Natural Weed Control Tips
Controlling weeds without the use of chemicals requires time and patience. While you likely can never eradicate the weeds completely, you can naturally control and prevent many of them from sprouting in your garden. Stay on top of weeds, setting aside one or two days a week to tend the garden. Otherwise, a small weed problem can quickly grow out of hand. Does this Spark an idea?
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Hand Pulling
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The most labor-intensive weed removal method is pulling the weeds by hand. In any garden, some hand pulling is necessary, especially for weeds that root closely to desirable plants that would be harmed by other weed removal methods. To pull properly, grasp the weed near the base of the stem and pull straight up. Use a notched weeding stick, inserted into the soil next to the plant, to loosen long tap roots for easier removal. One issue with hand pulling is some weeds begin to set seeds and reproduce before they are tall enough to pull easily. Another issue is that many plants grow back from any broken pieces of root left in the soil.
Cultivation
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Frequent cultivation prevents many weed plants from becoming established. Using a hoe or rake, break up the top ½ to 1 inch of soil between each plant and row in the garden. By breaking up the soil, weed seedlings are uprooted and left to die. When using a cultivation method, do so during the heat of the day so the uprooted weeds quickly dry out and die. This prevents them from rerooting. Avoid cultivating too deeply into the soil, as you may damage desirable plant roots or unearth weed seeds that were previously too deep in the bed to sprout.
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Mulch
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Both organic and inorganic mulches helps suppress weeds in the garden bed. Organic mulches include straw, wood chips and shredded bark. Inorganic mulches include black plastic, gravel and landscape fabrics. Apply a 2- to 3-inch layer of organic mulch to prevent weeds, and ensure any straw mulches are free of weed seeds before using. Plastic mulches prevent the most weeds, but they work best when installed in beds with drip irrigation, as plastic-mulched gardens are otherwise difficult to water correctly.
Prevention
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Preventing weeds in the first place saves labor later in summer. Remove weeds from beds before they form seed heads. If you compost your weeds, don't throw any weeds that have already set seed into the compost pile. These seeds can survive the compost process and later turn up in the garden. Ensure any manure, compost or mulches are weed-seed free before using them in the garden, especially those you purchase.
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