Your yard and lawn make up an attractive element to your property, but you need to keep it protected against weed growth. The following provides you with some tips to keep your yard free of weeds and their damaging results to your landscaping.
Keep Your Lawn Free of Weeds
Start out your weed control with a pre-emergent herbicide fertilizer that you sprinkle onto your lawn. Then, later on in the summer, apply a weed killer to individual weeds with a pump sprayer. It is going to be most effective if you spray the entire weed plant before you have mowed, which makes it more surface for the weed to absorb the herbicide. Wait to mow for a few days to allow the treatment to work on the weed.
Choose a Good Weed Barrier
Not all of your yard is going to be covered in lawn, so make sure you protect and care for these bedding areas by preventing weeds from overtaking the area. You can apply a layer of landscape fabric that keeps the weed seeds from reaching the soil and also blocks weeds from growing within the soil as it blocks their growth.
There are many types of landscape fabric to choose from and not all of them are the same quality and material. You should look for a landscape fabric that is not going to break apart easily and will hold up over several years. Landscape fabric should be a thick fabric that does not stretch apart or tear easily, and you don't want it to contain holes that are large enough for weeds to grow through. Before you choose a fabric, hold the material up to the light to see if you can see light through any holes, which will help you determine how tightly the openings are on the fabric and will help you choose one with the tiniest openings.
Apply Mulch
Mulch makes a great weed barrier that you can use over weed fabric or all by itself over the bare soil. When the bare soil is exposed to the elements, it can dry out and lose its nutrients as well as be exposed to weed growth that can become out of control. Keep your soil covered with a layer of mulch, whether it is wood shavings, chips, or bark pieces. For a sloped area, it is better to use a thick layer of mulch that has individual pieces that twist and intertwine together so the mulch pieces don't slide down the slope.
Mulch is going to spruce up the area but also protect against weeds, but only if you keep it up through maintenance. Look at replenishing the mulch as it is needed, for example, when it blows from the area or breaks down over time. A good layer of mulch is several inches thick to help block out weed growth. When you are mulching around any trees and shrubbery, keep the area clear immediately around the base of the plant or its trunk to protect against disease and mold.
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