Controlling Weeds in Winter – Right Tools and Methods

Winter in the garden can be one of the busiest times of the year. Besides cleaning up late-blooming perennials, raking leaves, and pruning of all types, there’s the never-ending challenge of weed control. Right now, winter annual weeds are getting a foothold. They’ll continue until the weather warms in spring when they ripen, go to seed, and die.

In late winter cool season weeds put on a lot of growth and can become an unsightly problem in your lawn. It may be too late for a weed control spray but you can hand pull or mow them to remove the weed seeds.

Along with the annual weeds, thistles, dandelions, and other perennials are also growing slowly and storing energy in their deep taproots. Eliminating both types of weeds while they’re small saves time two ways. It takes less effort to deal with immature weeds-they’re easy to root out. But more important, killing young weeds means that seeds won’t have a chance to develop. Fewer seeds means fewer weeds at this time next year.

Preen Lawn Broad Leaf Weed Control

Preen Lawn Broadleaf Control acts as a weed killer and controls a wide range of lawn weeds including dandelion, chickweed, knotweed, plantain, henbit, spurge and many others commonly found in home lawns. Choosing weed killers for lawns can often be confusing, and you might worry about burning your lawn. Choose Preen and have a green, weed-free lawn. 32 lb bag.

Take a look around to note the differences among your weeds. Depending on where they’re growing and their type of leaf, growth habit, and root system, you’ll want to use different methods of eradication.

Pulling or digging out works best to control annual bluegrass, for example. This thin textured, pale green grass shows up nearly everywhere during the cool season. You’ll frequently find patches of it invading turf grass. Because it’s an annual, it dies when the weather turns hot in summer, then leaves dead brown spots. If you find a large area of annual bluegrass in your lawn, dig out the entire section and reseed.

Another weed that should be lifted out now is yellow oxalis or creeping wood sorrel. The tiny five-petaled, yellow blossoms appear in summer, but the small, purplish green clover-like leaves grow all year. Oxalis spreads fast and is hard to suppress. Thin, prostrate stems take root along the ground and grow into more plants. Worse yet is the scattering of seeds after flowering in summer when little capsules pop open.

Control of Pests and Weeds by Natural Enemies

This book offers a multifaceted yet integrated discussion on two major applications of biological control: permanent control of invasive insects and plants at the landscape level and temporary suppression of both native and exotic pests in farms, tree plantations, and greenhouses. Written by leading international experts in the field, the text discusses control of invasive species and the role of natural enemies in pest management.

The right tool

To dig out perennial tap-rooted weeds, make it easy on yourself and use a tool that really works. Hardware stores and garden centers carry any number of weeding tools, from hoes of all types to weed poppers and claws for lifting out deep tap roots. Using the right tool makes a big difference when you’re hand weeding – and that’s the best approach with weeds in lawns.

Though you may want a manicured lawn, it’s best to stay away from the weed and feed products that blanket the entire surface. These are effective materials, but many are known to contain carcinogens. Besides, they generally control only broad-leafed plants, which means that most of what is applied either passes into the soil or runs off with rainwater.

If you do use herbicides, focus on treating individual weeds and only when the air is still. Windy weather causes sprays and powders to drift and land on nontarget plants.

Along edgings and curbs, in cracks in paving, walkways, and patios you might consider using a relatively new tool called a flamer. Also known as a weed torch, this nifty device works with a disposable propane cylinder and shoots a flame out a long tube.

Image Weed Control

Targets the toughest southern weeds: Wild onion and garlic, dollarweed, field sandbur, ryegrass, crabgrass, bahiagrass, white clover, henbit, chickweed, annual bluegrass, Virginia buttonweed, dandelion, purple and yellow nutsedge, or nutgrass. Expect to see weed discoloration in 1 to 2 weeks and death in 3 to 4 weeks. 24 oz. concentrate bottle.

Winter is the ideal time to use a flamer simply because it’s the safest. Even though plants are moist, the intense heat dries and kills them. This method is most effective on very young weeds with only a few leaves.

Although it’s somewhat slow process, you can also use a flamer over soil and gravel. It’s a good alternative to herbicide sprays in small gardens. A heavier duty version connects to a propane tank and is meant for professional use.

In vegetable gardens and ornamental beds, smother weeds with deep layers of mulch. Those that do grow will be easy to pull out. Mulch keeps beds clean and improves soil at the same time.

Other methods

Temporarily spreading landscape cloth or black plastic sheeting over paths kills weeds and prevents seeds from germinating by excluding light. Secure the cloth or plastic with bricks or a 2-by-4 and leave it in place for four to six weeks.

Chemical preemergents also prevent weed seeds from germinating, but they should be used only as a last resort and only where children and pets won’t come in contact with the toxins.