When it comes to yard work, weeds are the bane of every homeowner’s existence—especially when you invest a lot of time and effort to get your yard in tip-top shape. And doesn’t it seem like they pop up when you least expect it?
Rather than dousing problem spots with herbicides (which can have adverse effects on human and pet health—not to mention they’re dangerous for the environment), take a natural approach toward weed control with these eco-friendly strategies:
Hand-weeding. Roll up your sleeves and grab your kneeling pad. If you’ve got a small lawn, a little elbow grease is the best way to wage war on weeds. The key is to get them when they’re young, before they flower. And make sure the soil is moist—it aids removal. If they’re invading cracks in your driveway, sidewalk, or patio, scrape them out with a screwdriver or putty knife. For weeds taking over your lawn, use a sharp spade or garden fork to pry weeds upward while pulling the weed up at the same time. Make sure you get the entire root, or else a new crop of weeds will sprout. And to maintain the appearance of your lawn, smooth the soil and patch the area with lawn seed. Read more about pulling weeds.
Photo courtesy of James A. Stepp,
Lexicon Media
Healthy lawn. A healthy lawn is one of your best defenses against weeds. That’s where fertilizing, aerating, and mowing come into play. Test the pH of your soil—a neutral pH benefits grass but isn’t good for weeds—and fertilize regularly (with a natural product, of course!).
If your soil is compacted, it’s time to aerate. Aerating your lawn helps water and nutrients reach grass. And while mowing, raise your mower blade (and make sure it’s sharp). Keeping the height of your lawn around 3-4 inches—shades weed seeds, preventing sunlight from reaching them and allowing them to germinate. Master gardener Paul James explains more about keeping your lawn in tip-top shape and controlling weeds.
Corn gluten meal. A byproduct of the corn milling process, corn gluten meal is a natural weed suppressant developed by Iowa State University researcher Dr. Nick Christians. How does it work? Whenever a weed seed opens to sprout, the corn gluten meal dries it out so it can’t germinate. Because it is an alternative to synthetic pre-emergence herbicides, know that it only works on seeds—not on existing weeds. Learn all about it here.
DIY remedies. Boil water and pour it over weeds (but make sure to do this in areas with no nearby grass or plants). Or, spray weeds with highly acidic liquids such as vinegar or lemon juice.
Soil solarization. This non-chemical strategy involves putting transparent plastic sheeting over tilled soil during the warmest, sunniest two months of the year. 
Solar solarization helps eliminate weeds (and improve overall soil quality) by trapping heat. Get ready to help your soil soak up the sun: Clemson Extension explains how to set up solarization.
Until tomorrow,
The Home Know-It-All
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