As the weather warms up, you may start noticing some unwelcome guests popping up in your yard — weeds. While a few weeds here and there may not seem like a big deal, letting them get out of control can lead to an infestation. Weeds compete with desired plants for water, nutrients, and sunlight. They can also harbor pests and diseases. Implementing a weed control strategy now will save you headaches down the road and save your lawn in the long run. The key to effective weed management is using a multi-pronged approach. Combining several of these eight smart weed control tactics will help you gain the upper hand. Thankfully, there are a few easy, environmentally friendly ways to curb weed growth and keep your landscape lush and healthy all season long. Keep reading to see how a landscaping company may help with weed control and a few of the techniques you may see taking place.

1. Let Your Lawn Thrive

One of the easiest ways to deter weeds is to maintain thick, luscious grass. Weeds have a harder time invading healthy, dense turf. Make sure to provide your lawn with adequate moisture and nutrients. By hiring a landscaping company, you can help make sure your lawn is staying in great shape. When it comes to fertilization, make sure your landscaping company is using a quality product made for your specific grass type. At Wards Lawn Service, we use a combination of liquid treatment as a general fertilizer as well as a stronger, spot spray method as needed. A combination of these two techniques can help ensure your lawn is weed-free, no matter how small or large the weeds are.

Mowing also affects lawn health. Keep your mower blades sharp to avoid tearing grass blades, and request regular lawn mowing from your landscaping team. We offer weekly lawn mowing to help! With this service, we offer regular mowing to keep your yard not only looking uniform but also weed-free.

In order to continue to keep weeds from taking over your lawn, hiring a landscaping company is essential. Your local landscaping company can not only help with weed control by using simple lawn care techniques but also with other tools, such as general spring clean-up, adding in trees and shrubs, or even working on your sprinklers.

2. Remove Weeds by Hand

When you spot a few scattered weeds in your yard, hand removal is often the simplest and most effective approach. Use a sturdy tool like a hoe or shovel to uproot the entire weed, including all the roots and stems. This prevents regrowth. Hand plucking also works for young annual weeds and seedlings. Make sure to dispose of the weeds promptly after pulling them.

Put them into yard waste bags to send to the landfill or compost pile. Never add weeds with seeds or spreading root structures to your compost, as they may sprout again. If you have many weeds in your yard, it may seem overwhelming to pick these by hand. Instead, you'll want to hire a company to help in order to save your own time and energy. These contractors will also usually have tools that make this much easier to tackle. If weeds are larger than three inches, we will hand-pull them in order to take care of them and prevent them from further spreading.

3. Suffocate Weeds With Mulch and More

Mulch makes an exceptional weed barrier while also enriching the soil, regulating temperature and moisture, and giving your landscape an attractive, finished look. Organic mulches like shredded bark and wood chips or inorganic options like pebbles and lava rock all deter weed growth. Hiring a landscaping company to help with mulch can make a big difference. By adding mulch, your yard will not only block weeds but allow your other plants and greens to thrive.

4. Unleash Natural Weed Warriors

Certain common garden critters provide free, chemical-free weed control. For example, geese, chickens, goats, sheep, and alpacas will happily feast on weeds. Let them loose in overgrown sections of your yard to do some grazing. Just be sure to protect desired vegetation with fencing if needed. You can also introduce beneficial insects that act as natural predators, attacking weed buds, leaves, stems, and roots. Options include lady beetles, green lacewings, and parasitic wasps. They usually only impact nuisance plants, not turf grass or ornamentals. A local garden center can recommend regional varieties best suited to manage frequent weed problems.

5. Smother Weeds With Landscape Fabric

Landscape fabric, also called geotextile fabric or weed barrier cloth, is another handy tool for blocking weed emergence and growth. It allows air, water, and nutrients to penetrate while forming an impenetrable mat that stops seedlings. Many landscaping contractors may use this technique for weed control in order to protect your yard. After all, if you're spending money to care for your yard, you want to make sure weeds don't get in the way and ruin the aesthetic and health of your lawn and plants.

6. Drown Your Weeds

Flooding unwanted growth is an age-old weed control strategy, which is why many contractors will use extra water to get rid of unwanted plants. The constant heavy stream washes away tiny seedlings. It also damages established weeds by essentially drowning their roots and blocking photosynthesis. Perennial varieties and deep-rooted plants will likely sprout again eventually, so repeat applications are needed. Flooding remains an easy first attack for managing emerging weeds. We offer a variety of sprinkler services that not only help maintain your lawn but prevent weeds as well.

7. Keep Weeds From Spreading

While ridding your yard of existing weeds takes diligence and effort, stopping new ones from invading is all about prevention. Avoid introducing weed seeds unknowingly by using sterile potting mix and weed-free mulch and compost. Carefully check for hitchhiking seedlings when bringing in new plants or sod. Remove flowers on permitted plants before they go to seed.

Also, keep weeds from creeping in from neighboring properties or untamed areas. Maintain a nicely manicured perimeter around your entire yard. Edge along fences, foundations, borders, drives, and walkways. String trimming or hand weeding these buffer zones weekly knocks back weed growth before it gets rooted. A little regular maintenance goes a long way.

According to Bob Vila, crabgrass plants can produce 150,000 seeds. Because of this, you'll want to keep up with lawn maintenance to reduce these seeds from spreading. Luckily, we offer many basic lawn care and landscaping packages to help with yard maintenance in order to keep weeds from sprouting frequently.

Controlling backyard weeds requires an integrated weed management plan using various techniques. But combating them is important for having the beautiful, lush landscape you desire. Using several of these eight smart weed control strategies will keep unwanted plants at bay. With a little diligent effort now, you'll reap the benefits all season through healthier plants, improved soil quality, and a perfectly polished yard.

These are just a few ways that you can keep your lawn looking polished year-round. If you need professional help with weed control, give us a call at Ward's Lawn Service. With over 20 years of service, we are here to provide you with exceptional landscaping care and provide you with a lush, green, weed-free yard.