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What to Put Under Rocks to Prevent Weeds

What to put under rocks to prevent weeds

Weed control is one of the most time-consuming tasks in a garden or orchard.

What are weeds and why do they have to be removed?

There is no malignant or friendly herb unless we are talking about parasitic ones. 

What we know as weeds are nothing more than the name we give to other types of plants that grow where we have not decided, whether they are plants that bear fruit or not.

The negative connotation that we give them is to some extent unfair since they are only plants that want to survive and develop like the ones that we sow in our gardens and patios, they do not specifically seek evil for the crops, but, like any living organism, they want to grab land for their good and survival.

Although the purpose of these specimens is not malicious, it is still true that they are a threat to our garden or patio.

These plants are made up of around hundreds of thousands of species, and almost all usually have more tenacity and adaptability than any of our other desired plantations.

Their seeds are capable of spreading without human intervention, they grow almost wherever and whenever they please, and they are masters at consuming the nutrients from the least favorable lands and corners, which is detrimental to our plants since they steal so many nutrients, water, space, and sunlight.

If your goal is to have a garden, lawn or garden that is as healthy and efficient as possible, you should take care of your garden constantly and avoid that these plants do not interfere with this task, if not controlled, they will condition the growth of other plants.

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what to put under rocks to prevent weeds

Anti-grass mesh:

Extended the mesh on the ground, allows the water to pass, so there are no puddles, but it DOES NOT let out weeds.

The mesh is fixed to the ground with nails and washers to improve support.

The anti-grass mesh is very useful for bushes, for rockery, for cactus gardens, gravel roads, etc.

Padding or mulching:

A mulch consists of covering the soil where the plants are with different materials, preventing the seeds from receiving light, and being able to germinate.

Also, they help maintain soil moisture (therefore, less irrigation) and will provide them with nutrients when they decompose (in the case of organic mulches).

Example: at the foot of the trees, a good layer of grass, prevent anything from growing and decomposing, giving rise to a mulch that serves as fertilizer for the roots.

The thickness of the mulching must be at least 5 cm. and up to 15 cm. 

Every year it is necessary to add new material on top of the old one to replace what is consumed.

Crushed pine bark:

It is a good mulching material. They are sold in plastic bags and in different calibers. 

I advise you put thin crusts as a base and on these extend thicker crusts. 

Pine barks can also be spread on an anti-grass mesh.

Frequent ask question:

How to remove weeds forever from your lawn, orchard or garden?

If you only have pots with small plants and reduced soil spaces in your home, the weed should not be a big problem since it is so little that it could be removed with your hands.

On the other hand, when you have a grassy yard and lots of square feet, the thought of removing weeds can be a headache.

You will realize that it is an activity that consumes large amounts of time and effort, time that not many of us have leftover, so depending on the type of garden you have, I recommend hiring a professional garden maintenance company.

But for does of you who are brave, here are some methods without the use of dangerous chemical herbicides that will allow you to say goodbye to the weed:

Newspaper mantle

Although it sounds simple and unorthodox, covering your entire garden with a newspaper is an effective way to kill all weeds and even ensure that they do not grow back for a long time.

It consists of covering the entire area surrounding the desired plants with newspaper, without leaving any visible hole, and putting enough so that you can walk on it and leave no openings, soak the newspaper with water, and then cover it with a mulch of earth and fertilizer or with rocks.

The newspaper will make a barrier that underneath will suffocate and deprive the undergrowth of the sun, and that above will prevent any plant from taking root or seeds.

As the newspaper is biodegradable, this in addition to protecting, fertilizes the soil in the long run, but beware, when the paper rots, it is necessary to repeat the process.

Vinegar with water

Vinegar being such an acidic compound, it is capable of killing almost any plant, mixed with water and sprayed with jets or spray, it will ensure the death of large weeds.

Just make sure not to spray your favorite plants or grass.

Manual start of weeds after a rain:

It is well known that plucking these plants from the roots can be very effective and long-lasting, but being so hard to pluck, doing so is very complicated and annoying, and can even hurt your hands.

We recommend waiting for any rain to moisten and soften the ground, the weed will come out with incredible ease as it is not so deep in the ground, you can take advantage of it whenever it happens.

Water with salt

Like vinegar, salt causes a deadly effect when exposed directly to plants, but you should know that if you use this method, saltwater should be sprayed on weeds because it can wreak havoc on the soil and cause it to lose its nutrients.

But if this is your objective pouring the salt directly will make that piece of land abandon all fertility for a good time, both for the weed or some future plant that you want to add.

Corn flour

Although it may not seem like it, cornflour is capable of stopping the growth of any seed in a dry way, but not affecting already grown plants unlike the other methods, well spread in the ground, it will prevent new seeds from coming, the air can proliferate in the soil, so you must leave the area clean of brush and cover it with flour.

Boiling water

As you read it, plants so small cannot withstand extreme temperatures, which causes them to be damaged almost instantly, you can boil water in a teapot and gently but evenly pour it onto the ground where you know the weed is.

This will kill the weeds in a matter of a day or two, but be careful with the plants in your garden.

And to prevent them from going out again?

A 100% effective and permanent solution to prevent weeds from growing is impossible because wherever there are the fertile soil, humidity, and hot weather, they will attack regardless of location or height.

It is only and exclusively under human maintenance that these herbs will stop bothering in a desired tract of land, and it is that regardless of whether the herbicide is chemical or homemade, the weed always looks for a way to arise when these methods lose effect, it is inevitable.

You can choose any preferred method and take due care of your garden, only then the weed will have no place to proliferate, but remember, these are plants just like yours, with the only difference being wild. 

It is common and natural that where there is land to sow weed will be there it is something which you must be willing to live with.

Types of weeds:

Annual weeds: Its life cycle ranges from germination to seed production in a period of growth; some annual weeds complete their life cycle in just weeks, producing several generations in just one year.

The seed of annual weeds can be dormant in the soil from 4 to 40 years.

 Examples: chickweed, crabgrass, quinoa, yellow oxalis.

Perennial weeds: They live for two or more years; they grow as long as conditions are favorable and generally die at ground level from large frosts; new shoots emerge at the beginning of the growing season, starting with the roots or stem remains.

In warmer regions, some perennial weeds can be green year-round.

Perennial weeds are spread by various means, including seeds, stems that take root while creeping, or pieces of root.

Broadleaf weeds: The leaves are broad and flat (not herbaceous or needle-like). Broadleaf weeds are the easiest to kill or remove when young and actively growing.

Some mature broadleaf weeds have a coating that makes it difficult for weed exterminators to penetrate.

Examples: chickweed, clover, dandelion, nettle.

Herbaceous weeds: They appear and grow similar to grass; the leaves form one at a time and look like grass blades.

Many of the perennial herbaceous weeds form rhizomes, fleshy roots that sprout if left in the ground when you weed by hand.

 Examples: bermuda grass, crab grass, giant foxtail, wire grass, grass.