• On your mark!
• Get Set!
• Ready!
• PULL !!

That’s right it’s that time of the year again where we must ward off the famous South Florida hardy weed plant life.

Do some of you have neighbors that could care less that their (fla. native wild flower garden) is invading your beautifully well maintained lawn and garden beds?

PULL NO MORE!!!

Over the years I have tried everything you can imagine to kill weeds or keep them from growing in my garden beds. Here are few DiG iT TiPs that I hope will ease the weed pulling headache worries.

DiG iT TiP #1

Make sure you put at least 2-3″ of mulch on all open spaces in your garden beds to help protect the soil below from air borne seeds from landing and germinating.  (helps reduce)

DiG iT TiP #2

Some people seem to think that the black cloth underneath the mulch keeps weeds from growing in your beds and it probably would if you didn’t have to use mulch on top of the black liner. My personal experience with the black liner is that it was a waste of money a waste of time and was a pain in the neck when it came time to replant the space later or add in new plants.

I found in Home Depot really easy to use and premixed Round Up Extended kill weed control. It claims to kill for up to 1 year. Well that’s not so true it does however give you a weed free garden bed for at least 3-6 months. In shaded areas the effectiveness it longer lasting than in full sun.

Now for those of you that believe that organic is the only way to go….. Good luck! The weeds in S Fla. are sturdy, hardy, and fast spreading. You may affect the one you sprayed, but the seeds that were already dispersed are not affected by organic sprays here in S. Fla..

I had a customer that I worked with about 2 years ago who is a devout organic gardener.  She insisted that I try her home-made weed killer made of vinegar and hot tap water.

IT WORKS! (but not long term).

Organics have a tough time due to the heat and sandy soil. Nothing really sits at the root system of the plants long enough to have a lasting affect.

If you have any garden bed weed control ideas write me back.

I would love to hear some suggestions!!!