Weekly Garden Tip

February 26, 2006

By Gene Joyner, Extension Agent
Palm Beach County Cooperative Extension Service

Recently I was asked to speak at an organization and as I asked about what types of problems people experience most frequently in the landscape over and over the same answer came up - how to combat weeds. Many properties are taken care of by landscape management firms so the owners actually don’t get out and pull the weeds themselves, but there are still a lot of people that have home landscapes that they do take care of themselves and weeds seem to show up everywhere no matter what size or type of landscape.

Weeds multiply quickly with some types being able to sprout, grow up and produce new seeds within a two week period. Weed seeds are very tiny and are spread most often by the wind so you never know when they’re going to show up and since we often have very windy conditions this time of year even if you don’t have weeds now that doesn’t guarantee that some may not blow in tomorrow or the day after that.

Winter weeds are still around in large numbers and cool season weeds will disappear in April when it gets pretty hot and dry. Perennial type weeds and warm season weeds though will be here year round unless you take the steps to combat them and just ignoring them won’t make them go away.

There are many weed control products on the market and these can be used for specific types of weeds in specific landscape situations. For example, you will find herbicides for turfgrass areas and other herbicides which are for ornamental beds and planters. One of the most effective ways to combat weeds is to thoroughly clear an area of weeds and then apply a layer of mulch 3 to 4 inches thick. Mulches make excellent weed barriers and if properly maintained they are effective for many months or even up to one year.

People that don’t like to use mulches will sometimes use weed barriers and there are many types of cloth like products that can be put down around plants and then if you like a thin layer of mulch put on top to disguise it and these work well, too.

Some plantings are dense enough that once they’ve been in for a year or more they are so thick the weeds can’t offer too much competition. Other types of landscape plants though often don’t get that dense and weeds can show up throughout the year and become quite an eyesore and detract from the attractiveness of the landscape plantings.

Even if you garden in containers on a porch or patio you can still be inundated with a lot of unwelcome weeds. In containers some people will use fine stone or gravel mulches to act as weed barriers and there’s nothing wrong with that.

Areas along driveways, sidewalks and around buildings where weeds often get a foothold can be treated with non-selective contact type products to keep these areas weed free. Also contact selective products can be used around trees and flower bed areas for chemical edging and don’t poison the soil or injure the plants when used as directed.

You should make an effort now to clean up weed infestations as much as you can as we’re just beginning to get into the growing season and any weeds which are left unattended now will multiply quickly in the warmer weather soon to come.

In the summertime when the rains kick into high gear weeds really take off so trying to combat the weed problem in your landscape as early in the season as possible is always a good move.

If you have questions about types of weeds that we commonly combat or what products can be safely used in certain situations, many retail garden centers sell weed control products and can offer good advice. You can also contact the Palm Beach County Extension office for free advice over the phone. Dial 233-1750 in the north and central county area or 276-1260 in the south county area.