Mother Nature has a way of teasing us at the change of each season. Beautiful days of sunshine, temps in the 60's only to be followed by a burst of cold and snow. This is the pattern until Spring finally arrives in full splendor. It's the perfect time to prepare the flower beds for summer. First, eliminate those pesky weeds, not too hard if you were diligent with your "Fall Clean-up", but that's a blog for another day. Today it's all about Spring!
Secret #1 of a beautiful yard: STAY AHEAD OF THE WEEDS. Amazing how fast they grow even when it's cold... hence the phrase... they're growing like weeds. (So many similarities between raising kids and growing gardens, we'll explore that topic later as well.) Read on for my rules for weed control...
My rules for weed control:
- NEVER let a weed go to seed on your property, you will be battling that weed's posterity for a million years if you do... so don't!
- Pull annual weeds (they sprout from seeds) with a good old fashioned dandelion tool (looks like a screwdriver with a thick two prong fork at the end.) Insert the tool at the crown of the plant and "pop" the culprit out, root and all. I earned a nickel a weed from my Dad as a child doing this. Inflation may set the price a bit higher today, but it's a great way to keep your kids involved.
- Scatter pre-emergent granules in areas you won't be disturbing such as trees and bushes. As the granules dissolve a protective barrier will be formed to keep weeds from sprouting. PREEN is a popular brand that also carries a product to use in ground-cover.
Stay ahead of the weeds now before the warmth of the sunshine invites them to multiply and replenish.
oh, Carolyn, I love this! Especially since I'm now a proud massive yard owner with all sorts of problems. I'm going to be religiously reading your entries. Now, what fertilizer should I be spreading now? ANd will you come and see my barren beds and give me ideas of plants? I LOVE you yard and plants (and they grew fast!). OH, depressing dead yard. But your entry made me think that things will look up!
ReplyDeleteSo... how to know the difference between perennial and annual weeds?
ReplyDeleteWe do manditory weeding days - "Everyone go out and get 25 weeds out of the yard" - early in the spring when everything is super wet and they slide out. It works pretty well.
ReplyDeleteI love your blog!!
Beautiful yard and garden Carolyn. I'm not in a position to garden here, but now I know where to come for help when I get home! Thanks for sharing. Juliet
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