Expert advice to control weeds

Getting rid of pesky weeds and not letting them grow can be a full-time job. Here is some helpful advice on ways to prevent the unwanted plants while keeping the ones you do want healthy and successful.

Landscaping fabric and other artificial weed barriers are effective options to herbicides, but only to a point. They may also cause new problems and still fail to prevent weed growth in the long run.

Pros:

• The best place to use barrier cloth is under gravel or rock borders, walkways and other places where few or no plants are growing.
• Fabric landscaping or agricultural sheeting is better, because it breathes.
• The best barriers are those that can be removed each season, so the soil can breathe, or that decompose into the soil, such as burlap or newspaper.

Cons:

• In garden beds, especially in wet climates, weed barriers may cause numerous problems: they can hold too much moisture, suffocating some plants.
• They can promote the growth of molds and fungi, and they may cause roots to grow shallower.
• Organic material and seeds will eventually blow in, and weeds will take root.
• Plastic barriers block oxygen and moisture from reaching the soil, and they become brittle and disintegrate, making them very difficult to remove.

Sometimes you have to use an herbicide to control a virulent weed. But one drop of herbicide on the wrong leaf could kill a plant you love. To reduce this risk as much as possible, do the following.

• Always consider every alternative to chemical weed controls before spraying. The best defense against weeds is a healthy garden and lawn, with mulch covering any bare ground or empty spaces.
• Before applying any herbicide, check local restrictions. For example, one popular herbicide ingredient, 2,4-D, has been banned in some localities.
• Spray first thing in the morning or in the evening, when it's cool and there is no wind. Some herbicideswill turn to vapour and move through the air as the day warms. It's safer to use these chemicals in the evening so the weeds will have more time to absorb them before the temperature rises.
• When you are mixing herbicides, remember that stronger is not necessarily better — it may just be adding cost and putting your other plants at more risk without increasing effectiveness.
• Adjust the nozzle to a medium to coarse spray and keep the sprayer low to the ground to reduce drift of airborne chemicals.
• Use a 60-centimetre (two-foot) square of cardboard as a shield to protect your good plants.
• Always wear eye protection and gloves.

The best way to fight weeds is to craft healthy soil with compost and mulch and to pull weeds regularly so problems don't get out of control. It may be more work but it is still worth it.