There is plenty of advice out there, but it can be difficult to know what’s the most effective way of controlling weeds in your environment. Here is an overview of the six best tips, so you can get a firm grip on minimizing the weeds in your yard. Leaving no or as little room for weeds as possible means to plant densely. At the same time, however, you also need to prevent overcrowding as plants grow and mature. Overcrowding will lead to poor air circulation and can trigger plant diseases. For example, you may fill a bed with perennials such as echinacea, which are spaced apart one to three feet, depending on the variety. When you first plant them, there will be a lot of space between the individual plants. One option is to plant the echinacea slightly closer together, and take some out and move them in future years once they get bigger. Keep in mind, however, that not all plants like being moved. Or, you can follow the recommended spacing and plant or seed annuals in the empty space to keep the weeds out. Planting groundcovers is another excellent way to keep out weeds. When selecting a groundcover, make sure that it is a good fit for surrounding plants. If it’s a fast and vigorous grower and the other plants are moderate or slow growers, the groundcover might take over. Also make sure that the height of the groundcover is low enough so it won’t overshadow the other plants. To help smother extensive weeds in beds, try laying cardboard or thick layers of newspaper in the bed before you add mulch. Water the layer to help hold it in place while you’re spreading mulch. Depriving weeds of water and sunlight kills the weeds, but this can take weeks. However, it’s easy to dig through the decomposing paper to add plants to your weed-free beds. If you did not get around to removing the weeds before they bloom, make sure to at least deadhead them before they set seeds and can spread further. Never leave the pulled plants lying around. At the flowering stage, the weeds may continue to develop seeds, and if they already have seed heads, the seeds will be dispersed by the wind. There are dozens of different weeding tools out there, some multi-purpose tools, others specialized, such as a dandelion puller. Which tools you use is a question of personal ergonomic preference and budget, but make sure that the tool fits the basic requirement of reaching deep roots, and surface tools for shallow roots. For taproots, a regular garden shovel is often the best option. When using broad-spectrum herbicides such as glyphosate-based herbicide, keep in mind that it kills everything it lands on, not just the weeds. And you will never have a weed-free yard; after all, weeds are part of nature. Of course, what is a weed for one person is a flower—or an edible—for someone else.
