How to Prevent A Weed Invasion | 5 Simple Ways to Get Rid of Weeds

Simple natural home remedies to defeat weeds in your garden before using chemicals.

Whether you’re a homeowner, groundskeeper, or renter, taking care of your garden is an essential part of living.

Whilst gardening is proven to be therapeutic; something about being one with nature, we have a duty of care to maintain balance and peace within the garden to ensure it’s longevity and health.

This involves the backbreaking and sweatbreaking hardships of removing pesky weeds.

Whilst destroying these garden intruders is mildly satisfying at first, as you bask in your gardens weed-free glory, they are quick to return, as if you hadn’t even gone on a weed killing rampage just weeks before.

Fortunately, there are more ways to destroy these pests other than simply ripping them out of the ground, and can be done without even breaking a sweat.

Here are 5 simple ways to get rid of weeds in your garden.

– Boiling Water

This is a great method for getting rid of any weeds that have begun to sprout on your driveway and pathways around your home. To make things easier, cut off the top of the weed and then carefully pour the stream of water onto the crown of the plant.

For weeds on your lawn, remove the top growth of the plant, dig a small hole above the root and pour water into the hole. Refill the hole with soil and sow some grass seeds immediately to prevent any airborne weed seeds from regrowing.

– Vinegar

Head to your local supermarket and grab a bottle of vinegar or apple cider vinegar with a concentration of 5% acetic acid. Pour the vinegar into a spray bottle along with 2 teaspoons of detergent, this will act as a surfactant and make the vinegar stick to the waxy leaves of weeds more efficiently.

Spray the solution on the stem and the base of the weed and on the flower itself, making sure not to accidentally spray your desirables as vinegar is an equal opportunist. Choose a hot sunny day to amplify the vinegars effectiveness, as it dries out the weeds. If it happens to rain that day or the day after, you may need to repeat the process.

Note: cut a 2 litre soft drink bottle in half, place the topside over the weed and spray into the mouth piece for a more concentrated attack. This will also prevent the solution from being accidentally sprayed on your desirables.

– Salt

One of the easiest solutions is mixing a bit of rock salt or common household table salt with some water into a spray bottle. Add 2 teaspoons of dishwashing liquid so that your solution will stick to the weeds, forcing them to absorb it more readily.

For a more concentrated attack, use the top half of a 2 litre soft drink bottle. You can also add some vinegar to the solution for a more effective weed killer.

– Mulching

Weeds are opportunists and are quick to fill the empty spaces where they can get the most nutrients and water. Prevent them from taking hold by covering bare patches using thick layers of mulch, around 2 inches deep (anymore than this and you may deprive your soil of oxygen). Mulch can benefit your plants by keeping the soil cool and moist and depriving weeds of any light.

– Newspaper

Layers of newspaper will blockout the sunlight and oxygen from reaching the soil, smother weeds that have already sprouted and prevent new ones from growing. In bare areas, lay down around 10 layers of newspaper, wet it with water to hold it in place and followed with 2 inches of mulch. The newspaper will eventually decompose and nourish the soil so you won’t have to worry about removing it.

– Landscaping alternatives

Unfortunately, weeds are relentless and if you do not tend to them regularly, they will soon return in numbers and stronger than ever. However, there are landscaping alternatives that will make your life easier, including artificial turf, liquid limestone and aggregate concrete.

The benefits of liquid limestone or exposed/honed aggregate concrete is their ability to cover an entire surface seamlessly, unlike brick pavers, which effectively reduces the amount of weeds growing on your driveway, pathways, and pool surrounds because there simply isn’t any space to inhibit them.

If you’re interested in a low maintenance option that is extremely durable and easy to clean, contact Integrity Concrete to find out how you can beat all the pests without breaking a sweat.