One of the questions we hear most from our landscape clients here in Buffalo is, “How do I kill weeds?” It’s a question as old as gardening itself, as without weed control maintaining a garden really isn’t a thing. While there are plenty of options when it comes to choosing a weed control method, here are four of the most common tips we give our customers across Western New York.
Mulch - While organic mulch doesn’t last quite as long as inorganic weed barriers, it does offer a lot of other benefits to your garden and can help keep your soil healthy. It’s also important to consider the garden type you’re mulching, for example; black plastic mulch works great in vegetable gardens but isn’t an ideal mulch in flower beds.
Don’t Stir up the Soil - If you’ve been passing time inside during the abysmal Buffalo weather the past few weeks dreaming of tilling up your garden when the warmer temperatures hit, pump the brakes!
While it sounds counterintuitive, one of the most important aspects of weed control is stopping weed germination. When you till soil you’re launching naturally present weed seeds in the soil towards the sunlight, where they need to be to germinate. If you do decide to till your garden, plan on planting right away and covering the area with mulch to help prevent weeds from growing.
Use the Right Tools - As with any landscape job, using the right tool for removing weeds is of the utmost importance. Keep in mind, the goal is to remove the entire weed system and not just what is above the surface. Learning the types of weeds that plague Western New York gardens is also important, so that you know what type of weed system should be getting pulled from the soil. When picking tools, make sure they fit well in your hands, match your budget and that you have tools capable of reaching deep and shallow roots alike!
Chemical Weed Killers - If the weeds in your garden are massively out of control and have you pulling your hair out, a last resort for getting rid of weeds is chemical weed control. These chemicals are generally classified into two types: pre-emergent killers and post-emergence killers, which is exactly what it sounds like. Pre-emergent weed killers are useful in weed prevention and post-emergent weed killers are sprayed directly on weeds to kill the actual plant. It’s again important to know which kind of weeds you’re trying to get rid of while choosing a chemical weed killer.
It’s important to know that vigilance is the most important aspect of weed control in your yard and garden and that it will be an ongoing battle. Getting control of the weed situation in your garden depends on your patience and persistence and with these tips you should be off to a great start.
If you’d like to learn more about what we can do to help get your weed problem manageable or you’re just looking to add new gardens to your Western New York home, contact us today to learn about what landscaping services we can offer!