If you ask how to keep weeds out of flower bed?
Weeds are the remedy of nature for the wounded sites and plantless states.
However, weeds have a different idea than that of the gardeners when it comes to a good recovery.
With that being said, we have outlined in this post the effective ways to keep those weeds out.
7 Effective Ways To Keep Weeds Out Of Flower Bed
I don’t want to keep you waiting; choose whichever method below do you think will work best for you.
So, here are the ways on how to keep weeds out of flower bed:
#1. Allowing the sleeping weeds to lie
It would help if you killed the roots of the weeds, but you must leave sleeping weed seeds undisturbed.
The entire area of the garden has weed seeds.
But those at the uppermost layer of the soil will have access to sufficient sunlight that triggers germination.
Cultivating and digging the soil will cause the hidden seeds of the weeds to be exposed in the sunlight too.
As such, you should only dig when needed. Also, salve those disturbed areas with plants immediately or mulch.
In your lawns, you have to avoid disturbing the soil.
Use sharp knives to cut the roots of lawn weeds such as dandelions instead of digging them.
#2. Weed barrier made of newspaper
For sure, you have seen your grandmother use this method. However, this only works in the short run.
To do this, you have to spread newspaper onto the soil.
That added layer will temporarily block the sunlight.
But since they are biodegradable, they won’t be able to last for so long.
Furthermore, it could be a hassle since it will be in the way when you have to replace the rock or the bark.
#3. Using kitchen remedies such as salt or vinegar
Although this might not be a solid option to solve your problem, many people use this method.
Vinegar can kill the weeds. However, they will also kill the good plants surrounding it.
It also does not kill the roots of the weeds so that you will need frequent reapplication.
Meaning to say, for this method to work, you will need plenty of vinegar.
As a result, it will change the pH of the soil so the plants and flowers will lack some nutrients that they need like phosphate, potassium, and nitrogen.
#4. Weeding by hand
The traditional way of pulling those weeds by hand can give fast results.
But there is a tendency that it will break off and thus leaving its roots behind.
It means that the weeds will eventually sprout again.
Correspondingly, the roots of some weeds are very long. In such a case, it would be even harder to get rid of them.
#5. Using weed killers
In case the flower bed is already overrun by the weeds totally, you can try weed killers that are non-selective.
Choose those with an active ingredient such as Glyphosate.
However, if there are shrubs or perennials, this might not be ideal since they will die also.
You might as well use weed killers that pre-emergent. They will prevent the growth of the weeds with seeds that have not germinated yet.
It will only target the ungerminated seeds. The plants that are already growing will not be affected.
#6. Lopping their heads off
In any case, if you cannot get rid of those weeds, you can try chopping their heads off.
If you cut the tops of the perennial weeds, such as bindweed, it will reduce the chances of reseeding.
Not only that, but it will also force the weeds to utilize all of their food reserves which will eventually lead them to exhaust their root bud supply.
In other words, their spread will be limited.
This method will require pruning loppers in taking down those towers of poke or ragweed.
But you might as well step up onto a string trimmer that is attached with a blade in cutting those prickly brambles and thistles down towards the numbs.
Whichever method you will use, you must chop down the weeds before seeding so that you can prevent their spread.
#7. Do not include the weeds when watering the plants
An instant way of watering the plants while excluding the weeds is through drip irrigation.
You can also water by hand; however, it can be tedious to do.
In this method, you are fundamentally depriving those weeds of water.
This will reduce the germination of the weed seeds by up to 70 percent.
However, you have to watch out for perennial weeds like nutsedge and bindweed with deep roots since it might be the time for them to appear in the moist areas.
It’s A Wrap!
I hope after you read the entire post, you are now aware of the things to do on how to keep weeds out of flower beds.
Beyond these solutions, you should enrich the soil using organic matter whenever possible.
This is a great way to achieve a flower bed free of weeds.
If the soil is well-fed and healthy, it is less likely that weeds will appear.