What can I do to kill the grass and weeds in my flower beds?

Gayla
by Gayla

I'm constantly pulling up weeds and grass out of my flower beds. I need help to end this problem without killing my flowers and shrubs. Please help me.... home remedies,........

  5 answers
  • Swinnen Lisette Swinnen Lisette on Jun 19, 2019

    When I have to kill a weed that's near another plant I want to keep, I simply "paint" the weed with weedkiller. Otherwise you could "pack in" your plants in plastic ans just leaving the bad weed out. Then spray it. Don't remove the plastic until the weedkiller is dry on the weeds.

  • mulching around your flowers would probably help. Here are some tips: https://www.craftylittlegnome.com/use-mulch-garden/

  • Kmdreamer Kmdreamer on Jun 19, 2019

    Weed barrier put it on the weeds then cover with mulch

  • There are several here on HT:

    https://www.hometalk.com/search/posts?filter=weed%20killer

    I just soak the area and pull the next day...I need the exercise! LOL

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    This is not an exact science – approximate measures are totally fine 1 gallon white vinegar and cup Epsom salts and ¼ cup liquid dish soap Combine ingredients in spray bottle and treat weeds at the hottest time of day for best results.

  • Janice waits Janice waits on Jun 21, 2019

    Gayla, Oh boy, I have a solution that WORKS like a charm and this is the first time I am sharing it with a person asking for help.


    I heard about those weed barriers that come in rolls which I am told the “professional” landscapers use. Well, if the professionals use them, they should really work, I thought. But have you seen that material? It looks like it has some “breathe-ability” to it. They told me the moisture and sun has to go thru it. Well, heck, if I don’t want the weeds to grow thru it, why would I want sun or moisture to go thru it to feed those weeds? I want to suffocate and KILL the weeds!!!!


    So I got this crazy idea to put plastic sheeting down to keep the weeds from growing thru. Not your cheap, thin plastic like those plastic table cloths they sell in the dollar store. If the plastic is real thin, the ground and the chemicals from the ground will certainly break down the plastic and eat away at it. You don’t want it to ‘break down’ or get holes or tears in it cuz the weeds will poke out their ugly heads real quick and in no time, you’ll be back in the same situation you were when you had that forest of weeds! No, you need thick plastic, like they sell in the fabric store on the long rolls (JoAnn’s Fabrics, or Hobby Lobby.) If I remember correctly, the plastic was #20 in thickness, about $12 to $14 a yard, which is a lot. But you must buy it when JoAnn’s is having a sale 40 or 50% off! Figure out how much you’ll need to cover the areas where your weeds grow and buy as many yards as u need.


    Before you lay down the plastic, take your big clippers and chop the tall weeds as close to the ground as possible. Don’t even waste your time pulling those suckers out, your weed pulling days are about to be over forever, my dear. Then spray Round-Up on the trimmed-down weeds remaining. (Spray down low and don’t let the breeze blow that stuff in the air when you are breathing it in.) Do it on a day when it won’t rain and hopefully won’t rain the next day either. Give that spray and the hot sun time to kill them as much as possible. Since u clipped them down, u won’t be wasting that expensive spray on tall weeds that you can just cut away, only the short stems close to the ground.


    Here’s the neat part... When I was at Home Depot and Lowes, I told the sales associates who were trying to sell me the “weed barriers” what I didn’t like about them and what I was planning to do with the thick plastic. They immediately poo-poo’d that idea, looked at me like I was crazy, but I asked “have YOU ever laid down thick plastic? They said no. So I asked why in the world would they reject that idea if they never tried it????

    Alright, you cut down the tall weeds, sprayed them and after 2 days of sun and no water, they are looking sick. Good! Lay down sections of the heavy vinyl over the weeds. I tried to lay the sections slightly overlapping and put shipping tape on the edges to keep the sections together as best I could. Now as you are placing the plastic close to your GOOD plants and bushes, make sure you leave about 6 inches around the root base of your good plants so they aren’t shut off too tightly from receiving the sun and water they need to keep looking good. I cut circles in several pieces of the plastic so i could just fit it in around the good bushes. Yes, it’s a bit of a nasty job- but you won’t be pulling weeds anymore, my friend!!


    Now that your plastic is down, it’s time to cover it with pinestraw or that pretty mulch. I did this FOUR years ago cuz I was bloody fed up with pulling weeds every several weeks. I am 70 years old and I do not want to pull weeds ever again if I can help it!!!! My island out there in the middle of my yard with beautiful crepe myrtles and gardenias and a fountain, has pinestraw all over it and with the exception of a single weed or two that must be sneaking in thru a section of the plastic that was not overlapped well and taped to another one, there are NO WEEDS, just a gorgeous bed of pine straw which i throw some new straw on every couple years.


    I would love to hear how this works for u

    if you have the time to respond later. My name is Judy and my email address (if this site doesn’t delete it for privacy reasons) is monga1219@yahoo.com.