Hi friends! Let’s talk about garden weeds today. They are the scourge of every homeowner, and can especially catch first-timers unaware. After weeks spent touring Atlanta houses for sale, one of the last things you want is to take out a mortgage, move in, start landscaping, and find you’ve got a weed problem.
Fortunately, if that happens to you, you don’t have to sit back and watch while they slowly take over your entire lawn. Here’s how you can eliminate weeds from your property.
Mow the Lawn Regularly
Be proactive. The best way to protect your lawn from weeds is to keep them from growing in the first place. That means keep your lawn healthy and trim. Research what kind of grass you have and look up the ideal height it should be kept at, then adjust your lawnmower blades accordingly. It’s a good idea to mow your lawn on a weekly basis. This helps cut down any weeds that do sprout before they get a chance to grow out of control. Use a mower with a bag attached to prevent spreading weed seeds.
Use Mulch for Planting Beds
Another way to prevent weeds from taking root or from growing out of control when they do is by using mulch where possible. If you’re planting trees, shrubs, or flowers, putting down a two-inch-thick layer of mulch on top of the soil can help seeds from entering the ground and germinating there. Any seeds that do make it through and eventually sprout into weeds also become much easier to deal with.
Hand-Pull or Spot-Treat
If you only have a small number of weeds in your yard, it’s relatively easy to deal with them yourself. It’s when they become widespread and stubborn that you need to seek outside help. Annual weeds, such as crabgrass, chickweed, or common nettle, can be pulled out by hand with little effort. Because they have shallow roots, there’s little risk of them growing back. Perennial weeds like dandelions, buckhorn, and thistle grow deeper and need to be spot-treated with store-bought weed-killer spray.
Dispose of the Seeds
When hand-pulling, it’s important to remember that some types of weeds can drop seeds while you’re moving them, which can then cause new weeds to sprout. To prevent this, be careful when removing weeds by hand and keep a bag or bucket nearby to dispose of the remains immediately. Be wary of compost heaps as well, as many don’t grow hot enough to kill seeds.
Call a Lawn Professional
Not everyone has the time, energy, or know-how for yard work. Even if you do, weeds are extremely persistent and hard to eliminate. If you find that no matter how many you yank out of the ground or how many treatments of weed-killer you spray, they just keep growing back, call a professional. Lawn-care professionals not only have knowledge and experience, they also have access to specialized equipment and industrial grade treatments that are sure to be effective when nothing else works.
I hope you find todays post helpful! Happy gardening!
Xo,
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