Ornamental landscapes and lawns may be the crowning glory of residential homes. Part of the fun of having your own yard is customizing it, beautifying it, and making it your own. If your home is your castle, that probably makes your lawn your kingdom, and you’ll want it to be spectacular. Of course, that’s easier said than done. A lot of work goes into lawn care and maintaining a gorgeous yard. Before you go plucking out weeds and being frustrated when they return, you’re probably best prepared with a few basic, simple tips.
First and foremost, you should be aware that weed seeds are all over your yard. Of course, the ones that are your primary concern are going to be the ones within the first couple inches of soil. Those are the ones with the light and moisture available to actually grow. Whenever you turn over soil, or dig into your yard, you’re stirring up those seeds. You should only dig when you actually find it necessary, and you shouldn’t overwork the soil. You should also immediately cover the disturbed areas with either plants or mulch.
This brings you to the next tip. Mulch is your lawn’s best friend, and it’s a handy defense against weeds. It helps to keep your soil moist and cool, while simultaneously depriving light to weeds. It’ll help your plants thrive, and it’ll keep weeds from establishing themselves in your lawn. That’s a wonderful double benefit for something as simple and basic as mulch.
Water wisely and watch weeds wither. You can place drip or soaker hoses beneath mulch to efficiently and effectively irrigate your plants. This can remove water access to weeds, and it can keep them from taking root and stealing water and nutrients from your plants. Deeply rooted perennial weeds are the exception, and they can be problematic when they get the benefits of irrigation. So you should be careful with placement.
Pluck and cut as needed. You can take off the heads of annual weeds, and it’ll give you a couple of weeks of reprieve. After a rain, you can throw on your gloves and go plucking weeds. You can use a fork to twist out tendrils or a fishtail weeder for taprooted weeds. When it’s dry, you can use your hoe instead. Chopping the roots of weeds when it’s dry tends to leave them shriveled and dead in short order.
When planting, remember that close plant spacing can choke weeds. It’s a soundly simple solution. If you don’t give them space, they have nowhere to grow. Granted, you may not always have the time to tend to your lawn, or your garden, as much as you may like. Lawn care specialists can help with that. As stated previously, a lot of work goes into keeping your lawn lively and gorgeous. There’s no reason you can’t share the work load and enjoy your lawn at your own leisure.