Organic Weed Control

Organic weed control is a must this time of year. Whether you are an organic gardener or not you must keep weeds out of your garden constantly. Weeds not only are a nuisance but they take vital nutrients from the soil and deprive your plants of food.

When most people think of weed control they automatically look for strong chemical based herbicides. These are not only bad for your soil but could cause damage to your prized plants. Organic weed control is much more beneficial to your plants and soil. Some of these ideas require more work than just spraying and leaving. But the results are well worth the effort.

Organic weed control starts with the obvious. Getting down on your hands and knees and pulling the weeds out. This is time consuming and tedious, however it is one of the best methods of getting the weeds out. Be careful when pulling weeds out so that you do not disturb the soil too much especially around young plants.

About twice a week take a hoe and run it through your soil to keep small weeds from maturing. Again use care when you come next to your prized plants. Doing this to will keep your soil aerated which is beneficial for your gardens growth.

Start adding mulch to your garden once your plants have established themselves. Mulch will keep the weeds out by smothering them. The mulch will also help keep in moisture for your garden as well as aid in keeping the nutrients from being washed away in heavy summer rains.

If you have a compost pile adding some to your garden before mulching would be beneficial for organic weed control. The compost will add even more nutrients to your plants slowly while the mulch is keeping the weeds out. Also having mulch over your compost helps the compost breakdown even more.

Another great method of organic weed control is to lay out ground cover. This is called solar solarization and works on a simple principle. You cover the weeds with a thick plastic covering and the sun bakes them until they die. This takes time but it works.

For those that just want a simple spray for organic weed control there is good news. There are organic products at most nurseries and local hardware stores. You may have to do a little research to find the one that is right for your situation. If you do not want to buy a spray there is also a mix you can make at home.

Place everyday common household vinegar in a spray bottle and spray your weeds. The vinegar acts just like a commercial grade product without the chemicals. It may take a couple of rounds to take care of larger weeds but two sprays should be more than enough per month. Just be careful around your plants.

Weeds are going to be an ongoing nuisance for any gardener. You can use organic weed control methods to control weeds and not add any of the chemicals you don't want in your garden. Organic weed control is a safe effective method of controlling your weeds and keeping your plants beautiful.