THE STEWARDSHIP CONNECTION

By Marianne Barry, WLAC Land Stewardship Committee Chair

Many homeowners are becoming more environmentally conscious of what is applied to their lawns and gardens. Chemical herbicides are harmful to humans, pets, and wildlife, contributing to pollinator extinction and impacting our water quality. A growing focus on sustainability has many gardeners asking what can be used as a safer, more environmentally friendly alternative for weed control. It’s not that we hate all weeds, in fact some weeds are a good thing to have, it’s just that sometimes you don’t really want to be friends anymore. So, here are a few suggestions:

Pickle Your Weeds

Place 1 gallon vinegar, 1 cup salt and 1 tablespoon of dish soap into a hand sprayer. Look for cleaning vinegar which has a higher acetic acid count than grocery store vinegar, but both can be used. The dish soap acts as a binding agent to help the vinegar cling to the weed’s surface. Apply when the weather forecasts multiple days of continuous sunshine (rain or sprinklers will wash the vinegar off the leaves too soon to be effective). If the weeds come back, treat them with the same concoction again. It may take 2-3 rounds to eliminate. Make sure to spray carefully with a thin stream as vinegar is non-selective and will can kill anything close to the area if oversprayed.

Wet Your Plants (With Boiling Water)

If vinegar isn’t your thing, you can kill weeds in the soil or between pavers with boiling water. Just give each area a good dose of hot, hot water and wait a few days.

Work Those Quads and Triceps

Pulling weeds you can’t live with (such as crabgrass) can be done by hand and works surprisingly well to eliminate weeds close to plants you want to keep...just don’t forget the Ibuprofen!

Mulch is Your New Best Friend

Weeds love the sun and need it to grow. Once you have reduced them in your garden, smother the area with a thick layer of mulch, tree bark, pine straw or fallen leaves.

Avoid the Void

Weeds also love to fill empty spaces and germinate in undisturbed soil, so plant some native plants in your garden to block them out. By the way, our WLAC Native Plant Sale is on June 24th in the Village. See you there!

Keep on Top of the Weeds

As you begin to see less weeds in the grass/ garden, celebrate. Walk the yard a couple times a week with your sprayer in hand to keep up with your progress.

The time is now! If you have a ginormous yard just pick a smaller area to work on. By trying some of the ideas listed above, you will be one step closer to joining millions of others who are trying to do the right thing for the environment and future generations. The planet will thank you, and we at do too!