Garden weeds can make caring for your garden a never-ending task. They can also crowd out your beloved plants and cause damage to your soil. Thankfully, you can end your weed woes with the right knowledge and tools at your disposal.
This post will walk you through our top tips on effectively removing garden weeds. We’ll cover the types of weeds you might encounter and how to identify them. Plus, we’ll share the best tools for the job and the most effective removal methods. After you read our pro tips, you’ll finally be able to win the battle against those pesky garden weeds.
Types of Weeds
Annual: These weeds only live for one season. They typically grow quickly and spread their seeds widely, so deal with them as soon as you spot them.
Biennial: Similar to annuals, biennials are short-lived weeds that only last for two seasons. While they may not have the same fast-growing properties as annuals, biennials need monitoring since they can overproduce.
Perennial: Perennial weeds return every season and can survive under harsh conditions and extreme temperatures. The roots of many of these plants are deep and well-established, so you’ll have an uphill battle trying to remove them from your garden.
Deep-rooted: Deep-rooted weeds are those that have taproots much deeper than an ordinary weed’s roots would be. These weeds will require more effort to pull out of the ground.
Tools and Methods
Hand-Pulling: This approach is straightforward but requires some physical exertion! Pull up the weed by the roots if possible.
Weed Torch: If you’re looking for a slightly easier method than hand-pulling, you could use a weed torch to burn away the above-ground parts of the weed. This results in less manual labor but can also kill other nearby vegetation if you’re not careful.
Stand-Up Weed Puller: This innovative tool has a long handle and a unique claw design that allows you to remove weeds without bending down and hurting your back.
Weed Killer: When all else fails, a chemical weed killer is sometimes necessary to remove certain weeds from a garden bed or lawn completely. Be sure to use a pet and people-safe product that’ll target the type of weed you’re dealing with.
Weed Mat: A weed mat is a thick, fabric layer that lays over the ground to prevent weeds from sprouting in the first place! Weed barriers should be placed before you plant to keep pesky weeds at bay.
Weed Shield: A weed shield is a much thinner cloth or plastic sheeting designed to go between plants. It blocks sunlight and prevents weed seeds from sprouting near the plants you’ve already planted.
Prevention
Keeping your garden tidy with regular weeding sessions can prevent weeds from taking over your garden and lawn in the first place. Healthy soil will also limit the amount of weed growth in your garden — make sure it’s full of nutrients by adding compost or other beneficial amendments before planting seeds or transplants. And using mulch on top of your soil surface effectively limits light exposure and acts as an obstacle for growing weeds trying to push through the soil surface.
Natural Remedies
Mixing vinegar, lemon juice, and salt in equal parts creates an acidic solution that can help break down some hardy weed types over time — just spray it directly onto the plant leaves.
Applying boiling water directly onto weeds is a fairly easy way to kill them without causing much harm to surrounding vegetation. Remember not to accidentally splash other parts of your garden while doing this!
As long as you cover them with mulch or soil, putting down layers of newspaper on wet soil can stop light from reaching dormant weed seeds belowground, which helps prevent them from germinating in the first place.
Follow-Up Steps
After you clean up your garden, it’s important to keep checking regularly for any new weeds popping up since it’s much easier to deal with small infestations than large ones. Also, look back over how your weeding efforts are going every few weeks to see if you need to make any changes regarding which methods or tools you’re using. Finally, once you finish all your weeding, remove dead plants and replant fresh ones.
Conclusion
We hope our pro tips will help make your weed removal a little less daunting. Whether you’re hand-pulling, using a torch, trying the stand-up weed puller, or applying a chemical killer, it’s important to identify the weed type and select the most appropriate tool. You can also take preventative steps like mulching, watering, and regular weeding sessions to help keep your garden weed-free. With these tips in mind, you’ll be an expert in no time.
