How to prevent weeds

A concern of every gardener, whether one’s plot is devoted to flowers or vegetables, is how to prevent weeds from overcoming your desired, more fruitful plants. Even a landowner who is concerned with the appearance of their lawn is interested in how to prevent weeds for overcoming their lawn. Learning how to prevent weeds is of particular interest to many gardeners, as they do not wish to spend all their time in the garden pulling up, cutting, and disposing of weeds in a process involving long periods of time on the ground.

There are a number of products available on the market today that can help the casual or serious gardener control weed growth and prevent weeds. No technique or product will be perfect, and very special care should be taken to select a product or technique that will not harm your other plants, pets, or children. It would be a terrible tragedy if you managed to prevent weeds from growing in your lawn or garden, as well as the very plants, even grass, that you wanted to grow there!

First, there is lawn sand, which, as the name suggests, is for use on lawns only. It is a mixture of fine sand, ammonium sulphate, and iron sulphate and has been found effective not only against weeds, but against moss as well. It should be spread over the whole of the lawn using a spreader – but this method makes it impossible to use on a garden or flower bed.

Next, there are chemical weed killers which vary widely and greatly. Some may be acceptable for use in a garden, but with these in particular one should research the product to ensure it won’t kill or harm your precious flowers or vegetable garden plants. They may be sprayed on, with an attachment to a garden hose or a pump-action sprayer, or they may be spread across the surface of a new bed or lawn with a spreader.

There are also spot weed killers which target specific plants in your yard or garden. While they are targeted, one should use caution when using them in close vicinity of plants you actually want to protect. These usually come in their own spray bottle, and some claim to work within hours – not only killing a weed but preventing it from coming back.

If a gardener or landowner is concerned with using chemicals, or cannot find a chemical product that is safe for use in their garden or lawn, there are more natural alternatives. For instance, there are landscape fabrics which can be laid over a garden, flowerbed, or area of the lawn to be protected. Holes are cut for the plants that are to be kept safe, and anything under the fabric cannot grow do to the lack of light.

More commonly used are natural materials, such as gravel or mulch, to surround one’s desired plants, bushes, or garden flowers. In addition to being a useful tool for those wondering how to prevent weeds, these materials accent the plants, in particular making small trees, shrubs, and bushes stand out more in a decorative landscape. Mulch also keeps the soil moist, and any weeds that do appear are easy to extract from the ground, as they will have difficulty forming strong roots in the loose mulch.

Finally, remember that no product is perfect, and regardless of what you use you will still need to occasionally get down in the dirt and pluck out a few weeds by hand. But knowing how to prevent weeds can save you hours, maybe even days, of back-breaking work weeding your garden.