GROW SMART, GROW SAFE

   Weeds

Don’t let uninvited guests – a.k.a. weeds – take over your garden. Instead, learn to recognize and manage them with these simple methods so you can spend time enjoying your yard.

You can prevent weed problems without toxic chemicals using the research-based strategies described here. You can also find least-toxic herbicides and learn about the hazards of particular products using the Grow Smart, Grow Safe search tool.

Prevent problems before they appear

Build healthy soil with compost and mulch. Good soil grows healthy, vigorous plants.

• Healthy plants crowd out weeds.
• In good soil, weeds are easier to pull.
• Mulch helps cover weed seeds, preventing them from germinating.
• Homemade compost sometimes contains weed seeds. Consider weed-free commercial compost for topdressing lawns and gardens.

Grow a multilayered garden. A variety of plants in different sizes will shade the ground in your garden beds. Without sun fewer weeds will sprout, and any that do will be less noticeable.

Grow a healthy lawn. Sunlight and healthy soil are important for growing healthy grass.

• A thick, vigorous stand of turf will have fewer weeds than a thin, splotchy lawn.
• Mow at a high setting, and leave the clippings. They add nutrients and improve the soil.
• Water deeply in summer – but no more than an inch a week – to encourage deep roots.
• If your soil has poor drainage, help the lawn "breathe" with aeration,
• Overseed with a Northwest blend of grass seed every year or two.
• For more information about creating a great lawn without chemical fertilizers and pesticides, visit www.healthylawns.org.

Use mulch as a barrier in garden beds. A thick layer of mulch is your best defense against weeds.

• Mulch keeps weed seeds from germinating by blocking light.
• Organic mulch provides nutrients for your plants. Add new layers every year or two as mulch breaks down.
• Keep a few inches of bare space around stems and crowns of plants to prevent diseases.

Use cardboard sheets or thick layers of newspaper. Cover them with compost or arborist chips or stones for paths.

• Layer mulch over cardboard to block out the light and smother weeds. It's an easy way to create new garden beds.
• Cover cardboard with gravel or stones to keep weeds from growing in pathways.

Landscape fabric is not the best approach for garden beds. Weeds can grow beneath the fabric and eventually also sprout in the mulch layer. Roots then get tangled in the fabric. The fabric can tear when you pull weeds, and more weeds will grow in the holes. Landscape fabric is more useful for pathways, especially in combination with stone mulch, which reduces the chance of weeds growing above the fabric.