Spring is here and with it the ground is warming and new seedlings and vegetation growth is sprouting up. Along with your favorite bulbs and perennial plants, you are facing the yearly weed growth in your yard. Here are some recommendations to help you with weed control in your yard and landscaping features.
Apply Prevention Strategies Before Spring
Prevention is always a great technique, especially when it comes to weed growth in your yard. If you let weeds grow and overtake in some areas of your landscaping, it is much more difficult to remove the growth when it has already matured with thick roots. For this reason, take some time in the spring to apply a pre-emergent herbicide to areas of your yard where weeds are always a problem. Think about the areas of your lawn where weeds come in thick during summer or the edges of your landscape bedding where weeds germinate with the steady supply of irrigation. Sprinkle this type of herbicide in early spring before the soil has warmed up so you are sure to treat the area before weeds and their seeds start growing.
You can also apply new and repair any existing aging landscape fabric through your yard's bedding areas. Look for a durable professional grade landscape fabric that is going to provide durability that will last for several years. Then, make sure you secure the edges of the fabric with soil pins and overlap the edges of fabrics by six to eight inches. This barrier of landscape fabric will block out elements from reaching the soil and any weeds that will grow. If you cover your landscape fabric with an organic mulch material, such as wood chips, bark, or pine needles, be sure you apply a pre-emergent herbicide onto the mulch to prevent weed germination above the landscape fabric.
Irrigate Responsibly
Another recommendation to help control weed growth in your yard is to manage your irrigation to prevent runoff. Watering your yard with sprinklers can lead to water blowing and flowing onto soil that does not need irrigation. And this can lead to excessive weed growth. As a mitigation strategy, look at installing drip irrigation and low aerial sprinklers to manage where the water flows and how it is delivered to protect against watering weeds.
When you deliver water right to the roots of the plants you want to water, you will also save on water loss in addition to preventing weed growth. Look at installing drip and emitter lines around your shrubbery, around the trunks of trees, and through your annual flower and vegetable gardens to reduce the amount of weed growth and pulling you will need to manage later in the season.