During the month of July, the growth of plants usually slows down because of the weather being hot. However, weed growth is still rampant and at times, it may seem like your losing a battle with them. Here in Pennsylvania, there are so many weeds that can be extremely hard to pull and grow rapidly. A lot of these weeds are invasive and can have long taproots or underground bulbs or tubers that can be a challenge to dig out of the soil. To make matters worse, weed seeds can be scattered by the wind, rain and by birds. Even seedlings of trees and shrubs can be considered weeds if they germinate in the middle of plants or perennial beds. This month's post is about weed control, so that you can enjoy a weed free garden. I will be listing several methods of weed control with descriptions of each.
Method 1: By far, the best method for removing and controlling weeds is by hand. In order to get the most out of it, try to remove as much of the roots and/or bulbs/tubers as possible. If you weed a day or two after it rains, the weeds will come out easier. For weeds with really long taproots, like Dandelions, use a dandelion digger to pry out the taproot with. You can also use something called a weeding knife, which is a tool that allows you to cut, dig and lift all with one tool. This tool is also great for removing weeds with underground bulbs or tubers since you can dig down deep and lift them out. Another great tool for removing weeds with is a weed weasel. With this tool, you can really loosen the soil around the weeds a lot, which will make getting them out easier. This is especially good for large areas of weeds. For smaller weeds, you can use a tool with a curved blade (it kind of looks like a miniature sickle) to cut them off at the base.
Method 2: If you have a large area of weeds, a weed whacker that is gas or electric powered can be used. You can also use a lawn mower to mow them down with, but make sure the weeds aren't too tall or you'll damage the mower.
Method 3: The most effective method of weed control that I have found is planting plants close together or allowing plants to fill in. Right after weeding is a good time to plant more plants so that the weeds don't have a chance to get established. Gardens that have just plants and no open soil space get fewer weeds than gardens that have open soil space. This is because the plants shade the weeds out and starve them of essential water and nutrients.
Method 4: Another really great method for weed control is placing several layers of newspaper (pages with black ink only), cardboard, or biodegradable fabric with 2-3" of mulch or wood chips on top. This method is great for large areas and works by choking the weeds out using suffocation and heat. You can also place a tarp over a large area where you want to kill the weeds in, which will suffocate the weeds and bake them. You'll want to leave it in place for 2-4 weeks. I don't recommend using landscape fabric, as this is not biodegradable and can be really hard to plant plants in.
Method 5: For weeds that come up in walkways and patios, a great method is a weed torch. This is a handheld torch fueled by propane or some other fuel that allows you to burn the weeds.
Method 6: I purposefully put this method last, because it should be used as a last resort when all other methods fail. I also strongly discourage it. Chemical weed killers can be used to kill weeds with, but this causes pollution. A lot of chemicals used in weed killers can be very dangerous to any person or animal that comes into contact with it. Even if the chemical says it only kills the leaves and stems of weeds and will dissipate, this is not always true. A lot of these chemicals can leach into ground water, which can then end up in our drinking water supply. This can kill off or cause health problems in people or animals who then drink this water. Also, some weeds can develop a resistance to some of these chemicals, which could mean that they may not be as effective. If you choose this method, PLEASE READ AND FOLLOW ALL DIRECTIONS AND PRECAUTIONS PRINTED ON THE LABEL! PLEASE USE PROPER SAFETY GEAR AND PRECAUTIONS WHEN SPRAYING WEED KILLERS AND DISPOSE OF EXCESS PROPERLY! There are organic and homemade weed killers made from household items, but these have to be used more often and aren't as effective. Organic weed killers are also more expensive.