Winter is the perfect time for early weed control. Gardeners who want to see a weed-free spring should begin preparing their gardens during winter-spring weed control is too late! Use these essential tips to gear your garden toward a weed-free spring.
Winter Weed Control: Steps to a Weed-Free Spring
Why Weeds Take Over
Weeds tend to take over gardens in spring because of higher temperatures. However, weeds are a problem that gardeners can whip into control long before the spring season.
Winter is the best time to act against weeds. You’ll have control over the soil before temperatures rise and weeds are actively growing.
Getting to Know Your Weeds
The expert gardener knows weeds by sight. Novice gardeners might mistake certain similar herbs for weeds and the other way around. Thistle can resemble a young dandelion plant until touched, for example. One is a desirable plant, and one isn’t!
Get to know your weeds and know more about what weeds you might be removing. Here are some examples of winter annuals:
- Annual bluegrass
- Downy brome
- Field pennycress
- Speedwell
- Prickly lettuce
Winter Weed Control: Going for the Roots
When pulling out weeds, the trick is going right for the roots. If the plant snaps above the root, the same weed still has a viable growth point. Like a horror movie sequel, it’s just going to come back.
You should sort turned or cleaned soil for potential weeds. If you’re deweeding, target the weeds at their root—and if you haven’t gotten it out the first time, dig for the roots.
Effective soil preparation removes all traces of the undesired weeds. This leaves no room for them to come back with more determination.
Regular De-weeding
De-weeding regularly keeps weeds under control. The few weeds missed last time can grow into a larger patch without regular weeding. This can lead to even more patches. Weeds create a vicious cycle and need careful monitoring over time.
A weed killer isn’t always the answer to a weed-free spring. Sometimes, it takes some hands-on effort first.
Winter Weed Control With Natural Weed Killers
Chemical weed killers have an internationally bad reputation. In some way, using them always causes harm to the environment. Their usage is becoming less common because of worldwide health concerns. So, don’t jump straight for chemical weed killers to control weeds.
Treat the garden with natural weed-killer to prevent weed seeds from germinating. Commercial and home gardeners prefer natural weed killers over their chemical counterparts. Target problematic areas with products that kill annual weeds. Meanwhile, other plants (and insects) are safe.
Apply a safe pre-emergent herbicide to target the roots and weed seeds. This way, you’re less likely to deal with sprouting weeds in early spring. A post-emergent herbicide application will kill weeds if they appear.
Plant in Clear Paths (or Pots)
Planting structures can be an excellent, easy solution to controlled gardening. This makes spotting problems like weeds or pests easier when plants exist in clear paths. Winter weed management will also be easier to handle.
If this isn’t a solution, place some preferred plants in pots. Novice gardeners who don’t have a lot of space or time can learn a lot about deweeding from potted plants!
Structural planting is the secret to large-scale commercial farming. However, it’s also an excellent technique for controlling winter weeds in smaller home gardens.
For more information on identifying winter annual weeds in Nebraska
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