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8
National Weed Your Garden Day: Maintenance Tips for Your Richmond Garden
National Weed Your Garden Day is set for June 13, and as far as we're concerned, it's a great opportunity to focus on the topic of controlling weeds. If you're looking around at Richmond homes for sale and imagining your new garden, you'll need to know about weeds and how to keep them away from your plants.
What's a Weed?
One person's weed can be another person's wildflower, but in general, we look at weeds as invasive plants that muscle in and threaten to take over from cultivated species. So a weed can be anything from crabgrass to a humble dandelion (much beloved by honeybees, but a horror in lawns). Other objectionable plants in our region are chickweed (another lawn invader), ailanthus (the so-called "tree of heaven" is anything but!), and the dreaded Chinese privet and multiflora rose, two invasive shrubs. There are hundreds more, but why not start with the 10 or 20 Most Wanted in our region and have at them? Your local horticultural extension service can advise you.
For ridding your garden of these unwanted visitors, follow these tips.
- Spray Them
Many gardeners swear by chemical herbicides such as glyphosates and pre-emergents sprayed to control weeds. But sometimes, these miracle chemicals don't seem to work. It can be these chemicals are applied at the wrong time to prevent seed germination or to inhibit the enzyme in the weed that keeps it growing. Follow directions on the bottle for the best results. However, many gardeners these days have weaned themselves from chemical spraying and prefer other methods, as the chemicals may cause health problems and persist in soil. - Dig Them
For best results, wait till you've had a drenching rain; weeds come up easier than when you dig or pull them. Stage a big weed-pulling session, making certain to get the roots. You'll find a multitude of recommendations in garden lore for the right kind of tool, ranging from a steak knife or a kitchen fork to a spade, digging fork, or a stand-up weed grabber. - Block Them
One of the best ways to control weeds is to block them so they can't get sunlight. Cover control areas with newspaper and then at least 2 inches of mulch. Keep replenishing it as the season wears on. You can also use plastic sheeting, but this can collect dirt and start sprouting weeds. - Top Them
This is simply the practice of cutting off weed flowers before they produce seeds. - Crowd Them Out.
Known in some gardening circles as intensive gardening, planting cultivated plants close together can block the sun and starve weeds out.
Looking for more home maintenance tips? Our real estate agents can help. Contact us today.
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