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I Hate Weeding, So I Found Hacks That Make Weeding Easier
Removing weeds is a crucial part of maintaining a healthy yard or garden, but that doesn’t necessarily make it enjoyable work. But the easy weeding hacks I’ve got for you in today’s post will help make the process less onerous!
While it does take a lot of time and effort to maintain my yard and garden, seeing my yard full of beautiful, thriving plants makes it all worth it. But as I said, certain aspects of yard work are just no fun, and weeding is certainly one of them!
That’s why I’m sharing 9 ways to make weeding easier in today’s post — they are sure to save you plenty of time and effort, and will hopefully help you dread this chore a little bit less! :-)
Related: This Natural Homemade Weed Killer Is The Cheapest & Easiest Way To Kill Weeds Fast
9 Easy Weeding Hacks That Will Save You Time And Effort
1. Make Your Own Weed Killer
You don’t have to spend money on store-bought herbicides to kill weeds—just mix up a batch of my super simple weed killing spray! To make it, you only need two ingredients that you probably already have at home: dish soap and white vinegar. Get all the details for making and using this DIY weed killer.
2. Make A DIY Spray Collar
While weed sprays are easy enough to use, it can be tricky to avoid spraying the surrounding grass or plants by accident. But you can eliminate overspray by making yourself a simple spray collar.
Just take an old can, small bucket, or small trash can and cut off the bottom and/or top so that both ends are open. Place the collar over the weed you want to target, then spray it—the collar will catch any overspray and protect your grass and plants!
3. Use Newspaper To Control Weeds
Want to reduce the amount of weeds springing up around your plants and flowers? When you’re planting (or transplanting) them, take a few extra minutes to build in some “newspaper lasagna.” This process involves layering newspaper into the soil to form a weed-suppressing barrier that won’t prevent moisture from reaching your plant’s roots.
Learn more about the benefits of newspaper lasagna and how to use it.
4. Don’t Forget To Mulch
When it comes to controlling weed growth in flower and garden beds, it’s hard to beat the benefits of mulch. Adding an even layer of 2-3 inches of organic mulch like bark, wood chips, or even grass clippings over your flower or garden beds will keep the ground moist and cool while blocking light that helps seeds germinate and grow.
5. Remove The Roots
When weeding deep-rooted weeds, you want to make sure you remove as much of the roots as possible to prevent it from growing back. Grasp the weed as close to the base as possible, then pull. You should get most of the root this way (as long as the soil isn’t particularly hard).
6. Off With Their Heads
If you just can’t get the root of a weed to come out, don’t stress about it. Just make sure to chop off their heads to reduce the possibility of reseeding, and to help limit the spread of the weed.
7. Weed After It Rains
You’ll have an easier time weeding if you work when the ground is wet, because wet soil is more flexible and is much more likely to allow you to pull weeds out with the root intact. (It may be muddier than the alternative, but it’s worth the extra mess!)
You can wait until after it rains, or you can prime the area yourself by watering thoroughly before you get started.
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8. Keep Your Grass Longer
Cutting your grass too short can make it more likely that weeds will take root and thrive in your yard. Instead, keep the height of your grass a bit longer, between 2-3 inches high. Longer, healthier grass will help choke out weeds naturally, without any added work on your part!
Related: 7 Unexpected Things That Are Killing Your Lawn
9. Wash Up After Weeding
Weeding can be dirty work, so it’s a good idea to have a good hand scrub on deck! My all-time favorite hand scrub is my homemade Gardener’s Hand Scrub.
It gently scrubs away dirt and grime from your hands, fingers, and nails, and leaves skin feeling soft and clean. Mix up a jar for yourself, and make a couple of extras to give away as gifts! :-)
Find more great gardening tips in the Gardening & Outdoors section of my website!
Do you have any weeding hacks you’d add to this list?
