Waking up and stepping into your yard is a morning ritual, but a messy garden bed immediately turns your downtime into a moment of stress. Although clearing a yard full of weeds might take a bit of effort and time, it is not as hard as you might think!
Scroll down gardening101.net to read this blog and learn how to clear a garden full of weeds now! Sit down and acquire these easy-to-follow methods for a weed-free garden.
Why should you remove weeds from your garden?
The term “weeds” refers to all unwanted plants. The first reason they are usually prone to elimination is their widespread growth in a flash. Your lovely garden will look less neat and aesthetic if you leave it overrun by sprawling weeds.
Much worse than an unsightly garden, weeds can steal essential nutrients and water in the soil from other plants. Main plants will go starving as a result of weed growth overtaking your garden. In addition, they carry a potential source of diseases or foster pests that can harm other plants.
To be fair, some types of weeds are pretty, while others are beneficial plants. Some wildflowers classified as weeds can beautify your garden with vivid colors.
Meanwhile, you can even eat certain kinds of weeds, for example, dandelion, lamb’s quarters, purslane, clover, etc. However, be careful to confirm which ones in your garden are edible plants before taking them in.
If cultivating weeds is in your plan, it is fine. Otherwise, getting rid of weeds is advisable for a more well-arranged landscape and fruitful garden.
How to Clear a Garden Full of Weeds – 5 Ways To Weeding It Out
Weed removal is a daunting task, especially in cases of dealing with persistent roots or weeding a large area. Make it less painful with the following methods.
Pull Your Finger Out
Indeed, it is a straightforward way to tackle those pesky weeds. Yet, easier said than done. Your simple intention would not be maximally effective without suitable strategies.
Here are some tips to better tug weeds from the ground:
If you know no way to get rid of weeds other than getting your hands dirty, the advice is to start it early when weeds begin to raise their flower heads.
It is much easier to yank immature weeds with weak and small roots. Don’t wait until it becomes an overgrown garden; otherwise, you will end up bending and hurting your back for more hours.
Now you figure out the fundamentals of this trick. When tugging weeds out, it usually stands a high chance of remaining roots left under the soil surface. Hence, how effective this way is depends on your manual technique.
A pro tip is to use your strength wisely. Rather than a yank, it is better to grasp at the lower base, gently pull, and the plant will be released without snapping the weed root. You can utilize some kinds of tools to support removing deep-rooted weeds, such as a steak knife, short-handled hoes, etc.
Another practice that gardeners commonly share is weed pulling when the soil is wet. The looser soil makes the roots slide out more easily. Therefore, the best time to root up is after rain, or you can simply dampen the area in advance.
Dig It Up
If you find weed-pulling is not feasible for the issue of regrowing weeds, try this second method. Double digging with a long-handled hoe helps you address weeds that have rooted deep in the ground.
You can retain a clearer bed by digging them up and then covering them back down to the bottom. It also leaves the land with more oxygen and natural nutrients from decomposing weeds.
Remember to reject any flower heads before mixing them again to prevent weed seeds from germinating. One last reminder is to mind your physical strength because the labor and sweat are far beyond measure.
Block The Light By Mulch
Believe it or not, there is a bank of dormant weed seeds under the surface waiting to sprout and invade your garden. Don’t let the sunlight wake up those hidden weed seeds!
There are various mulch options for depriving weed seeds of light, including a sheet of cardboard, newspaper, black polythene film, biodegradable fabric, organic mulches, etc. Regardless of variations, they share a common mechanism which is starving seeds for sun rays while retaining the garden soil moisture.
However, a too thick layer of mulch can hinder the soil from breathing. Appropriate thickness shall be from 2 to under 3 inches deep.
Among the alternatives, organic mulch seems preferable as it decomposes over time and enriches the soil with new nutrients. It is also believed to harbor some seed weed hunters, such as crickets and beetles.
Weed Burners
This method will be practical when facing a widespread area overtaken by weeds. The hot flame from a weed torch can easily burn down the stubborn plants at a glance. Likewise, a steam weeder kills weeds similarly but with pressurized steam instead of fire.
If you don’t want to invest more in any gardening machinery, the hot water method can be a more economic alternative. Weeds’ leaves shrink in the boiled water, and they will gradually die because of the broken photosynthesis process.
Be careful when pouring the hot water to avoid getting a burn. Meanwhile, a gas burner is only applicable for green weeds. Never use it on dry weeds if you don’t want to call for firefighters.
Weed Killers
No way of removing weeds is better than a direct kill of their roots. The utilization of root destroyers can permanently get rid of weed nightmares. Either organic or chemical substances are up to your choice as both of them entail pros and cons.
Some substances for killing weeds you can find right at home are vinegar, green tea, and baking soda. The big plus of organic herbicides is that they do not pose adverse effects on the other plants in your garden. These are toxin-free and decay-prone.
Yet, it is at the cost of time. A natural weed killer must take a few days to absorb weeds and knock them down. If you are a lover of environment-friendly products and patient enough to wait, it is worth trying. A pro tip is applying them on sunny days as it is time they work most forcefully.
Regarding chemical weed killers, they are fast weed terminators. You will save a lot of time and energy spent pulling and cleaning the unwanted weeds.
The most remarkable downside is their harsh influences on soil chemistry. Prepare yourself with tolerance for possible ecosystem disruption to your garden. If other vegetation gets contaminated with toxic herbicides, they turn out stunted or even dead.
Therefore, you should only refer to this last resort in case of cultivating no plants or site clearance for construction. Be also cautious when contacting these chemicals for the sake of your and your family members’ health.
Conclusion
Getting rid of a yard that is full of weeds is an open-ended fight for gardeners, but do not let it steal your joy of gardening. After reading this blog, you have now learned how to clear a garden full of weeds properly and get some useful tips.
If the issue is still out of your control after all attempts, search for help from professionals. Besides the cleaning service, you could probably consult them with suitable gardening strategies for maintaining a tidy garden for the long term.