Most of us love to have attractive, well-groomed, weed-free flower and vegetable gardens…but in addition to aesthetics, there are many good reasons to keep weeds out. Weeds will:
- Grow so fast that they gobble up available soil nutrients and moisture needed by your “good” plants.
- Steal light and space by shading lower-growing or less competitive plants.
- Attract and provide a breeding place for insects that will feed on your garden plants.
- Host plant diseases that can infect your desirable plants.
- Cause health hazards such as itching, red skin, blisters, and hay fever.
Every time you work the soil, you inadvertently bring new weed seeds closer to the surface where they have a better chance to germinate. So whenever you see weeds sprouting in spring, try to pull the weedlings before they can develop.
Prevention is the best solution to a beautiful garden all season long. To stop weeds before they start, try applying a pre-emergent to your garden. This time-saving product is easy to use: simply shake onto the soil and water in to create the protective weed barrier, preventing weed seeds from germinating for up to three months. Use around flowers, trees, shrubs, groundcovers, and vegetables to keep your garden beautiful all season long. (Please see the package label for the full list of plants where this product can be used.)
Another way to keep your garden beds weed-free is to apply a quality mulch . Mulch keeps light away from weed seedlings, preventing the seedlings from growing in your garden bed.
When you have more mature weeds in your garden, it’s easy to get rid of them with new, advanced-formula .
Apply weed killer when weeds are actively growing (best in sunny weather with daytime temperature above 50 degrees). Rainfall 10 minutes or more after application will not wash away the effectiveness. To avoid harming desirable plants, spray when there isn’t much wind. Shield desirable plants if necessary. You can make an effective shield by cutting the bottom from an empty half-gallon plastic milk jug. Surround a single weed with the small end, then spray into the large end—or surround multiple weeds with the large end and spray into the small top opening.
Weeds treated with weed killer will usually start to wither within hours and die completely in a week or two. Just leave treated weeds where they are, and they will decompose, adding additional nutrients to the soil. Weed killer will not move in or on the soil to affect untreated plants.