How to Reduce Weeds Naturally

You don't have to resort to harmful chemicals in order to control weeds in your yard. There are quite a few simple, natural ways to reduce weeds that won't harm wildlife or the environment. Organic weed control methods don't require much more work than traditional methods, and they're very effective. Here's how to reduce weeds naturally and keep them from coming back.

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Tea kettle
• Landscape fabric
• Mulch
• Corn gluten meal
• Organic pesticide

1. Hand pull as many weeds as you can, if it's practical to do so. In garden beds, weeds stand out like a sore thumb so you'll be able to quickly identify them and yank them out.

2. Use boiling water to kill stubborn weeds. Boil some water in your kettle, use a pot holder to grab the handle and bring it out to your garden. Carefully pour a stream of water onto the crown of the weed plant, making sure not to splash plants you want to keep.

3. Place a physical barrier like landscape fabric around your plants to keep weeds from sprouting. Landscape fabric suppresses weeds while maintaining a flow of air and sunlight to the soil. You can lay it down after a bed has been planted – just cut slits for the plants and neatly tuck the flaps around the plants' trunks. Remove any rocks, twigs and other items that could puncture the fabric before laying it down.

4. Mulch over landscape fabric to cover it and add even more weed protection. You can also use mulch without landscape fabric to suppress weeds; apply a sufficient layer (3 to 4 inches thick) to smother them.

5. Use corn gluten meal to keep new weeds from sprouting. Corn gluten meal is a by-product of the milling process of corn, and is often founding pet food. It's a pre-emergent weed control, meaning it prevents roots from forming during seed germination. It won't effect plants that already have established roots, so you can apply it to your lawn with a spreader at a rate of 20 lbs per 1,000 square feet.

6. Use organic pesticides on the weeds that just keep coming back. Some tough perennial weeds, like dandelions, can push up through landscape fabric and mulch, and survive the boiling water treatment. Organic pesticides are safe for use around people and animals, and won't harm the environment.

Tips & Warnings

• Wear long pants and closed-toe shoes when pouring boiling water on weeds to avoid burning your legs in case of splashing.

Resources

• PlanetNatural.com has a wide variety of natural weed control products, from corn gluten meal to weed removal tools.
• For more organic gardening tips and products, check out eco-friendly retailer SpecialtyLiving.com.

[Fike]

on 3/4/2008 Our yards total about 10,000 square feet, so that would be 200 lbs. of corn gluten meal. Do you know where to buy this? Is it costly? We live in the high desert of Southern California and have a serious problem with goat-head weeds. Thanks!