No matter what time of year, there is a constant problem lurking in your yard. You guessed it—weeds! So this blog is going to really “get in the weeds,” and offer you some helpful, even surprising, solutions on how to prevent weeds in your yard.
Top Tips for the Prevention of Weeds
What is a weed?
Simply, a weed is a plant that grows in open areas, using resources like sunlight and water to grow. Unfortunately, you can never completely get rid of weed seeds in your yard. It may seem futile, but if you know when and how to prevent and inhibit their growth, weeding may not be such a daunting task. So, if you’re tired of spending so much time in your yard weeding, only to have the same problem year after year, read on.
What you’re doing to your lawn is wrong.
Watering and applying fertilizer only helps weeds to grow. You want to be selective where you water and fertilize, so you’re not accidentally giving weed seeds the nutrients they need to thrive!
How to prevent weed growth. . .
Believe it or not, weed seeds can lie dormant for a long time. If they’re left undisturbed, they won’t grow into a problem. For example, when you kill a weed, kill it at the root and leave the surrounding soil alone. This is because only the weed seeds located within the top two inches of the soil will get enough light to help them to germinate. If you dig around and upset the soil, you could be unknowingly bringing weed seeds to the surface! The solution? Dig only when you absolutely have to. And when you do, take care of the affected area with mulch.
For this reason, it’s often best not to dig. You can reduce the soil disturbance by using a sharp knife and cutting through roots of weeds to stop their source of nutrients, instead of digging them out and releasing more weed seeds to the surface.
Mulching is the key to weed prevention.
Weeds need light to grow. When you use mulch, you deprive them of that light. It’s best to use an organic mulch, such as fallen leaves or clippings of grass. Other benefits of organic mulch include keeping the soil moist and cool, and providing a home to beetles and crickets that actually will eat thousands of weed seeds. So let them do the work for you!
It’s important to lay down a nice helping of mulch. Ideally, you want mulch that’s two to four inches deep. This will ensure that weed growth is kept under control, while helping your soil to retain its moisture.
Also be sure to leave about four to six inches between mulch and tree trunks and other plants, so that they can breathe.
Last but not least, it’s a good idea to renew your organic mulch every so often. Give it a chance to decompose naturally, then spread new mulch on top.
This is Part One of a series we’ll be doing on weeds. Stay tuned to learn the correct techniques for removing weeds once you have them.
The Veron Company is your partner in environmentally friendly landscaping. Contact us today to let us go to work for you!
The Veron Company, serving Marlborough, Massachusetts and surrounding areas, including Cape Cod since 1982.
