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The easiest way to deal with a problem is to prevent it from occurring. All weeds spread by seeds. Some seeds can live for many years in the soil. Every time you till, you bring more of them to the surface where sunlight prompts them to sprout.
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Since seeds often need light to sprout, one good way to shade weeds out is with close planting of ornamental plants. Close planting shades the soil so seeds can't sprout easily. Even many creeping, perennial weeds don't like the shade and competition — they won't spread into these areas. Leave enough space between your plants so they just touch, as shown in the photo, and don't compete with each other.
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In open areas, such as flower or vegetable gardens, spreading a pre-emergent herbicide helps. After it's applied, make sure you don't disturb the barrier or weeds will be back. Corn gluten, the organic pre-emergent control being scratched into the soil in this photo, won't stop the spread of perennial runners or roots. It'll last several months depending on the product and weather conditions and releases nitrogen into the soil as it breaks down.
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Pulling weeds, as I'm doing in the photo, before they produce seeds is a good way to spend the afternoon. I call it weeding therapy because it's so satisfying once my garden is spotless and free of pesky weeds. Just make sure to get every piece of root if your pulling perennial weeds or they will regrow.
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Even putting down a thick layer of mulch like this will prevent weeds. Mulching shades the surface of the soil and keeps weed seeds from germinating. Even if a few seeds do happen to sprout, they can be easily pulled because the soil underneath stays loose. It also helps conserve moisture and keep the soil cooler on hot summer days. To be effective, it needs to be at least two inches thick or have a weed-barrier fabric underneath.
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No matter how diligent you are, weed seedlings and sprouts will appear and get established in your garden somehow. That's when it's time to begin
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