One of the most common calls we get from a prospective client is about excessive weeds on their property. We all know the look. The yard overgrown, every crack in the pavement sprouting greenery.
One cannot help but to be impressed by the tenacity of weeds. Well, maybe not everyone is impressed, but perhaps you should be. Weed growth is a force of nature, literally. It can seem unrelenting.
What can be done about this? We can try to cover the earth in herbicide, force our will into the soil, but is this the healthiest or most effective way? Do we fight weeds piecemeal and with fly overs of herbicide, here and there, day in and out?
There are better ways; more cost effective, more effective, and healthier for your property. These are preventative measures, and here at Creative Concepts Landscape we want to help you keep excessive weed growth at bay while beautifying your landscape.
What is a Weed?
Simply put, a weed is a plant growing where it is not wanted. Furthermore, a weed is a plant that competes with the cultivated plants that you do want on your property for sunlight, water, and nutrients. There are thousands of types of plants all over our region that are commonly considered weeds. And one person’s weed might be another person’s joy. Really. Some plants commonly considered weeds have beautiful flowers.
The lovely flowers of the common weed, Commelina communis
But we are not here to argue for the sake of weeds. We are a landscaping company, and we are here to work with our clients in delivering the landscape they you desire.
In order to help stop a weed from growing, we need to figure out what conditions are present in the landscape that encourage weed growth in the first place.
Why and Where Weeds Grow
Weed seeds are all around us at all times. They’re in the air, on your shoe, in the bird poo. Shall I go on? If you live in a vacuum sealed bubble, you might be able to prevent weed seeds from travelling onto your property. You might.
Weed plants will grow when their seeds can find the proper place to germinate (germination being the process of a seed sprouting into a plant). Different types of weed plants will be able to grow in almost any soil condition that can be found in the landscape. If there is an opening for the weed to find, the weed will find it.
Areas of bare soil are a particular favorite of weeds, especially if there is irrigation nearby or recent rainfall. “Life, uh, finds a way.” The immortal words of Dr. Ian Malcolm. This is true. Weeds find that open area where other plants are not growing, and they exploit it. They will then begin to overtake the area and push out your desired cultivated plants, by using the soil nutrients, soil moisture, and eventually, when they grow tall enough, the sunlight.
Bare soil invites weed growth
Alright, we know that weed seeds are everywhere, itching to germinate. We know they will find any foothold they can on your property. So, what are these preventative measures we spoke of?
How to Help Prevent Excessive Weed Growth
The goal is to stop weeds before they germinate and grow. These are some of the preventative measures that Creative Concepts Landscape will take to help your property.
Mulch
Adding mulch over bare areas of soil is singularly one of the best things you can do for your property. In the natural world, trees and large shrubs continually drop their leaves, branches, and bark. This creates a natural covering over the soil, blocking sunlight from germinating many of the seeds that are ever present in the ground.
When we remove this natural mulch or have a landscape that does not create this natural mulch, we invite other plants (weeds) to take up the ecological niche we have opened up by providing an area of bare soil.
This, in part, is why landscape mulch exists. By applying a thick layer of mulch, we prevent the sunlight from reaching the top soil layer, thus preventing weed seeds from receiving enough warm sunlight to begin their process of germination and growth.
A healthy layer of mulch adds aesthetic appeal and numerous landscape benefits, including weed reduction in your planters.
Mulch has other benefits as well. It covers drip lines, helping to protect them. It slowly decomposes, adding rich, organic material to the soil which increases its nutrient content. And mulch adds aesthetic appeal to your property with its eye pleasing texture and earthy color.
What can’t mulch do? Well, it can’t pay your bills… wait a minute, mulch also helps soil retain its moisture, thus reducing the amount of irrigation needed to water your plants. So, mulch does help you pay your water bill.
Creative Concepts Landscape will happily do the labor and time intensive work of bringing mulch to your property and properly applying it throughout your planters. Contact us today to find out more.
Irrigation
Like all plants, weeds need water to grow. There does not have to be much water; many weeds can grow with very little, but they still do need it.
One of the most common problems Creative Concepts Landscape finds in new clients’ landscapes is improper water coverage. Often, the irrigation is supplying too much water, creating overly damp areas where weeds grow. This can stem from breaks in the drip lines, pvc lines, or sprinkler heads (often all of the above). Other common irrigation issues are excessive water being supplied because the controller is not properly adjusted, or sprinkler nozzles spraying water in areas where cultivated plants do not grow.
This beautiful scene might actually be showcasing water waste and weed encouragement.
Faults in the irrigation system are common contributors to excessive weed growth, and common contributors to excessive water bills.
Here at Creative Concepts Landscape, we take irrigation seriously. We will check through your entire irrigation system and make the proper adjustments and repairs needed to create efficient irrigation that reduces weed growth and wasted water.
Contact us today to find out what we can do for your irrigation system.
Planting
Weeds grow where they have an opportunity to grow. With a healthy landscape, full of the cultivated plants that you, the property owner, want, weeds have less available room to grow and spread.
Whether it’s a lawn or a native garden, when healthy cultivated plants are full and thriving, their root systems use the available soil moisture and sunlight to feed themselves, helping to close the ecological niche where weed plants find their entrance. This means proper placement and care of the plants that you want in your landscape.
Dense, robust planters discourage weed growth
Creative Concepts Landscape will design, build, and maintain a beautiful garden for you with plants that will help to keep weeds away. If you have a landscape that just needs a bit of help, we have you covered on that as well. We will happily spot plant throughout your property, adding beautiful plants to create a robust, full landscape.
Contact us today to find out more about our planting options specifically catered to your property.
In Closing
Managing weeds on your property is a continual part of life. Even when we pave over the earth, weeds find a way. With the measures we described above, weeds can successfully be managed without applying continuous herbicide.
These measures that Creative Concepts Landscape will take have bonusses beyond weed management as well: beautification, healthy soil, and reduced water usage.
Give us a call. 818 248-7436.
By Daniel Williams
Client Liaison for Creative Concepts Landscape Management