Controlling Weeds without Chemicals
New beds can quickly become a weedy mess without maintenance
One of the biggest points of failure I see in new installations is homeowners who are not prepared for the initial maintenance required in getting their beds established. No matter what kind of plants you are putting in, until the plants have reached a mature size that (ideally) greatly reduces weed pressure, existing weed seeds will germinate, weed seeds will blow in, and birds will happily poop seeds right into your freshly prepared bed. This will continue forever, of course, but when your bed is freshly planted with new little baby plants, it is especially critical to reduce the number of weeds strangling your new plants. It’s not a perfect science, but I would like to offer a few suggestions.
Most importantly, make sure the bed is mulched. This does not have to mean wood mulch. Mulch is simply a ground covering, which could include shredded leaves, pinestraw, wood chips, nut shells, etc. (Ultimately, it will hopefully be your native groundcover.)
One of my favorite control methods, particularly in areas that are hardscaped or don’t have a lot of surrounding vegetation (that big empty mulch spot you haven’t filled with native plants and groundcover just yet), is essentially… fire. There are of course, many things to take into consideration, like you shouldn’t flame weed in an area that has significant poison ivy (you do NOT want to breath in poison ivy oil), it’s best to flame weed shortly after rainfall when things are moist, and always keep a hose around just in case! In some especially dry areas, you may not be permitted to flame weed at all, so be sure to know what the regulations are in your area.
Another option is one that I’ve more recently been trying out is this Diamond Hoe, which has been fantastic! I find that you can be a little bit more precise with this option than with a flame weeder, though it still works best on an area you are trying to clear out. Essentially, you run the blade (very sharp!) back and forth over an area, just under the soil line and it cuts the weeds off at the soil line (and sometimes pulls them out). I find this tool especially helpful with areas that get taken over by weedy grass, prior to coming in with some mulch to cover the ground.
Corn gluten meal (a bit of a misnomer, as it doesn’t really contain “gluten”) can be applied as a pre-emergent in the fall and/or spring. Careful if you are spreading seeds that you would like to sprout, as a pre-emergent is intended to prevent undesirable seeds from sprouting, but can’t really discriminate between desirable or undesirable. This can also be used as an organic slow release fertilizer. The efficacy of corn gluten meal will increase over time with repeat use, and it is often used as a lawn pre-emergent/ slow-release fertilizer. It can be purchased at your local feed and seed, or online.
On the lower budget end, there are the options of smothering or solarizing, and I will attempt to explain both, in a relatively non-technical way because despite having a Masters of Science, I am not a particularly technical person. If you have access to a lot of cardboard or newspaper, you can use these to lay over the weedy area. Prior to doing this, you should cut (with a weedwhacker) or mow the area as low as possible. Once you have laid the newspaper or cardboard down, it should be wet down with water to help hold it in place, and then you can pile 2-3” of mulch on top of it. The weight, depth, and heat of the mulch over the barrier should be enough to smother most weeds over the course of 6-8 weeks or so, then you can plant directly into it. If you have really persistent or aggressive weeds and a hardy weed seed bed, or disease that you’d like to wipe out, you can solarize the area. This consists of applying clear (NOT BLACK - that’s smothering!) plastic over the area. Ideally, a UV resistant plastic should be used, as it won’t break down over the time it’s applied. This should generally be done in about 6-8 weeks or so, in the harshest sun and heat of the summer.
Once you’ve killed the weeds, something else needs to go in the space, whether that’s plants, mulch, or a combination of the 2 (typically both, at least until the plants have a chance to fill in).
Do you have a tried and true chemical free weed control method you use? Feel free to share in the comments below!
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