How to Control Weeds Naturally with Mulch (2024)

FAQs

How to Control Weeds Naturally with Mulch? ›

Mulch's primary role in weed prevention is blocking the sunlight they need to grow. To make this happen effectively, you need to make sure it's thick enough: we recommend 1.5 to 2 inches. But don't over-mulch or your plants won't get the air they need. Weed first, then mulch.

Get Rid of Weeds Before Mulching

While a good layer of mulch can smother small, young weeds, don't expect it to magically eliminate well-established weeds. It's better to remove any big weeds and patches of weeds before mulching over them, or they'll pop right through.

How to prevent weeds in an existing mulch bed? If weeds are present in an existing bed, they must first be eradicated. Pull weeds that may have germinated within or directly next to ornamental plants and spray a product containing glyphosate on the weeds.

Bark mulch is the best choice for use as a weed suppressant as it inhibits weeds in two critical ways. First, by applying a thick layer covering the soil, bark mulch deprives the weed seeds in the soil, and their resulting seedlings, of the sunlight desperately needed to germinate and thrive.

Mix 1 gallon of white vinegar and 1 cup of salt until the salt dissolves. Add 1 tablespoon of washing up liquid to the mixture and stir well. Add the mixture into a spray bottle. Spray the solution directly onto the weeds, ensuring you cover the leaves and stems.

You should spread your mulch to be two to four inches thick. If your mulch is too thin, then weeds can push through. If your mulch is too thick, it prevents water from reaching the soil. Water after mulching — This is an optional step, but a final watering can help settle the mulch into place.

Mulch acts as physical barrier against weeds, but it must block sunlight in order to be effective. If you notice weeds coming up in mulch, you may need to thicken the layer as blocking light generally requires at least 2 to 3 inches (5-7.6 cm). Replenish mulch as it decomposes or blows away.

Sacks made of burlap, like coffee sacks or even burlap rolls also make wonderful sheet mulch that lasts a long time. Cardboard is easily accessible, inexpensive, or even free. Adding some newspaper below the burlap also will give it more protection. Natural products made of paper release nutrients as they decompose.

However, this isn't necessary because mulch will decompose over time and you can just add a new layer on top of the old one! However, you don't want your mulch layer to exceed 3 inches in thickness. So, you can remove some of the old layer if necessary to keep the mulch at the right amount.

To kill weeds, some amateur gardeners recommend combining Epsom salt and Dawn dish soap. Together, these household items create a potent mixture, so only use it in places you wish to eliminate weeds, such as a patio or sidewalk permanently.

Does mulch attract termites? ›

The presence of mulch in your yard might not mean you're going to get termites, but it does mean that you're increasing your risk. The best way to decrease the risk of termites in mulch is to maintain a long-term termite prevention and control with a pest management professional.

That's a little bit disappointing, but it's not at all surprising [10:13] because again, Roundup is a systemic. It's going to kill the entire weed. It's absorbed in through the leaves, goes to the stems and the roots, and kills the whole thing. Vinegar, all it's doing is just killing the leaves and that's it.

One way that you could protect your lawn from neighbor's weeds is with a physical barrier. You can create a mulch bed with some plant material, separating your yard from your neighbor's. If weeds do creep into that plant bed, you'd be able to target them easily before they creep into your lawn.

Although household vinegar can be used, horticulture vinegar, which has a much higher percentage of acetic acid, is more effective and requires fewer applications to kill the weeds. Boiling water is another natural weed killer. Essentially, the weeds are cooked when boiling water is poured on their roots.

This is an important step because just as mulch can help improve the health of your soil, it can also help weeds grow stronger if they're not removed. So, make sure you pull up and remove any visible weeds prior to putting down your mulch.

Again, you can use a garden hoe or hand weeder or follow the instructions for using a weed killer. If you're mulching around a tree, you can remove the grass or simply put down a layer of black-and-white newspaper, thoroughly water it down and then cover it with your mulch. Add mulch to a depth of 2 to 4 inches.

If you already have weeds, you should only mulch lawn clippings if you have time to pull all the weeds out, or at the very least, the seed heads. If you mulch, seeds will be left behind and the lawn mower will spread the weed seeds around your lawn. It's best to only mulch your lawn when it is completely free of weeds.

For maximum benefits, the mulch layer in your landscape beds should be about 3 inches thick. If the new mulch you're planning to add to your landscape beds will make it exceed that amount, then it's okay to go ahead a remove some of the old mulch before adding the new layer.