Weed Prevention

For most Rose Tree Gardeners, weeds are a seemingly never-ending issue.  Beds that start seemingly free of weeds are quickly overrun and become a struggle to maintain.  However, this issue is easily remedied with a number of simple steps early in the season.  But before we get to those, lets talk about where weeds come from.  The majority of weeds propagate by seed and for a seed to germinate it needs both sunlight and water.  By removing one of those variables, weeds will not germinate.  How is this done?

Do not disturb the soil with tilling

Contained within a cup of soil are thousands of weed seeds just waiting to germinate and grow into plants.  Every time you disturb the soil by tilling, you uncover those weeds.  Once exposed to sunlight, they germinate and quickly overwhelm a garden.  The goal of proper weed control is to reduce the total number of weeds you have to deal with.

Spread weed barriers

A proper weed barrier consists of two parts: a thin compostable layer (cardboard, brown kraft paper, paper shopping bags, newspaper) and a thick soil layer (compost, wood chips).  They work together to prevent sunlight from reaching seeds and keep the seeds from reaching the top of the soil.  Over time the compostable layer degrades leaving the soil layer to keep the seeds from seeing sunlight.  As long as that soil layer remains undisturbed, the initial weed seeds will be locked away forever.

A lot of gardeners use the typical plastic weed fabric.  This is not recommended for a number of reasons:

  • It is wasteful to use this material for one year only to throw it in the landfill
  • It slows the transfer of air and water into the soil
  • They are generally ineffective.  When weeds eventually sprout through the fabric, they become impossible to pull without removing the entire fabric.

Hoe and Pull remaining weeds

No matter how robust your system, some weeds will manage to get through.   When they do be sure to be ready to either manually pull them or scalp the surface of the soil with a sharpened hoe.  Below is a list of the common hoes used.  No matter which one you choose, make sure to maintain a sharp edge.

  • Stirrup Hoe (Preferred)
  • Trapezoid Hoe
  • Collinear Hoe
  • Tine Weeder

Prepare a Weed-Free Garden

A little bit of preparation in the beginning of the year will save you from a lot of hassle as plant growth accelerates.  Perform the 5 steps below as early in the growing season as possible.

Step 1: Prepare the soil

Level the soil and remove debris
Remove existing weeds with a hoe or by hand

Step 2: Prevent weeds in the walking lanes

Spread 1 layer of cardboard (preferred) or 2 layers of newspaper on the ground.  Be sure to overlap seams.

Step 3: Prevent weeds in the garden beds

Spread 1 or 2 layers of cardboard on the ground.  Be sure to overlap the seams.

Step 4: Prepare the garden beds

Spread a 2-3 inch thick layer of yard waste or mushroom compost on top of the cardboard in the garden beds.

Step 5: Prepare the walking lanes

Spread a 2-3 inch layer of grass clippings (preferred), pine straw, or shredded leaf mulch on the walking lanes.

NOTE: Steps 2 and 5 can be skipped if you would rather use a hoe to keep your pathways clear