5 Rules to Help You Control Weeds for Good

Weeds… talk about a pain in the butt! Just when you think you’ve cleared your yard, another pops up to remind you that they never left (spoiler alert: they never do). Lucky for you, while we can’t completely eradicate weeds, we’re here to help teach you the 5 rules that will help keep them away. Well, what are we waiting for? Let’s get started —

satisfying until it’s not

We can’t lie, pulling weeds can be therapeutic and not to mention, satisfying. But once it becomes a repetitive chore that takes up time and intrudes on your landscape, it no longer feels like a gratifying task.

weeds are healing your landscape

Wait, what? We’re contradicting ourselves with this statement, aren’t we? No worries, we’ll explain what we mean by this. Naturally, weeds grow as a way to remedy the areas of a space that are bare and damaged. While weeds’ intentions are to heal, the result still leaves us frustrated and far from satisfied.

rule #1: dig only what you need

Understanding how weeds work is essential to achieving full control. Like we mentioned in the introduction of this post - you can’t fully eradicate weeds because there’s thousands of weed seeds that exist in the soil. With enough sunlight, the ones that sit closer to the surface will germinate So, the key is to be thoughtful when pulling out dirt; dig only what you need.

Mulch will be your best friend when dealing with weeds. Immediately after pulling anything, bandage the open ground with either mulch or a plant of your choice to deter any weeds from sprouting up. Mulch keeps the ground cold and damp, which then prevents sunlight from permeating the soil and nurturing the growth of weeds. Tips to consider:

If mulch is too large, light will infiltrate and feed the seeds. Seeds will then rise and contaminate the mulch causing a bigger issue than before. To prevent this from happening, make sure your mulch is made up of smaller pieces that fully cover the ground. *Cardboard and newspapers are great alternatives that you probably have lying around the house
Place only around 2 inches of mulch. Anything more can potentially harm your landscape by depriving the soil of oxygen. Replace mulch as needed.
Organic mulch will attract bugs that feed on weed seeds!

rule #2: only water what’s yours

You may be caring for weeds without even knowing it. This may seem like common sense, but it’s actually easy to accidentally give water to weeds when watering the rest of your yard. Yes, it’s more tedious to water more distinctive areas, but we promise you will thank yourself later! Make sure to scout out your landscape prior to watering and steer clear from the weed infested patches as you go. *Investing into a drip irrigation system can help as well.

rule #3: pull when wet, hoe when dry

Weather matters. You can take advantage of certain conditions to have an easier weeding session. After it rains, it’s best to pull weeds since the soil is moist and loosened up. If weather conditions are dry, use a hoe: a long-handled gardening tool with a thin metal blade, used mainly for weeding and breaking up soil. This tool will aid you in getting to the root when soil is more compact and less maleable.

rule #4: don’t grant them space

Don’t give weeds a seat at the table! If you’re dealing with a more severe case, one of the best steps you can take is to minimize the space between plants. By doing this, you are giving them less options by creating more shade in your yard, which inevitably kills their chances of germinating. Plus, your landscape will look more full, vibrant, and lively with the added plants. Sounds like a win-win to us!

rule #5: behead them

Off with their heads! No, we’re serious. Sometimes, this is the route you take if for any reason you can’t quite get to the root. By cutting off the top, it will reduce their spread by depleting them of nutritional reserves. In time, they will slow down in duplication, but it won’t completely solve the issue long-term. You’ll have to get down to the root to really stop them. But still, it significantly slows down the spread and buys you additional time to get the job done.