How to Weed Your Garden the Right Way

Weeds can have devastating effects on your blooms.

First things first, lets define a weed.

The definition of a weed is “an unwanted plant.” This may mean a nasty invasive plant that spreads without stopping, or it could also be a beautiful rose. The rose can be totally in the wrong spot and be considered a weed.

Some true weeds, like morning glory vine or nightshade vine can wrap around leaves and stem and ultimately suffocate the beautiful not weed plant.

Ultimately, weeding is the removal of unwanted plants from an area. There are many ways to do this and the method you choose will depend on the type of weed and where it is growing.

Here are some tips from my gardening experience that will help with weed control.

What are the main causes of weeds? And what causes them to spread?

Weeds tend to grow in open sunny spots. The purpose of mulch isn’t to only make the ground look even and pretty, its to create dense shade so the weeds can not germinate properly. If you have a dense cover of shrubs and trees, where there is a lot of shade, you will find weeds don’t grow. Some weeds are not only persistent, but can spread quickly and take over an area.

Are there any mistakes people make in removing or managing weeds?

A garden is not a garden without weeds. One of the most common tasks for a gardener is to pull these pesky plants. A lot of people think that this is a tedious, time-consuming task. However, it can be done with relative ease.

Weeding is a necessary part of gardening, but sometimes it can be done in an easier way. If you have a regular root system, you can pull the weed by hand. This will save you time and effort. Some examples of weeds you can remove by hand include chickweed, crabgrass, and oxalis.

Many weeds also have to be taken a step further and dug up with a trowel or shovel due to their “tap root” (i.e. Dock).

Is there a correct way to remove weeds?

Weeding is a necessary part of gardening. It can be tedious, but it's an essential part of maintaining and improving your garden. Weeds are a problem in gardens and lawns, but there is no one-size-fits-all solution to removing weeds. The best way to remove weeds depends on the type of weed, the type of plant it is growing near, and where it is growing. There are three basic ways to remove weeds: pull them out by hand, use an organic weed killer like vinegar or baking soda, or use a chemical herbicide.

First, Identify what type of root system they have, pull from the base if it is one of the first two. If it breaks off, dig up the root completely. A good way to remove weeds from your garden is to use a weeding hoe. A weeding hoe is a gardening tool that has a blade on the end of the handle and an angled head that allows you to cut deep into the ground without damaging nearby plants.

On the other hand, removing a rhizomatous root stystem is more difficult. Either you have to remove all of the soil around the weed or you need to spay it with an herbicide.

What are good practices that help with handling weeds?

Planting gardens can be a time consuming process. You have to decide if you want to add mulch or not and then add it to the garden. Weeds will still grow in your garden so it is a constant battle between the two. I tend to plant my gardens and fill them in thick so there is less need for mulch and weeding in the first place.