Weeds, Weeds, Weeds, Will I Win or Will They?

May 25, 2011

This morning I weeded a couple of rows of my vegetable garden.  The plants from seeds are emerging but just as fast are all the weeds.  Perennial weeds were about 6 inches tall and annuals were an inch or less.  This post is ways to consider fighting the weed war.  Plan ahead and your battle will be much easier to win.  Perennial weeds were about 6 inches tall and annuals were an inch or less.

For perennial beds plan before you plant.  Before you plant anything, prepare the soil then cover the whole area with a quality weed mat or landscape fabric.  These come in long strips and are available at Lowes, Home Depot, Menards and garden centers.  They come in various lengths usually 50 to 100 feet long and 3 or 4 feet wide and then cut to fit.  Commercial sizes are much wider. After the area is covered cut X’s where your plants will go and plant the perennials.  Secure the fabric with stakes and cover with mulch or rocks to make the garden aesthetically acceptable.  In the future you can move the mulch, cut new x’s and plant annuals or perennials.  The more cuts through the weed mats, the more places for weeds to grow.  The weed mats will last for many years.

If your garden is in a new area, spray with a glyphosate herbicide like RoundUp or Com-Pleet to kill all the existing weeds before tilling.  This will kill the hard to manage perennial weeds.

Using mulch to cover the soil is extensively used.  It also looks very professional.  Some weeds come through the mulch but they can be physically removed or sprayed.  Many people add about 3 inches of mulch.  Experts recommend using about 1 inch of mulch.  A thicker mulch layer will inhibit the emergence of more weeds.  If you plan on using thick mulch take this into consideration and plant plants to be at the depth of the top of the mulch.  The worst item you can do for the health of perennials, especially trees and woody ornamentals, is to heap mulch up around the trunk.  Heaping mulch around trees, kills trees.  Still many people like the look and it is still done.

Weeds that come through mulch can be sprayed with RoundUp or Com-Pleet, but don’t allow the spray to contact the ornamental spray.

You may add commercial bagged topsoil to eliminate weeds.  They may still have a small supply of weeds in even though it comes in a bag.  A local topsoil may be ideal for fixing problem soils but be prepared to deal with a new brand of weeds brought in with the topsoil.

Herbicides are used extensively in commercial real estate.  Homeowners don’t have access to all the product used commercially but still can easily control the weeds.  Preen is most commonly used for both ornamental and vegetable gardens.  If this writer were to rate products, the highest rating for weed control with a granule would be Amaze.  If it is not available in your area, ask for it specifically.  Amaze from Green Light has two herbicides, one stronger on grasses and one stronger on broadleaf weeds.  It will last longer than other products for weed control around ornamentals.  Amaze covers more area per pound of granules and will be cheaper than other products.  Amaze should not be used in vegetable gardens.  There is also a Preen for Southern Gardens that uses dithiopyr but cannot be used in vegetable gardens.  It will control weeds for twice as long as regular Preen.  Some of the commercial crabgrass control products can be used in ornamental gardens.  However, read and follow the label directions before making application.  These products often control many more weeds than crabgrass.

Several companies such as Scotts Miracle Gro sell a similar herbicide as Preen.  One such product is Miracle Gro Weed Preventer.  Most Scotts Miracle Gro products use fertilizer as a carrier which may be an overuse of fertilizer.  A commercial product used in ornamental plant beds is BroadStar or SureGuard, a granule and liquid product containing a new herbicide flumioxazin.  If it becomes available for residential use by consumers it will provide long lasting excellent control of weeds. 

Another way to provide good long lasting weed control is to use one of the commercial products with glyphosate and a residual herbicide.  The most common product is RoundUp Extended Control or SeasonLong Grass and Weed Control.  These products kill all the weeds and lay down a layer of herbicide weeds won’t germinate through.  They will provide about 3 to 4 months of weed control.  If these products are sprayed on existing plants or you get too much on the green bark of young trees and shrubs they will also be killed.  Use with EXTREME caution around existing plants.

The historic way is simply hoe out the unwanted plants with a hoe.  If you are growing a vegetable garden, grow a small size garden, small enough so the weed war is small enough to keep under control. 

Happy Gardening!