have to weed quite as often. The elimination of chores is always the better option.
The fourth thing you will want to consider doing if you have a large patch of firmly established weeds that you want to get rid of is covering them. For example, you may want to create a new flower bed along one of the fences where there is tall grass, nettles, and large dandelions.
If you cover them in thick layers of cardboard or newspaper, drench them in water, and then cover it in mulch, you will not have to spend the hours it would normally take to remove them.
