Flower Garden Bed and Weed Control

Weeds litter a flower bed and suck up the moisture and nutrition in the soil.

Flower beds are beautiful, clean and bright when gardeners first plant them, but can quickly become littered with weeds and dead foliage. Many gardeners take steps to prevent weed growth from the start.

Planting

Gardeners can start their weed control with careful cultivation and preparation at planting. During planting, gardeners should remove the top 4 inches of soil, lay down several sheets of newspaper, and then replace the topsoil. The newspaper prevents anything from growing up into the bed.

Herbicides

According to North Carolina State University, glyphosate is an effective weed preventative. Gardeners should mix this herbicide into the soil two weeks before planting to keep weeds from growing up through their flowers.

Cultivation

Since weeds grow upward, and don't travel through the ground, gardeners can control weeds in the garden with frequent cultivation. Raking the soil once a week will both pull up the weeds and loosen the soil for continued flower growth.

Mulch

The Clemson Cooperative Extension recommends organic mulch for weed control, enhanced soil protection and continued nutrition for the flowers. Mulch shades the soil and keeps weeds from growing, while helping to maintain soil warm and moisture for the flowers. As organic mulch breaks down, it adds vitamins and minerals to the soil for the flowers.

References

• Clemson Cooperative Extension: Mulch
• Ohio State University Extension Fact Sheet: Mulching Landscape Plants
• North Carolina State University: Weed Management in Annual Color Beds