They’re the bane of every landscape’s existence: Weeds. These tiny little plants can wreck total havoc on a landscape, turning a beautiful garden into a dead wasteland if they aren’t taken care of. Sucking up all the water and nutrients that your healthy plants need, these little free riders can completely overrun a landscape if they aren’t dealt with in time.
Taking care of weeds on your own can be long and tedious. Getting down on your knees, pulling them out one by one… Surely there must be a better way? That’s where we come in: At ABC Scapes, weed control is one of our specialties! Why suffer through the indignity of weed pulling when you can get some pros in to handle it quickly and thoroughly? But if you want to try and take care of your weeds yourself, here are a few ways in controlling weeds in your landscape.
Mulch
Weed seeds need light in order to germinate. A great way to keep weeds from sprouting willy-nilly all over the place is to spread mulch over your landscape. This will smother the weed seeds and keep them from getting close enough to the surface of your soil to bask in the sunlight and grow. One of the added benefits of mulch is that it can host crickets and carabid beetles, which will seek out and devour thousands of dormant weed seeds in your soil.
There’s a variety of different mulch types you can use:
- Wood chips
- Bark nuggets
- Straw
- Pine needles
>You’ll want to replenish the mulch over time to keep it about two inches deep. You don’t want it to be more than three inches deep: That can deprive the soil of oxygen! You can also use landscape fabric to block out sunlight around seldom-dug areas like trees and the root zones of shrubs. Just make sure that you regularly clean off the fabric: Weed seeds can get deposited on that fabric by birds or the wind. They will grow their roots and sink them into the ground through the fabric if they aren’t cleared away in time.
Close The Gap
Don’t make the mistake of spacing your plants too far apart. Close plant spacing can cut down on weed growth! Close plants choke out emerging weeds because they throw shade on the soil between the plants. Keep this in mind when planning your landscapes. Design with mass plantings or drifts of closely spaced plants in mind. You just want to make sure that you leave enough space between plants that they have room to grow to a healthy size.
Water Your Plants, Not Your Weeds
When it comes to weeds a drought can be your friend. Like most forms of life, weeds need water to thrive and survive. Deny them by focusing your watering efforts on your plants. If you have mulch on your landscape, place your hose beneath it. This will efficiently irrigate your plants while leaving your weeds thirsty and dry.
Organic Matter Matters
Weed seeds don’t germinate as well in soil that contains fresh infusions of compost or organic matter. Enrich your soil as often as you can with organic matter and compost. Weeds are less likely to grow in healthy soil.
Have more questions or need help with weed control services? Give ABC Scapes a call at 602-404-0568.