After a great gardening excursion in the springtime, you should be able to relax and enjoy the beautiful and yummy selection you’ve prepared for yourself. But not so fast! There are plenty of summer weeds afoot that you’ll need to be on the lookout for, like dandelions, crabgrass, nutsedge, and nimblewill. Weeds get especially bad during the summer because the heat can be harsh on flowers and grass, creating an opening window of opportunity for unwelcome plants to take up space. If you want to protect your lawn and garden against these troublesome foes, here are a few options to consider:
Mowing
Make sure your mower is on a taller setting and has sharp blades. This helps prevent sunlight from getting to the weeds while also ensuring your grass is cut fresh but not too short to be more susceptible to disease, summer heat, or more weeds.
Watering
You want to make sure you’re watering during the day and with an adequate amount of water. If you water too much, it’ll encourage the growth of certain weed species, and if you water at night, it’ll encourage the spread of disease to other plants you want to grow. Watering 2-3 times a week ensures your plants and lawn are hydrated during the hot summer.
Manually
Use your hands, trowels, or other tools to manually remove weeds when they’re still young before they can even flower or go to seed. Be sure to get the entire weed, including the roots! This method takes longer and can be exhausting, but this way, you can see for yourself that you took out all the weeds you saw.
Herbicides
Applying herbicides in the summer should only be done following the manufacturer’s application instructions. While broadleaf weed killers can be applied in the springtime without hurting your grass, damage to your lawn could result if the herbicide is applied during hot, dry conditions. We suggest using “stream/pinpoint” application of a herbicide in precise spots versus using “fan/broad area” application methods. Once you remove the weeds from your lawn or garden, be sure to replace the spots immediately with grass or other desired plants so weeds won’t try to take their place again.
At Burger Farm and Garden Center, we want to equip everyone with the tools and knowledge to make their plants, lawn, and garden beautiful and healthy. Learn more and visit us today at burgerfarms.com.