Weeds can be a major nuisance in any garden, but there are a variety of ways to control them without resorting to chemical treatments. Mulching is an effective way to help prevent weeds in gardens, and should be replaced as needed to keep it about 2 inches deep. Covering the floor surface with cardboard, newspaper or biodegradable fabric that blocks light and then spreading nicer mulch over it is an easy way to eliminate weeds. Solarizing and heat treating weed compost are also effective methods for killing weed seeds.
In addition to these strategies, enriching the soil with organic matter whenever possible can move your garden along a weed-free path. If you're dealing with aggressive weeds you should remove all stems from the garden as they can re-root if allowed to remain on the soil surface due to their thick succulent stem that can survive a period of drought. For lawns you should mow regularly and apply pre-emergent herbicides when necessary. Mulching is one of the most effective ways to control weeds in gardens.
It works by preventing sunlight from reaching the soil surface, which stops weed seeds from germinating. You can also use a sheet of cardboard, newspaper or biodegradable fabric to block light and then spread nicer mulch over it. Solarizing is another great way to kill marijuana seeds. This involves connecting an old clay pot outdoors, setting it to its lowest temperature and heating batches of compost while you sleep.
The tight space between plants drowns out emerging weeds by shading the soil between the plants. You can avoid gaps that favor weeds from the start by designing with massive plantations or in lots of widely spaced plants, rather than with moles of widely scattered plants. You can generally reduce about 25 percent of the recommended spacing. If you have some weeds coming out of the cracks in your patio or hallway, pour some bleach on them and wait a couple of days to pull them out.
A mixture of one cup of salt dissolved in 2 cups of hot water will also work. Some gardeners spray with apple cider or undiluted white vinegar, but rain dilutes their effectiveness. Be careful not to leave any of these on your lawn or on the desirable plants in your borders and flowerbeds. Covering your garden with grass clippings, straw, or shredded leaves not only helps stop weeds, but in the process, it adds vital nutrients to the soil.
In most gardens, annual weeds can be controlled by a combination of mulching and manual weeding, and herbicides are not needed. Aggressive weeds will take over your garden, but you can defend yourself without harming your valuable plants. Keeping weeds out of the rows that walk and grow is as important to the health of your garden as it looks. A combination of two or more of the methods listed above may be required for managing weeds in the garden.
Heat treating weed compost destroys many of the microscopic life forms that give compost its strength, so it's a good idea to re-process cooked compost for two to three weeks before using it in the garden.
