If you have broadleaf weeds, hand pulling or spot treating with
Most perennial weeds have deep root systems, so cannot be successfully dug up; pieces of root left in the soil will sprout again. Kill them with Roundup, used with a shield. The shield can be a piece of cardboard you put between the weed and groundcover plants so you can spray the weed without wetting the ground cover.
Pour boiling water directly onto weeds.
Carefully pour the boiling hot water directly onto the weeds you want to kill. Make sure you don't pour the water onto your grass so you don't damage it. Once the weed dies, it'll decompose and your grass will grow over it.
In lieu of a traditional herbicide, vinegar is a great at-home option that will target your grass but not the larger plants in the area. The high acidity of the vinegar should dry out grass but leave plants with deep root systems alone.
Use Mulching and Edging to Your Advantage
Another weed control tactic that won't harm your plants (in fact, it will help them) is mulching and edging your plant beds. Mulch can act as an effective weed suppressant by making it difficult for weeds to break through that added layer. Weeds won't have access to sunlight.
The Takeaway. To eradicate weeds effectively, the roots need to be killed, not just the top growth, which synthetic weed killers do successfully. The bottom line is that mixing vinegar with Epsom salts or table salt and liquid dish soap does not make a safe, effective weed killer.
Vinegar. Acetic acid is the active ingredient that makes vinegar a weed killer. White vinegar contains about 5% acetic acid. This level of acetic acid burns the tops off weeds but is less likely to kill anything with well-established roots.
Creeping Thyme
Not only will this groundcover help choke out weeds, but it will also provide colorful interest and a delectable fragrance to your garden. Creeping thyme comes in two varieties: the first is prostate, which looks a bit like dense moss.
Glyphosate, a broad-spectrum, nonselective herbicide will kill the grass, as well as the lady's mantle, astilbe and ground covers. You can carefully spray the grass growing away from the perennials to avoid contact with the herbicide on a calm day to avoid drift.
The best way to kill the existing lawn and weeds is to apply a nonselective herbicide, such as glyphosate, over the entire area. Glyphosate is a postemergence translocated herbicide that effectively kills turf and grassy and broadleaf weeds. Glyphosate is translocated rapidly in all actively growing plants.
Glyphosate, the ingredient in Roundup and other products, is translocated from the leaves to the roots of a weed. Vinegar is not translocated. It is true that 5% vinegar (acetic acid) will kill young, tender weeds but it does little damage to established weeds.
Vinegar is acidic and will eventually kill most broadleaf weeds, but the acid will kill the leaves before reaching the root system, and the weeds may grow back quickly. For longer-lasting removal, mix 1 cup of table salt with 1 gallon of vinegar.
Creeping mazus is the ultimate weed-suppressing ground cover plant. "The green leaves give way to white open face tubular flowers in mid-spring," says Roethling. "It's a very dense forming mass with little room for weeds to grow."
Plus, when it comes to what to put under mulch to prevent weeds, we recommend a granular pre-emergent product that you apply to the bed of mulch. Pre-emergent will keep further weeds from growing, aiding in maintaining a pristine landscape. This can easily be found at a local garden store!
Stop weeds* before they start for up to six months, guaranteed. Preen Extended Control Weed Preventer can be used around 600 plants in perennial flower beds; around groundcovers, trees and shrubs; and in arid landscapes and rock gardens. 4.93 lb. Covers 805 sq.
If you have broadleaf weeds, hand pulling or spot treating with roundup for post emergent control is about the only option. Broadleaf weed control products cannot be sprayed over the top of ground covers as they are broadleaf plants and will likely be harmed as well.
Spray on Herbicides
If you protect desired plants well, you can kill invasive ground covers with a herbicide spray. Herbicides are harmful to most plants, but you can protect desired plants with thick paper or cardboard while the herbicide dries on the ground cover plants.
Vinegar is non-selective, meaning it will damage any plants and turf grass it touches, not just the weeds you are trying to kill.
Heavy-Duty Black Polythene as a Weed Suppressant
This is the kind of material that you'll find used as pond or roof lining and will survive the elements.
At Leaf & Limb, we recommend using organic, coarsely shredded hardwood mulch or arborist wood chips. There are a number of benefits to using this type of material: it helps retain the right amount of moisture, reduces weeds, helps prevent erosion, and it regulates temperature.
Don't leave pulled or hoed-out weeds lying on bare ground, since they may take root again. Leafy annual or biennial types that do not yet have flowers or seeds can safely be relegated to the compost pile, as can the top growth of perennial weeds (before seeding).
"Vinegars that you keep in your kitchen, such as white vinegar, contain a level of acidity that can help remove weeds without affecting surrounding plants." Still, it's important to tread with caution. Reutinger says that though vinegar kills weeds, it is considered a nonselective herbicide.
Table Salt - Using salt to kill weeds is a common do-it-yourself solution. When salt is absorbed by plant root systems, it disrupts the water balance and causes the weed to eventually wilt and die. But salt by itself doesn't make a very effective weed killer.
Kitchen-strength vinegar may work on a few types of young weeds. Research on varying concentrations of acetic acid show that stronger is almost always better when it comes to weed control, so 20 percent acetic acid is more effective than a 5 percent or 10 percent concentration.