Weed Control Mistakes to Avoid

Everyone seems to have a preferred way to deal with weeds. You might have watched your grandparent pour boiling water over unwanted plants in their yard. Or, you may have just seen another commercial about a trendy new landscaping tool. 

Weeding Mistakes You May Be Making

While you’ll often come across some good advice when you talk to your family and neighbors, it is still possible to make these common mistakes that hinder your efforts at weed control.

Starting Too Late In the Season

If you wait until you see weeds popping up, then you can expect to be dealing with an extensive problem. Once weeds show up above ground, they may already be capable of spreading their seeds. 

The best way to keep them under control is to start out early in the spring with pre-emergent spraying. In Arizona, this might also need to be done in the fall to kill off those winter weeds before they begin growing. 

Forgetting About Natural Weed Barriers

You’ll see people putting down plastic mats and other types of barriers, and this can be effective in rock gardens provided that you keep them maintained. 

There’s also something to be said for a lush and healthy lawn for choking out weeds. When grass is healthy, it covers up bare dirt that could serve as a place for seeds to get buried in the ground. Thick grass also helps to block sunlight from reaching a newly planted weed seed.

Using Ineffective Hand Pulling

Most people start out with the best intentions of enjoying a beautiful spring day outside with their kneeling mat and weed pulling tool in hand. 

Yet, things can quickly spiral out of control. At best, you might just miss a few roots that grow back with the next rain shower. At worst, you could wind up with a sunburn or pulled back muscles that make you dread the next weed-pulling day. 

While you can successfully pull a few errant sprouts from your garden, you’ll want to leave more extensive work to the professionals.

Spreading Seeds by Accident

Have you ever been tempted to just mow over weeds so that they’ll blend in with the landscape? If so, then you may have just scattered seeds all over your lawn, which will make the problem worse. The same issue can also happen with hand-pulling if you toss the plant off to the side as you work. 

Spraying weeds is more effective for preventing new weeds than mowing, which does nothing to fully eliminate the existing one. If you do hand pull a weed, then make sure to dispose of it properly so that you don’t accidentally drop the seeds.

Killing Off the Good Plants

There’s a difference between weed sprays that isn’t always apparent if you don’t know what to look for on the label. 

Certain sprays are designed to only kill specific species of plants. These are best to use when you have grass or decorative plants that you want to preserve. 

Other sprays are meant for killing off everything they touch. You’ll only want to use these in places where you don’t want anything to grow for several months or even years.

If we had a flower for every weed mistake we saw people making, we’d have a beautiful bouquet to share with everyone. The good news is that most mistakes are easy to remedy with professional control services. 

While it may take some time, you can enjoy having a weed-free space to enjoy at your home or commercial property. Give us a call and let us help you eliminate your weed problem.