What is the best thing to get rid of weeds without killing my flowers?

Question

We put mulch down about 1 month ago and everything is already taken over with weeds so bad. Is there anything that I can spray or put down but that won't kill my flowers?

Answer 1

Herbicidal sprays are not specific enough to know the difference between a 'weed' and 'flower.' There are some that target broadleaf instead of grass, but your flowers are not grasses (right?).
Besides, after spraying, you're supposed to go pull up the dead plant by the roots to keep the poison from leaching into your soil. Then, you have to repeat this process indefinitely, because plants will insist on growing where there is dirt, sun, and water. Might as well pull them up without poison.
The easiest thing I've found is landscape fabric. It's very dark and hard to grow through. You can pull back your existing mulch with a rake and lay it down right over the plants. Then replace the mulch. Anything that comes up through there, or roots in the mulch, will be a spindly, pitiful excuse for a weed. A good weeding tip I read is to commit to 5 mins a day weeding. That doesn't sound so bad as spending half an hour every Saturday, and you pull plants when they're young and weak. This site sells 5 year landscape fabric for $16 for 300 square feet.
Good luck

Answer 2

Mulch is not a "set it and forget it" proposition. It will make weeds more manageable, but will not entirely eliminate them. Spend some time to get rid of the weeds that you have by pulling them out. Place a good layer of newspaper down, four to six sheets worth and wet them down. Place your mulch over the newspapers to a thickness of 2-3 inches. Thereafter, spend a couple of minutes each day taking care of any weeds that find their way into or through the mulch before the problem becomes overwhelming. Weed seeds that are blown into the mulch will take root if you let them, the danger isn't always from beneath the mulch.

Visit our website for more mulch information at-
http://www.gardening-at-the-crossroads.com/mulch.html

Good Luck and Happy Gardening from Cathy and Neal!

Answer 3

your best bet is to wait until a little later in the fall when the flowers are dying off. then mark the perennials and remove the mulch. then by hand remove all of the grass and weeds(if no perennials then use round up to kill everything) then (if round up not used if so wait two weeks before proceeding) add a little compost and till into the bed. cover with landscape fabric and put the mulch back on. wait until early spring then put preen on the bed to prevent germination.then add plants and every two months add the preen again. you will have 80% less weeds and if you spend only a short time (5 minutes) picking what weeds do germinate your have a weed free flower bed.

Answer 4

I have had some luck with newspapers under the mulch -- at least 6 sheets of it or more. If it blows around, wet it. You will still have to weed but not anywhere near as much. But while they have invented sprays to kill the weeds in a lawn without killing the grass, they have yet to create one that will kill weeds but not flowers.

Answer 5

Depending on how big your garden is your best bet would be to perform a thorough weeding making sure to get every last visible weed pulled. Then pinebark mulch on top about 2 to 3 inches thick. This should keep the weeds at bay for a long time.

Answer 6

POUR BOILING WATER ON THE WEEDS, AVOIDING THE FLOWERS (sorry, caps lock) This, if you do not want to use pesticides.

Also, mulch with non-weed seed mulch, such as chopped up leaves, regular lawn-grass, which has NOT been treated by weed-killers(they will kill your flowers).

Mulch shuts out the sunlight to weeds, and weakens them, usually killing them. The remaining hardy weed, you need to pull out by hand.

Next yr, only use weed-free , seed-free mulch. Good luck.

Answer 7

First, you need to get rid of the current weeds (pulling usually works well), and then it sounds like you need to apply more mulch -- generally around 4" is needed to keep weeds from germinating.

Answer 8

You might have to pull the weeds out by hand if you don't want to use pesticides


Grab a boom box radio and listen to music to make the job go by quicker.

Answer 9

They sell a weed killer at the local plant nursery that says will only kill weeds and not your plants... you'll spot it...just go there.

Answer 10

have you tried putting down something at the beginning of the season to prevent them before the flowers come up.