How To Make a Weed-Free Flowerbed

Flower beds are the joy and pride of any diligent garden owner. Just imagine the sheer beauty of the flower plants you planted all flowering together in the middle of a warm summer. Think of all the vibrant colors from your favorite color smiling at you from your flower bed every day for a whole season. Few things can beat that

Those who keep flower beds, however, know how much attention and care they regularly require. The most basic of attentions is daily watering, which has to be done regularly, or the flowers will die prematurely. Then there is the challenge of keeping the soil fertilized and the pH well in balance. Finally, there are those pesky intrusions called weeds.

A weed can be defined as anything that’s growing in some part of your garden where you do not want it to grow. There is no specific species of weed; rather, what gardeners commonly refer to as weeds are a bunch of diversely different  species of intrusive flora, which multiply and grow very quickly.

A new gardener might not see the problem with weeds. He may even be excited to have a new plant growing in his garden. The problem, however, is that weeds grow and multiply at phenomenal rates, and they will soon take over your entire garden. They will then proceed to sap your soil of all the precious nutrients that you have so carefully (and expensively) supplied it with. Soon, you will see the weeds flourishing, where as your precious flower plants slowly wither and die.

So how do you get rid of these pesky weeds? Here are some basic tips to counter these intrusive flora:

1. Inspect regularly

A true gardener always inspects his flower beds regularly. You should not only check for weeds, but for insect infestation and fungi as well; and occasionally, you should also check up on nutrient balance and pH level.

The real, best way to counter weeds is actually by regular inspection. If you see a weed growing on your flower bed, pull it off by the root immediately. If it is not seeding, you can even add it to the compost pile, but don’t leave it lying around in your garden.

This might seem like a tedious thing to be doing regularly, but pretty soon, you will get the hang of it. And hanging around with your flowers so often will also help you get attached to it.

2. A Natural Herbicide…If Necessary

If you find that the weed intrusion in your garden has reached uncontrollable levels, it may be time to consider a natural herbicide. Check out our post on this here: Natural Herbicide.

3. Mulch

“Mulching” is when you cover the top of the flowerbed with tiny stones or similar things. This works like magic to prevent weeds from taking over your flower bed. Additionally, it helps keep the loose soil in place, and not be washed off during particularly violent storms.

You can mulch your flowerbed with small river pebbles, aquarium stones, gravel etc. However, you should make sure that the material you use has a neutral pH. Otherwise you might end up inadvertently ruining the pH balance of your prized flower beds.

Materials that you can use for mulching can be bought very cheaply at nurseries. Be creative, and go for how you visualize your garden to be. You will be surprised at the beauty this can add to your garden

Weeds can be a very pesky problem, and gardeners are always battling them with uprooting and sprays of natural herbicide. However, if you can manage to keep your weeds in check, you will be rewarded with a beautiful flower garden that will be the envy of the entire neighborhood.