Landscaping

This might seem hard to believe, but to some folk weeds are seen as being quite attractive to their garden. Weeds such as dandelions, daisies and buttercups can look very humble and innocent. Don’t be fooled! Without a moments notice these weeds can take over your entire garden, smothering your the plants that you want to be growing in your outdoor living space.

Time to take control and kick mother nature’s backside!

Before I go any further, I must point out that I am not recommending using any chemicals or toxic weed killers.

We just want to kill the weeds in our garden, not killing our environment, that would be kicking mother nature’s backside a bit too hard.

Weeds can be controlled both before and after they emerge from the ground. The most effective way of dealing with weeds that have emerged is using a bit of old fashioned elbow grease.

Get down your knees and with a long handle tool with sharp prongs, grip the weeds and yank them right out from the ground, making sure you’ve taken out the root of your victim or else they will grow back. I know it will involve quite a lot of effort on your part and granted it may be not the best way to spend your weekends or days off, but this kind of manual labour is far more effective than spraying some weed killer down and waiting to see if takes effect. Believe me you’ll thank yourself later.

Once that’s done and your garden is looking weed free, it’s time to take action against the weeds that are sitting under the soil waiting for their moment to emerge. DON’T GIVE THEM THE CHANCE!!! Use a mulch covering such as tree bark chips or a black plastic liner and lay it over the soil and around the plants. Doing this can not only retain the moisture in the soil, but also can block the sunlight getting to the weeds underground.

One last tip, keep your lawn fertilised as without the proper nutrients in the soil your grass won’t grow as it should and instead sprout big ugly deep rooted weeds…not good.

Once all this done, go out to your garden, sit back, relax and admire the work you’ve done. Well done!

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If you have been pestered by garden weeds that have spoilt the beauty of your garden, then you need weed killers to eliminate them. The garden weeds are not easy to eliminate otherwise they could have just been rooted out and the problem would not have been there anymore. The first thing that you need to do is to understand the nature of the problem and where are the garden weeds growing.

The understanding of where the garden weeds are growing and the time of the year that it is (in certain cases) matters a lot in the choice of weed killers that you would use in eliminating the issue at hand. Let us first understand the type of weed killers that there are which can be used to eliminate garden weeds. These weed killers differ in the manner that they affect and eliminate garden weed. There are the weed killers which externally are absorbed by the garden weeds and in the process the degeneration and the eradication starts. Then there are the weed killers which are absorbed in the soil and they find their way into the garden weeds via the nourishment that it extracts from the soil using its roots. It is then that these weed killer show their effect and the garden weeds are eliminated altogether. Finally there is the weed killer which is not restricted to poisoning the weeds. All the vegetation that absorbs it is eradicated. This is the weed killer that is used especially when a ground needs to be cleared of the remnants of garden weeds before the plantation of new seeds.

Some of the weed killers are sprayed on top of the garden weeds, while the others which are in granulated form are sprinkled on the ground all across the place where the garden seeds are. The latter get absorbed in the soil and eliminate the garden weeds from there and the former are absorbed directly and the garden weeds get eliminated thus. So, if you have a lot of rose plants for example and there are garden weeds growing amidst them, then you can use the spray version of weed killers that kill the garden weeds directly by selective spraying on the garden weeds only. This method of elimination of garden weeds is effective in a small area only and for a large area, it is not practically feasible.

However the same is not applicable for weeds growing in grass. Here if you select a spray for elimination of the garden weeds only, chances are that patches of grass around the garden weeds get eliminated and wilted as well. Therefore here is when you can use the weed killers that help you eliminate the garden weeds from inside having entered them via their roots. Use a lawn mower to keep the growth of garden weeds contained till the weed killer takes effect.

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Beautiful lawns look thick, smooth, and even. Lawns that have been infiltrated with weeds are generally think, rough, and uneven.

Dandelions are the worst weed because they grow so much faster than grass. In addition, they spread easily and quickly.

However, these qualities are not limited to dandelions. Weeds in general can reproduce throughout all seasons of the year.

This means that even though you may stop watering your lawn with the raining season, you cannot stop taking care of the weeds in your lawn. They are a constant problem that will always need to be taken care of.

Due to this constant concern and care that is needed, many people simply give up when trying to keep weeds out. Some people do not realize that this is a year round task and stop taking care of the weeds when they stop other lawn care activities.

Watering, fertilizing and other lawn care activities are all done on a regular basis which indicates that weed removal should also be done on a regular basis. It can be difficult to remove weeds once they are large and thick.

If you remove weeds on a weekly or daily basis, it will be a much easier task. There will be much fewer weeds to remove each week and they will be much smaller as long as you stay on it each week.

Some people simplify the task even further by using a chemical mixture that kills weeds and fertilizes grass. This mixture is spread over the lawn.

There are also several mixtures that only kill weeds. There are two types of this kind of mixtures.

There first kind is pre-emergent weed killer. Pre-emergent weed killer is designed to kill weeds before they germinate and come up.

The second kind of weed killer is post-emergent. Post-emergent week killer is designed to kill weeds that have already grown out of the ground.

However, many of these weed killers are designed to target a specific type of weed. All too often the wrong kind of weed killer is used on the wrong kind of weed.

This creates a lot discouragement and frustration among those who keep pursuing an ideal lawn. It is important to do research to find out which kind of weed killer is the best for its price.

In addition, you will need to research which kind of weed killer is the best for which kind of plant. Keep in mind that after a while of using a specific kind of product the weeds may become accustomed to the killer.

As a result, the killer will not be as effective anymore. When this happens you will need to do more research to find another weed killer that will work effectively.

When you select a weed killer, you will want to make sure that you follow the directions carefully. These weed killers can be quite poisonous and dangerous if you misuse them.

Most of the time you will want to apply some weed killer in the Spring to get all of the winter weeds. In most areas, the proper time to apply your first application of weed killer is sometime between February and April.

Slightly later you will want to apply a pre-emergent weed killer and fertilizer to prevent the Spring weeds from popping up. Make sure that you apply it several days in advance of when you expect the weeds to come in.

Most weed killers suggest 30 days in advance. This will make sure that you get everything before it comes up.

In general, most weeds in most areas come up between March and May. As a result, you will want to make sure that you want to apply weed killer before February.

Make sure that you follow the directions on the weed killer. In this case, more is not better, even if the proper amount does not seem to be working correctly.

You will need to apply a second coating of weed killer about sixty days later. Of course, the number of applications you will need to apply will depend on which weed killer you will be using specifically.

As you take care of your lawn, you will be able to maintain a smooth, beautiful lawn. In addition, it will stay smooth when you mow as the weeds will not grow faster than the grass.

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Would you like to know how to kill weeds? There are many ways to kill weeds, including using commercial chemicals specifically designed to kill grass weeds. However, if you are concerned with the health of the earth, you can try any of the four ways to kill weeds naturally.

White distilled vinegar is effective in ridding weeds, although it does not directly kill the weeds. The mechanics works by increasing the pH level of the soil, which makes the weeds to wither and die. The pH level of the soil goes back to its normal level after 24 hours or less and does not affect your other plants.

Choose the vinegar with 15-20% acetic level. The higher the acetic level, the more efficacious it is in killing weeds. Pour vinegar into a bottle spray and apply it onto the weeds. The US Department of Agriculture scientists confirmed the efficacy of vinegar in controlling weeds particularly on sunny days.

It can burn the plants.

Ensure that your other plants do not get contact with the vinegar as they too would get affected by its acidity. The best time to spray vinegar is on a dry day. If you are not sure how to do it, you can watch videos on how to kill weeds using vinegar.

Disinfectant alcohol or rubbing alcohol is another substance used in getting rid of the unwanted grass in your garden. Depending on how stubborn the weeds are in your garden, mix five tablespoons of alcohol with 4 cups of water in a bottle spray. Mix it thoroughly and apply to your plants on a dry day. Be careful not to spray the alcohol to your precious plants.

Another weed killer is boiling water. Pour it straight to the weeds; it will kill the plants and their seeds. You can also mix 5 tablespoons of liquid soap with your boiling water before you hurl it into the weeds.

Again, choose a sunny day to work on your weeds.

Now, if you do not want to get into the trouble of boiling water and using vinegar and alcohol to kill unnecessary weeds, you can choose a natural pre-emergent weed preventer and killer. One brand that comes to popularity is preen.

Preen weed killer is safe to use around vegetables, flowers, trees and other precious plants. You do not have to be very careful in not touching your other plants as preen weed killer is a pre-emergent herbicide that comes in granules.

Once activated by water, preen granular weed killer prevents weeds from germinating. It does creating a weed-killing barrier beneath the surface of the soil. It can be used anytime of the year. Like all tips on how to kill weeds provided by all pre-emergent herbicides, you have to be careful that you do not use it on flower seeds, as it could prevent their germination.

The internet is a good source of information-such as articles and videos-on how to kill weeds. It also provides tips on how to use natural weed preventer and controller.

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If your garden has been infested by garden weeds then you do not have to worry about their removal by rooting them or cutting them or trimming them. Garden weeds grow without prompting and therefore cutting, rooting and trimming cannot help them get reduced. Therefore it becomes important that you be aware of the type of weed killers that can be used to eliminate all the garden weeds that you can witness in your garden.

The weed killers can be categorized into various sections in accordance with the type of the structure. Let us take into the account the types of weed killers that there are which you can use to effectively remove the garden weeds. The two major categories are the selective weed killers and the non selective weed killers. The selective weed killers are those weed killers which attack the garden weeds only. They have been made out of chemicals that affect the garden weeds and cause no or minimal damage to the plants adjoining. They are called selective weed killers because they affect only a particular type of plant, the garden weeds in particular and any other variant of garden weeds which are an unnecessary growth in the soil and causing the nutrients of the soil being used to sustain these unwanted plants and garden weeds.

The second category of the non selective weed killers are meant to eradicate all forms of vegetation in the soil. The name non selective signifies that these weed killers do not just target the garden weeds but also any other plants that there are. How is the choice to use selective and non selective weed killers made to eliminate the grass weeds?

The first thing that matters the usage of the selective or the non selective weed killers is when and where the garden weeds are and to what extent the foliage has been affected.

The selective weed killers can be used in thick foliage and where the garden weeds and the plants both are close together and it is not possible to segregate and treat them. Therefore the usage of the selective weed killers means that all the plants including the garden weeds will be treated. However the plants other than the garden weeds will not get affected and it will be only the garden weeds in the end that will get affected. A classic case is the usage of the selective weed killers is on the garden weeds growing in the grass where individually treating the garden weeds and the grass is not possible. Therefore the usage of this weed killer and constant trimming using a lawn mower ensures that the garden weeds are eliminated in totality.

On the other hand the non selective weed killers are best used when you have an empty patch that you need to sow the seeds in. this is where when the soil or any remainder vegetation is treated with non selective weed killer, the whole patch is cleansed of any remnants of garden weeds.

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Garden weeds are a menace. They take away nourishment from soil and stop the growth of grass and other garden plants. The removal of these weeds is absolutely necessary and it is therefore important that you know about the various types of weed killers that are available.

Many people do not like to use weed killers and simply pull weeds by hand. This is only suitable for someone with a small garden or lots of time on their hands and is back-breaking work. Even after this painstaking task has been completed you always run the risk that small parts of roots are left that can, and will, grow. The only way of eradicating weeds for good is by using good weed killers.

Good weed killers are the fastest, quickest and most efficient way of removing unwanted weeds from your garden. There are two types of weed killers organic weed killers and chemical weed killers. Within these two categories of weed killers there are variants for different types of weed, differing sized areas of land and specific types for specific parts of the garden ie. patios etc. These weed killers are all available in gel, liquid or granular form and it is important that you make the right choice when making a selection.

Weed killers will have instructions for their application this may be by diluting in water and spread using a watering can, by applying the weed killers directly onto the weeds or by raking into a lawn. The essential thing to remember is that you always read the instructions carefully so that no damage is caused to areas of your garden you wish to remain untouched. If the wrong type of weed killers are selected or the chosen weed killers are applied incorrectly, irreversible damage could be caused to your blooming borders or your valuable veggies! The damage weed killers can cause may also have a long lasting effect by contaminating soil.

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Crabgrass weeds are just one type of unwanted plants that could pop into your garden. They originated in Europe and could be a great nuisance during summer or spring.

Crabgrass is considered lawn pests because of their tendency to end up in lawns. This weed loves warm areas and grows in unhealthy gardens. This weed is classified as one of the 300 species Genus Digitaria and is distinct and different from its relatives.

Crabgrass weeds are among the most hated lawn weeds by gardeners. Over the years more effective weed killers have appeared but many of these chemicals were not friendly to the soil. These result is some gardeners don’t use these new killer and still fight this weed in other ways.

This grass is despised and hated because of its ability to germinate rapidly. A garden that is not properly tendered, watered and fertilized would surely have crabgrass in it.

And, once it had grown there, it could easily root and spread, occupying the garden’s space.

With this weed all over your garden, you will definitely consume most of your time removing them. This fast grower, should be removed as frequent as possible or else, it will over take your garden.

Removing this annoying grass is not as easy as it sounds. Perhaps, this is another reason why gardeners loath their presence. Sometimes, the best way to prevent their growth and recurrence is pulling them out one by one. Just imagine the time gardener needs to spend on doing that.

Finally, gardeners do not like crabgrass weeds because they only show that a garden is unhealthy. They show that a garden is untidy and unsightly. With such reasons, anyone who has devoted his time tending and caring for his garden may feel frustrated.

If you are currently maintaining a garden, you would surely not want to experience any of these reasons.

Luckily, you can prevent and kill crabgrass in several ways. Crabgrass weed control can be done manually or chemically. Either way is applicable as long as you know what you are doing.

As advised by most experts the use of pre emergent weed control in killing crabgrass could be effective. It is the use of some chemicals that could stop germination of crab grass weed.

Pre emergent herbicides are also in different forms. It can be liquid or granules, either way will be effective. And, if you are an active environmentalist, you may want to use non toxic weed killer to stop small or large crab grass from appearing again.

Non – types of herbicides are considered part of organic weed killer. And although they may contain chemicals too, these types of crabgrass weed killers are very mild to our environment and other plants.

Likewise, the number one suggestion of gardeners for others is to simply maintain healthy and properly tendered garden. As we now know, this type of lawn grass usually does not grows in gardens that are well taken care of. Instead of killing them, why not prevent their occurrence by keeping your garden healthy?

Maintaining a garden is something that you can really be proud of. But, if you have crabgrass weeds sprouting in every corner of your garden, it will be tough to exhibit it without getting rid of the grasses first. Although it is not impossible to remove them, it will surely take time and energy.

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Oh, the joys of those who . . . delight in doing everything the Lord wants. . . . They are like trees planted along the riverbank, bearing fruit each season without fail. Their leaves never wither, and in all they do, they prosper (Psalm 1:2-3 NLT).

Some of my friends say that I am a little crazy because I love doing yard work.  Although it is a lot like housework (never completely finished), there is a great deal of satisfaction in walking away from a flower bed after having rid it of weeds and letting the plants that we really want to see show through.  Of course, if it is not done on a consistent basis, the weeds really do gain the upper hand. Then, instead of loving yard work, I find myself wishing for an easy way to produce the result I yearn for.  As of yet, I have not discovered a weed killer that will discriminate between what I want and what I don’t want, so I am the one who needs to make the judgment and pull out the unwanted growth one by one.

As I work in my flower beds, I often reflect on the fact that Jesus gave many illustrations using seeds, trees, fruit, plants, sowing, pruning and reaping.  As a result of the fall, the ground was cursed and work became an effort instead of a joy (Genesis 3:17-19).  There remains, however, the beauty of God’s creation all around us. If we are privileged enough to have the stewardship of a plot of earth in which we can sow and reap, then we partner with God in His garden enterprise.

In my garden, I have encountered a variety of weeds.  Some of them have a single root.  If that weed is pulled out by the root, wonderful!  If not, it will come back.  Others have complex root systems that make them next to impossible to pull out.  They must be dug out.  In those cases, I remember that the Lord said that He was going to leave the tares and the wheat to grow together, and do the weeding at the end of time (Matthew 13).  Sometimes I make a similar decision.  I will deal with those weeds again and again in order to save the good plants that are growing close to them.

The task of weeding reminds me of sin.  Maybe you, like me, have discovered that weeding, like ridding your life of sin, involves the following.

Weeding is backbreaking work. If I don’t stay alert and “prayed up,” sin keeps coming back.  If I don’t keep up with the weeding, the weeds overtake the garden. Vigilance is the key! Bill Gaither says that there is a plaque on the wall of his home in Alexandria, Indiana that summed up his parents’ attitude about faith, “Pray for rain, but keep hoeing.”
It helps if the weeds can be pulled up by the roots. If possible, it is best to stop sin at its source. For instance, my nature is to panic and be fearful of unknown situations.  That is the opposite of faith.  When fear raises its ugly head in my life, I have to go back to the basics: trusting God! As my husband says, “Fear and faith cannot occupy the same space.”
Sometimes I need help. The task of weeding is a bit overwhelming sometimes, especially since my husband and I travel much of the year. Occasionally my husband, a friend or a neighbor will sit with me and help me pull out weeds.  Likewise, an accountability partner can often notice an area that is displeasing to God that I have overlooked.
Weeding is easier if the soil is soft or wet. If you ever tried to pull weeds in hard, dry soil, you know how hard it can be. Likewise, it is easier to dispose of sin when it is fresh and recognizable as sin.  The longer sin is left to harden in our lives, the harder it is to remove.

I started this reflection by commenting on how much I love to see new growth and flowers in my garden.  That is how I want to end it as well.  Weeding, both in my garden and in my life, is well worth it.

As I observe the flowers in my garden, I am reminded that a garden is not just one flower.  It is many flowers.  You and I are part of a big garden that God has planted.

Flowers need attention.  But don’t we love the attention our Heavenly Gardener showers on us? We are linked to His Living Vine.  We need each other.  Together we can “bloom where we are planted” so that others can see Jesus in us.

© Stephanie B. Blake

There are lots of ways to kill off weeds.  Here a few of the green and inexpensive methods that I use on my farm and at my home.

Table Salt:  This is a fast and thorough way to kill off any type of weed growing inbetween the brick pavers around my property.  I just take a salt shaker and shake salt into the cracks and crevices.  I then take an old broom and sweep the pavers to make sure the salt all gets into the cracks.  If I’ve waited too long in the season to prevent weeds in the first place I’ll spray down the pavers with a garden hose.  Just a light spray is enough.

Liquid Bleach:  Adding 2 cups of liquid bleach to a one gallon size hand held garden sprayer will effecively kill off weeds and will keep them away for a month or more.  This kills them very quickly, too.  When I use this method on the brick pavers around my home, the added benefit is the bleaching effect it has on the pavers, making them really clean looking.

The bleach is also excellent for killing molds and moss.

This is pretty “green”, as well.  Think about it:  You can use bleach to make your drinking water safe or to clean children’s toys.  This method of killing weeds is probably safer for the water supply than using the same amount of a commercially avavilable weed killer.

To keep weeds from coming back, after they’ve died off, pull them up and toss them.  Then reapply the liquid bleach solution again.