If you want to be a great gardener, you need to know several ways on how you can keep your garden in tip-top condition. Your garden is one place in your homestead that should keep you busy when you are not undertaking work duties or home chores. It is also an incredible investment that can also increase the value of your home.
Gardening is a demanding undertaking that can take away your time, energy and money. It involves a lot of activities that demand ample time and dedication. Garden weed control is one of the daunting and demanding activities that you should always put into consideration. Weeds are a common bane that many gardeners complain about yearly.
Before you figure out the most suitable techniques on how to get rid of weeds in a vegetable garden, you have to grasp robust information about weeds. Weeds are unwanted plants in a garden that compete with garden plants or lawn grass for light, nutrients, space and available water.
To different gardeners, weeds can be poisonous, produce thorns, burrs or can contaminate garden harvests and can also be unpleasant. You have to figure out the best ways to get rid of weeds in your lawns or gardens.
Weeds are a great nuisance to many gardeners, you should always find helpful ways on how to stop weeds from growing. It all starts by understanding the different types of weeds that many gardeners and weed control experts complain about all the times. They include;
- Annual weeds – These are weed types that grow and are spread by seeds and can take up to one year. Commonly known types include chickweed and lambsquarters.
- Biennial weed types – These are the type of weeds that complete their life span or cycle in two years. Good examples are garlic mustard and bull thistle.
- Perennial weeds – These are the most challenging types of weed to control or prevent as they re-emerge on a yearly basis. They also produce long tap roots and seeds making it so daunting and demanding to control them. They include; plantain, oxalis, couch grass, dandelions and purple loosestrife to name but a few.
Best Way To Prevent Weeds – Prevent Weeds From Growing
You cannot just wake up one morning and find weeds have disappeared from your garden or lawn. There are incredible methods of weeding that you should keep in mind, or you should be well versed with all the times. These unrivalled weed control techniques include;
Preventative weed control
This is a weed control technique that aims at preventing weeds from being established in a garden or greenhouse. This method involves using certified weed-free seeds, ensuring farm equipment are properly cleaned, screening irrigation water and transporting weed-free hay.
Mechanical method
It is any technique that involves the use of farm equipment to get rid of weeds effectively. Tillage and mowing are the two key mechanical weed control methods.
Cultural methods
This is an incredible technique of getting rid of weeds that involves keeping the farming field in best conditions. Examples of cultural weed control techniques include; crop rotation, maintaining excellent soil fertility and avoiding overgrazing on rangeland.
Biological method
This is a technique that involves the use of the natural enemies of weeds, in order to be able to prevent germination and establishment of weed plants. This method involves the use of creatures that can feed on weeds. You can use goats or sheep to get rid of weeds.
Chemical method
Chemical weed control is a technique that involves the use of chemical applications or products to control germination and development of weed species. You have to get the best chemicals or herbicides in the market that are known to present gardeners with the best way to get rid of weeds.
How To Keep Weeds Out Of The Garden
You may rely on a number of weed prevention methods, but there are also effective ways that can help you get rid of weeds completely. Here are the top 10 weed control tips to keep in mind;
1. Mulching
Mulching is an essential factor to keep in mind as you figure out how to keep weeds out of the garden naturally. Mulching is all about covering your garden soil with a layer of organic matter to overpower and inhibit weeds. It’s a technique that also helps prevent new weed seeds from germinating. It is a weed control technique that can be achieved through using wood chips, grass clippings, straw and compost.
As you mulch, it is advisable to shun hay that can contain harmful weed seeds. Newspapers, ground cloth, old bed sheets and worn out cotton curtains as well as cardboard can work miracles and prevent weeds from germinating. Mulching is the best way to clear weeds from the garden, but you should always apply mulch early in the season before annual weeds can grow. However, you should not over-mulch.
2. Crowding
Weeds need enough space to hold into your garden. You can crowd out weeds with thick lawn cover to make sure the weeds don’t have enough room to grow. Also, add groundcover or any thick plantings in your garden to crowd out weeds and to easily remove weeds from lawn hassle free.
3. Limit digging and tilling
There is no better way to stop weeds from growing than reducing garden digging and tilling. Tilling frequently will bring up to the surface new weed seeds. Alternatively, you can opt for the non-till technique of gardening or go for lasagne gardening, whereby you just disturb the soil as little as you can. Don’t dig deep when planting seeds. Just try as hard as possible to go for a no-till method that improves soil structure and fertility.
4. Solarizing
Solarizing is an exceptional trick and one of the best ways of controlling weeds that involves exposing weeds into a hot climatic condition. This technique works simply by covering a weedy area with a heavy plastic sheet, whereby heat collects under the sheets and dries and browns the weed. This should take 4 to 6 weeks before the solarising becomes effective in killing weeds. However, you have to figure out how to cover weeds in the garden so as that this technique can be effective.
5. Cautiously fertilise and irrigate
As you pursue the best weed prevention method, don’t forget that applying fertilise and carefully irrigation of your garden or lawn gets rid of weeds. Only fertilise the plant on the ground and irrigate or water only the roots of the plants. Don’t spread fertilisers carelessly or water any empty space in your garden. This can be a ground for dangerous weeds.
6. Frame weeding
If you are still wondering, how to remove weeds effectively, use of frame weeders is a unique technique that you can embrace in your endeavours. It is an effective technique that can get rid of any type of weed in your lawn or garden. It involves the use of a flame weeder, a kind of pointer connected to a propane tank whereby you can pass a flame over the weed and lethally heat the weed tissues.
This procedure will not completely kill the weed root, so you have to repeat the procedure a number of times to be helpful. You should not be struggling on how to weed when burning weeds can be a chemical-free weed control technique that will also not be harmful to the environment.
7. Use boiling water
Among the many techniques on how to get rid of weeds you may have in mind, none beats using boiled water. All you need is to boil water in a kettle, and then pour it over weeds on your garden or lawn to burn them. This is an excellent technique if the weed is growing in the garden paths or cracks in your lawn.
8. Use alcohol or vodka
If you are figuring out how to weed a garden without having to rely on demanding procedures, you can effectively succeed in your endeavours by using alcohol or vodka. This is a technique that works on annual weeds that are also growing in full sun exposure.
All you need to do is mix up alcohol or vodka and spray the mixture on the weeds to dry and kill them. Be cautious in your undertakings as alcohol easily dries up whatever it comes into contact with including your healthy plants.
9. Use vinegar
Before you even exhaust effective tips on how to weed a garden full of weeds in your fingertips, keep in mind vinegar can aid get rid of weeds. A vinegar mix can help dry out weeds. However, you have to apply this solution a number of times for it to work effectively, especially if the weeds have long roots. Opt for this technique during a hot day.
10. Use organic pre-emergent herbicides
As think of the best way to get rid of weeds permanently, don’t forget that herbicides are also great for weed control. Pre-emergent herbicides are the best to go for, as you can use them before weeds appear.
Some of the weeds that you can easily control using pre-emergent herbicides include purslane, henbit, crabgrass and chickweed to name but a few. Most of these herbicides are made from corn gluten meal and form a layer that helps prevent weed seeds from germinating.
Final Thoughts
All these techniques on how to get rid of weeds in mulch beds or lawns cannot be effective if you don’t work hard and take care of your lawn or garden. You need to be cautious, vigilant and take proper care of your plants so that they can mature without any complications.
If you don’t know how to get rid of weeds in the garden, don’t stress at all. Valiant Arborist is here to make your life easy. We offer gardening, guidance on vegetation management as well as weed control and tree surgeon services in Essex. All you need is to get in touch and learn from their experts who will undoubtedly relieve you of any gardening woes and stress.
