Florida is infamous for two things: insects and unpredictable rain storms. Just a few days ago we had a tropical storm in the morning and sunshine in the afternoon. Basically, we get a lot a rain in the summer, and with that much rain and sunlight chances are you are going to spending a lot of time maintaining your yard. Now everyone loves a lush green yard but weeds normally come along with that and they aren’t so great. So here are some ways to keep the weeds at bay in a way that is good for the environment.
Herbicides
Traditionally this what is used to fight the war on weeds. However, recently concerns have popped up in regards to if these chemicals were harmful to our health. The Environmental Protection Agency does ensure that all pesticides are safe and do not affect our health. The biggest risk into the person who is mixing the pesticides because they are most dangerous in their concentrated forms. So you only have to really worry about the health effects if you are doing the mixing.
Natural Alternatives
If you would prefer just going the natural route there are several ways to kill weeds without all the chemicals. There are some recipes online containing things like vinegar, cornmeal, and salt. However, these methods are usually not effective long term. There are some techniques that you can use to keep the weeds at bay.
- Crowd out the bad! The best way to keep weeds from overpowering your yard is to keep a healthy yard. By using proper lawn maintenance habits like keeping your mower blade sharp and mowing in the morning and evening are good ways to keep a healthy yard. This, in turn, will help prevent weeds from sprouting.
- No Bare Patches. If you have spots in your yard where the grass is dying and there is slowing a bare patch forming. Weeds are known to spout fast in these areas, so get the grass growing again as soon as possible.
- Proper Watering. The best way to avoid weeds is to water for longer periods of time. If you water in short bursts this causes short roots which is the best condition for weeds to grow.
- Handpick Weeds Correctly. Hnadpicking weeds is an obvious way to get rid of them. However, there is a right and a wrong way to doing this. The goal is to remove the entire root to ensure that the weed doesn’t grow back. So remove the weed slowly as to not break the root.