Faster than a controversial Twitter chain, more powerful than a Political Action Committee—Look! Down on the ground. It’s a lawn, it’s a garden, it’s weeding time again!

Yep. Weeds. Those persistent party crashers of everyone’s yard are beginning to pop up once again. Before you run for your shovel or your sprays, let’s make a plan for weeding that will have you enjoying your yard this year, instead of cursing the amount of work you have to do in it.

What is a Weed?

It’s always good to start with a definition. A botany college professor once said that a rose planted in the wrong place could be called a weed. Any plant growing where you don’t want it, is a weed. But seriously, here in Colorado we have a selection of nearly 100 species of wild plants growing in competition with our lawns and gardens. Dandelions, bindweed, thistles and more make their presence known from April through the end of the growing season, and gardeners are always on the lookout for more.

Preventing Weeds

One of the best ways to cut down on your weeding chores is to prevent them from popping up in the first place. We talked to horticulturalist Betsy Kelson of Jared’s Nursery, Gift & Garden recently, and garnered some great tips.

“Right now, people are trying to remember the issues they had from last year,” said Betsy. “If you can’t remember specifically what popped up, don’t worry. Look for a combination pack with weed preventer and lawn food. Just be sure to water it in before you re-seed in your lawn.” Betsy recommended a product called For All Season II for this job. She said you would want to put this down after you’ve had your lawn aerated.

“If you’ve already fertilized your lawn for the season,” said Betsy, “just put down a preventative like Turf and Ornament Weed and Grass Stopper.” This preventative is good in both lawns and gardens, but Betsy wouldn’t recommend it for vegetable gardens being grown from seed. The preventative is not plant discriminative, so wherever it goes new plants are eradicated.

Hand Weeding

Okay, if you don’t care for a chemical solution to your weeds, you can go with a more organic solution or hand weed.

“Corn gluten will fertilize and weed suppress in your garden,” said Betsy. “It is a good organic solution, but can be pricey. As more and more things are made with corn, the price of the gluten will follow the price of corn.”

There are also some cool gardener tricks to help cut down on your weeding needs:

• Plant Closer – That’s right. By over filling your garden area, you’ll block weeds from getting the sun necessary for growing from seed. “The plants will fill in quicker making it tougher for weeds to start. If your plant instructions recommend spacing twelve inches apart, try pushing this to eight,” said Betsy.
• Mulches Help – “Mulches put down at one to two inches thick will help keep moisture in the soil and prevent sun from getting through. I have often used newspaper six to twelve layers deep for mulch, as the inks used in today’s presses don’t hurt the garden any more.”
• Wait to Weed Until After a Rainfall—Or you can water your garden the evening before you plan to go out and pull weeds. This moisture will losen the soil and weed’s hold on it, making the plants easier to pull out. “And, if the plants are not close to flowering you can cut off the roots and put the greens in your compost pile,” said Betsy.
• Use a Tarp – Bending and standing multiple times while weeding is a slow process, and if you practice pitching weeds into a container, then you run the risk of dropping more seeds near the trash can. You can invest in an inexpensive tarp from your local hardware store, and toss your weeds onto it. When you’re done, roll the tarp into a funnel shape and dump its contents into your trash bag. This helps weeding go a lot faster for you.
• Use Good Garden Gloves – “I like gloves with Nitrile,” said Betsy. “This rubberized material prevents allergic reactions from some of the plants that come in contact with your skin, and often have the back of the glove a more porous material like cotton, to keep your hands comfortable in the heat.” Betsy pointed out some heavier duty gloves with padding are good for men who like heavy duty protection for moving things like stones, and there are ergonomically designed gloves online for those who are dealing with arthritis.

If you’re interested in learning more from Betsy and the staff at Jared’s, the center is hosting an open house from April 11-13, where they are going to focus on inspiring gardeners with the new stock of flowers, trees and shrubs.

Meanwhile, be sure to save an hour at the end of your weeding day to sit on your back deck, with your favorite iced drink, and really enjoy the view that Colorado living brings?

(Photo by Constança Cabral)