How to get rid of weeds
Unwanted plants on your treasured flowers can ruin the whole effect. But with the right tools and techniques, you can get rid of the invaders quickly. When weeds appear in your flower beds, these pesky plants can ruin the whole show. But you can't roar with a weed killer and knock all the greenery to the ground, or spray everything with herbicide. The trick is to get rid of weeds as soon as you see them, as they can grow large and difficult to deal with. If you miss them when they are just seedlings, the next best thing is to remove the weeds before they flower and go to seed. The good news is that the more weeds you kill, the healthier and happier your flowering plants will be.
How to say weed
In the spring, when the little stems are pushing up from the soil in your flowerbed, it can be hard to tell which plant is a weed, which is the prettiest, and which is the perennial you bought for $20 last year. Familiarize yourself with the most common weeds in your area (if you don't know, use a weed identification guide) so you'll feel confident with your tools on hand.
Use a scuffle hoe to pick weeds while standing up
A hoe lets you quickly dispatch many small weeds without having to bend or kneel. One of the best types for maneuvering into tight spaces between plants in your flower bed is the lightweight squeegee hoe (the blade swings back and forth rather than being fixed). All you have to do is run the blade under the surface of the soil to cut the weed stems.
Dealing with deep-rooted weeds
Unfortunately, the shovel trick doesn't work on all weeds. For those with deep or very dense root systems, you'll need a more targeted approach. For example, if you're up against dandelions, remove their long roots with a forked weeder or garden knife. Bindweed and other stubborn plants with tough roots should also be dug up, perhaps with a narrow spade. When it comes time to deal with these invaders, use these tips to make it easier:
Pace yourself and tackle a small section of the bed at a time
Stay in the shade
Protect your knees with a knee pad or a knee pad with handles
Wear gloves
Carry a weed bucket to dispose of pulled plants as you go, then put them in the trash, not compost.
Mulch after weeding
After you've weeded out all the intruders in your flower bed, there will be open spaces where more weeds can take root. Go one step further by filling in bare spots with more flowers or spreading two inches of mulch across the bed. This is usually enough to suppress new weeds trying to sprout. Keep mulch at least two inches away from the stems of your flowering plants to prevent rotting. You may also want to install edging around the border of your flower bed to prevent the mulch from being washed away by rain, and to prevent weeds from creeping up from the lawn.
When and how to leaf
If you have a flower bed that is too weedy to get through even with your best tools, you may need to try a technique called sheet mulching or lasagna gardening. The idea is to blanket an area with mulch to completely smother weeds, roots and all. This is especially helpful when you have a large area where you want to start a flower bed, but it's currently growing nothing but weeds.
If you have some desirable plants, you can temporarily move them to containers or other beds so you can easily clean up the weeded area. You can apply mulch at any time of the year, but it's best to start in the spring, when any weeds have a chance to set seed.
Start by cutting back existing weeds. A lawn mower can help you do this quickly. Then, spread newspaper or cardboard over the area, making sure they overlap at least six inches so weeds don't have a chance to sprout between them. Use a hose to thoroughly moisten the layers, then cover them with 4 to 6 inches of mulch and keep it moist.
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