I have one piece of advice: Don't let the weeds go to seed!
Weeds have loved this weather and are extremely vigorous as a result of the warm temperatures and moist soil.
It’s also been a struggle keeping up with weeding the garden and flower beds when the soil is wet. Never work in wet soil as this just causes compaction. However, there comes a time when you have to pull weeds, and that time is before they set seed.
This has been a gardening mantra of mine forever. If you let weeds go to seed, it just causes more trouble for the next growing season.
There are some things that a gardener can do in the first place to prevent the weeds from growing.
Use mulch. Mulch is anything that covers the ground and a 3- to 4-inch layer of mulch will help to prevent weeds from growing.
In addition, you can also use a pre-emergent herbicide that provided a chemical barrier that prevents the weeds from growing. Coupled with mulch you have double protection from weeds encroaching into the garden.
As I mentioned, mulch is anything covering the ground. It can be aesthetically pleasing, such as hardwood bark or wood chips, or it can be functional, such as straw or grass clippings.
Fortunately, or unfortunately, depending on how you look at it, I have plenty of grass clippings this year to use as mulch. It seems like we are still mowing every four days and haven’t stopped for more than a few days.
I collect the grass clippings and use them in the garden and under a row of evergreens in a windbreak. In addition, I use newspaper under the grass clippings as an additional barrier.
I did this earlier in the growing season in my vegetable garden. It has helped tremendously with the weed pressure.
The grass clippings and the newspaper break down over the summer and I till them into the soil in the fall. This helps to add organic matter to the soil.
When working with newspaper, wet it down first in order to make it easier to handle. It won’t blow away before you get the grass or straw on top.
When you use pre-emergent herbicides, it’s critical that you follow the label directions. They need to be applied directly to the soil, before you put mulch on the ground.
In addition, you must water the herbicide in thoroughly in order to activate the chemical barrier. And, the ground has to be free of weeds before application.
It’s not too late in the season to use pre-emergent herbicides in the flower beds. I am in the process of applying the herbicides to my perennial beds just prior to mulching. This will keep down the winter annuals that will be germinating when the temperatures start to cool down.
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