Lawn And Garden Nursery Landscaping Guide
Maintain A Weed-Free Lawn and Garden Without Chemicals
By Joel F Mornigstar
Being able to maintain a weed-free lawn and garden without resorting
to the use of herbicides and pesticides might seem like an impossible
goal or a lot of back-breaking work. But, the good news is that
there are other ways to get rid of weeds, and do it without nasty
chemicals.
These approaches don’t involved hours of hard labor trying to
stay ahead of the weeds either. The premise of this article is
to show you the way to work smarter instead of harder when it
comes to keeping your back and front lawn both weed and chemical-free.
Preparing The Soil
The first big change needed to begin controlling the weeds in
your lawns and gardens without chemicals is to properly prepare
the soil for the areas in question. This would be considered laying
the proper foundation where you will be growing your plants.
It is best to implement the following ideas before doing your
plantings so that you get your chemical-free weed control project
off to a great start. One of the best ways to avoid having weeds
sprout up in your gardens or patio lawn is to kill the weeds though
a process called soil solarization.
Preventative Approach and Organic
This is a preventative approach and a completely organic way
of eliminating weeds before they even have a chance to sprout.
However, soil solarization does require a good bit of work, and
is only effective if you can start planting the area with a clean
slate.
Installing landscape fabrics is another terrific way that you
can significantly reduce the occurrence of weeds in your lawn
and garden. Using them also eliminates the need for toxic weed-killing
chemicals.
These fabrics made for use in landscaping are for this purpose
and can even be considered a hi-tech way to battle weeds without
introducing chemicals.
Garden Mulch To Protect Your Lawn And Garden
Utilizing garden mulch is another very beneficial approach to
protecting your lawns and gardens from an invasion of weeds. While
landscape fabrics work from below the prepared planting area,
mulch is applied to the top of the soil, around your plants and
can effectively smother a weed trying to break through to the
surface.
Mulch can also be used in conjunction with the anti-weed landscape
fabrics for a one-two punch strategy of organic weed control.
Another added benefit of using mulch is that it also has the
ability to provide insulation to your plantings. This insulation
value is particularly helpful in the summertime and can help to
keep the underlying soil both cool and moist. This will reduce
the watering requirements and will also protect the root systems
from damage caused by sever heat.
Vinegar Can Help Control Weeds, But Be Careful
While some people have chalked it up to an old wives tale, vinegar
can also help you control weeds without chemicals. It is the acetic
acid in the vinegar that delivers an herbicidal dose to weeds.
But, you will need a stronger variety than what you probably have
in the cupboard and you can look for super-strength vinegar in
weed and feed stores.
However, if you want to use vinegar to organically kill the weeds
in your lawn and garden, then you must apply it carefully and
only to the weeds. Vinegar is a "non-selective" herbicide
and can harm any plants that are exposed to it, so it is not recommended
for lawns.
But, vinegar can be a terrific way to control weeds organically
in your planting beds if you are careful about spraying it only
on the unwanted plants.
About the Author:
Joel F Morningstar has written a number of articles on gardening
and landscaping including Remodeling
Contractors, General
Contractor, Construction
Remodeling, Find
A Contractor, Home
Improvement, Home
Improvement Services, Home
Remodeling, Improvement
Services, Local
Contractors, Backyard
Landscaping, Front
Yard Landscape, Stone
Walkway, Deck
Ideas, Outdoor
Decor, Patio
Garden, Furniture,
Design
Landscaping, Lawn
Care, The
Landscape, Lawn
Garden.
Keep a lookout for more of his articles on this website.
Little Known Landscaping Facts....
When should I hire a landscaper?
You should hire a landscaper
if you do not have a “green thumb” and you are not
going to have the time to devote to removing the old
landscape and planting the new. There are certain steps
that must be put into place to prevent soil erosion so
it will require at least a weekend of hard work.
Landscaper’s are not cheap but you can find one at a reasonable
price depending on how large the area is and how much labor you
intend to do yourself. If you are going to maintain the area,
you will save money as well.
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