(512) 277-9435
sales@progreenlandscapesolutions.com
Make no mistake that you're in a never-ending war regarding landscaping. That may seem dramatic for such an ostensibly peaceful pastime of gardening and outdoor decor. Still, hordes of weeds will continue their waves of offensives, and unless you keep your guard up, they'll gain a foothold on your battlefield. The best offense is a good defense. And the best way to defend your Cedar Park property from weeds is preemergents and a few other landscaping tricks.
Battle on the Horizon
Spring is all but here. And Spring is the season of new life. That's a joyful proposition to the home gardener! But it's also a warning to prepare. While flowers blooming in our garden beds are a pleasure to behold, there are flowers we don't want. We sometimes forget that weeds, too, are often flowers. They're just invasive flowers growing where we don't want them. And just like other plants, they love the Spring and are looking for the opportunity to spread their seeds and take root. So they may settle down in your lawn and garden if you're not careful.Full Shields
You could prepare for a sweaty Spring and painfully sweaty summer of pulling up weeds wherever they pop up, or you could be smart like an Enterprise Captain and divert energy to your "shields."Full Rations from the Quartermaster
They say that part of what made Ullyses S. Grant a great general was his time as a quartermaster. He understood that you won the battle with rations and that healthy troops fight better. So what does that mean for landscaping? When your grass is healthy and thriving, there's nowhere for weeds to implant themselves. No dead grass? No room for weeds! The same is true for your flower beds. Of course, with flower beds, you also want space between flowers, which presents an opportunity for the enemy.Fortification
So the era of the battle has clearly been wildly inconsistent. We've talked about Starfleet commanders, Ulysses S. Grant, and now we're getting into medieval warfare, but you know what? The battle against weeds has been waged for centuries.
You need a better strategy when you have fewer troops than the enemy. Fortification is the way to go, and with your garden, which works aesthetically on the contrast between full flowers and the space between them, that fortification is mulch.
Mulch fills in the space between flowers and creates a weed barrier! Should that barrier be breached, the layer of mulch will make the infiltrating weed's presence quickly apparent.
Your Greatest Weapons in Weed Control
In any battle or sport, defense is not enough to win - you will need some offense to gain ground. However, with weed control, your weapons to defeat the weeds that breach your defenses are pre- and post-emergents.Preemergents are Defensive and Offensive
Preemergents are the perfect tool for weeds because they don't require you to wait until the weeds have arrived to defeat them. Instead, as their name implies, they target weeds before they emerge. This weed control product targets the sprouting or emerging growth stage, so weeds that lie dormant beneath your soil won't ever have a chance to grow. Preemergents aren't perfect, and there are places you would not want to use them. Because they target a stage of growth rather than a particular plant, you should never use them when trying to grow new life. They will prevent newly seeded grass or flower seeds and bulbs from blooming along with your weeds. But anywhere where your plants are already established is a good place for preemergents.Post Emergents and Mano a Mano
You're already familiar with post-emergents, even if you don't call them by that name. Nearly anything labeled as an herbicide or weed killer in your garden supply or hardware store is post-emergent.
You use post-emergents to kill weeds that are already present. But, of course, you also have the option of pulling weeds. Which method you choose will depend on your goals, the weed species (some spread when you pull them), the time of year, and the number of weeds you have!