Any plant that grows on your garden or lawn without you planting or desiring it is weed. Weeds are harmful to your garden because they compete with your plants for sunlight, water, nutrients, and space. They also harm gardeners because they may be poisonous and unpleasant. Sometimes they can contaminate harvests and produce thorns or burrs. This is why it is important to set expectations and responsibilities of the tenant/landlord relationship when it comes to lawn care. If you leave weeds without control on your lawn, they can overtake it and make it unsightly. There are numerous ways to control weeds. However, your method of choice should be suitable for the type of weed present on your lawn.
Types of weeds:
Annual weeds – Annual weeds grow and complete their life span in one year.
Biennial weeds – These weeds complete their life cycle after two years.
Perennial weeds – These are weeds that can last for several years. Perennial weeds are the most difficult to control because they produce seeds and have long taproots.
Methods of weed control:
You can control weed through different methods. These include:
Cultural method – Here, gardeners engage in practices that help boost soil fertility, such as crop rotation and overgrazing prevention.
Chemical method – Chemical methods involve the application of chemicals (herbicides) to the garden to kill weeds.
Preventive method – These include techniques that will prevent weeds from growing in your garden in the first place. Examples of these methods are transporting weed-free hay, planting weed-free seeds, screening irrigation water, and cleaning farm equipment before use.
Biological methods – Here, gardeners use natural means to prevent the growth and development of weeds. For example, having sheep and goats feed on the weeds.
Mechanical methods – Mechanical methods involve using farming equipment to remove weeds from the garden. Examples include tillage and mowing.
With all the above in mind, below are the tips and tricks you can use to control weeds in your garden.
1. Applying mulch
Mulching is a natural form of weed control where you use decayed leaves, garden compost, or mushrooms to cover the bare soil. It helps prevent weeds from growing in the spaces and boosts soil fertility.
When choosing mulching materials, avoid those that may contain weed seeds. Although this is among the best methods of controlling weed, we advise that you avoid over-mulching. To prevent annual weeds from growing in your garden and hardscape, apply mulch early in the season.
Weed with your hands
Hand weeding is not an easy task as it entails you getting on your knees and soiling your hands. In addition, it requires a lot of patience. However, the good thing with hand weeding is that you get to remove the weeds one by one if they are in between your plants.
2. Weed with a hoe
Hoe weeding is a mechanical method of weed control. Here, you use the hoe to slice and uproot the weeds from the soil. Weeding with a hoe can also be a hectic task. That is because you need to engage in it bit-by-bit and frequently to achieve significant control.
3. Weed at the appropriate time
The method of weeding you employ should depend on whether the soil is wet or dry. If the soil is moist, that is the best time to weed with your hands. To do this, get your glove, tarp, a sitting pad, hand fork, and fishtail weeder. But when the soil is dry, you need to use a hoe to slice off the weed below the soil line. If you notice bald spots after weeding, cover them with mulch.
4. Starve the weeds of water
Be specific about how you water your garden. Avoid spreading water all over the place. That is because the aim is to grow your plants and not the weeds. To water only your crops, place your irrigation hose or drip directly under your plants and leave the areas where weeds occupy to remain dry. Depending on the region, this method can prevent the growth of weeds by 50 to 70%. However, perennial weeds may spring up in the area you water. Endeavor to look out for this and uproot them.
5. Crowd the weeds
Crowding is a trick you use to choke emerging weeds and prevent them from thriving. That is because weeds grow in areas with enough space to thrive. To control weeds using this method, you can grow thick lawn cover, plant groundcover, design with mass planting, or plant the crops closely. Always remember the minimum spacing recommendations when reducing the space between your crops.
Bottom line!!!
There are several tricks you can deploy to control weeds. However, we recommend a combination of the tips above at the appropriate time and environment. If you are passionate about your garden or lawn, hire experts to inspect it and advise accordingly. https://bighamassociates.com/