step 1: Get Rid of the Persistent Perennials
The first step to a weed-free garden is to get rid of the perennial weeds—those hard-to-kill guys that just keep coming back. These include dandelions, quackgrass, bermudagrass, and a host of other perennial weeds.
Use Roundup to finish them off. Roundup kills the entire weed, then breaks down in the soil so it doesn’t bother desirable plants. Two weeks after spraying them, go through the garden again with Roundup to kill any you missed the first time.
step 2: Stop Annuals from Sprouting
Annual weeds like crabgrass, chickweed, and annual bluegrass die each year, but leave behind thousands of seeds to plague you next year. At the time when they are due to sprout, spread garden weed preventer wherever they grew last year. Garden weed preventer will kill the seeds as they germinate without having any effect on already-growing plants.
step 3: Stop All Weeds on Bare Ground
In places where you don’t grow plants, like driveways and patios, treat with weed killer. This product will kill any existing weeds, then keep weeds from growing for the entire gardening season.
step 4: Kill Lawn Weeds
Treat your lawn with weed killer for lawns. This product kills broad-leafed weeds in lawns without harming the lawn grass.
step 5: Don’t Bring in More Weeds
Avoid bringing weeds into your garden by being suspicious of everything you bring in from outside. Manure from the stable is liable to be laced with weed seeds. A plant dug up by a friend because you admired it might be accompanied by unwelcome companions. Be cautious of soil, mulch, soil amendments, and anything else you bring into the garden. If you suspect weed seeds may be present, put a few inches in a flat and keep it warm and moist for a week or two to see what sprouts. If nothing comes up, it’s probably safe for use in the garden.
step 6: Keep it Clean
Once you’ve killed all the weeds in the garden, keep it clean by inspecting for weeds every two weeks. Take a bottle of Roundup grass killer in one hand for use away from the lawn, and a bottle of weed killer for lawns in the other for use on lawns. Tour your entire garden, spraying any weeds you find. Since most of the weeds in your yard come from seeds that grew up in your yard, you will find fewer weeds each time you inspect.