How to Get Rid of Weeds in Rock Landscaping

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Rock landscaping within any garden can be absolutely beautiful for several reasons. The first is that there is certain to be a vast variety of colors and shades and second each rock is unique which adds to its overall beauty and appearance.

if you have not yet considered using rocks as part of your landscaping plans then you should certainly consider it.

If the reason you haven’t is that you’ve struggled for ideas on how to plan your landscaping with respect to using rocks, then you may want to head here. There you will discover Ideas4Landscaping which is a program that has over 7,000 landscaping ideas including many that include rock features and rock gardens.

Another advantage of using rocks within your landscaping plans is that for the most part, they require very little maintenance. However, there is one maintenance task that does need to be undertaken and that is removing weeds from in and around the rocks.

If you read on, we will outline some of the best ways to remove weeds and how you can prevent weeds from returning to the rock landscaping within your garden.

Tips on How To Get Rid of Weeds in Rock Landscaping

Chemical Removal of Weeds

One of the most effective ways to get rid of weeds from your rock landscaping is weed killer. This can remove common weeds such as Bermuda grass, ragweed, and crabgrass. While chemical weed killer can come in many forms, we strongly suggest that you use a liquid weed killer that you can spray from a bottle rather than a solid or granular weed killer.

The reason we are not keen on granular weed killer is that it tends to spread across an area that is greater than needed and as a result, it can harm plants that it wasn’t meant to.

By spraying the liquid weed killer from one of those plastic bottles that come with a trigger, you can aim it directly at the weeds you wish to remove and hopefully prevent any accidental damage to other plants or flowers.

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Weed Killer Safety

Given that a liquid weed killer is a chemical, you need to take several precautions before, during and after you use it. The first shouldn’t need saying but we will, and that is to always read the instructions provided with the weed killer. This includes those relating to whether or not it can be used as it comes or if it needs to be diluted because it is a concentrated solution.

If you have other plants such as flowers or shrubs growing nearby, be very careful that you do not accidentally spray them too. This is especially the case when you are trying to spray the weeds when there is a strong wind blowing. Chemical weed killer can severely damage other foliage including grass so make sure you aim carefully.

Your own personal safety should be paramount when using weed killer; therefore, items like gloves and safety goggles should be worn at all times. It is also advisable that the clothing you wear covers your arms and legs so no skin is exposed should any spillage occur. Appropriate footwear should also be worn so no sandals or flip-flops are definitely not suitable.

Pulling Weeds By Hand

For those of you that don’t mind a bit of work and getting your hands a little bit dirty, or if you do not like the idea of spraying chemical weed killer, there is the option of pulling the weeds from your rock landscaping by hand. Now it must be noted, this is not a case of simply grabbing a big clump of weeds and pulling as there is more to it than that.

First, some of the equipment you will need includes gloves, not only to keep your hands clean but also, and more importantly, to prevent blisters should you have a lot of weeds to pull. You should also wear safety goggles just in case when you pull any weeds some soil comes flying out as well and into your eyes.

As you are going to be pulling weeds from low down, you are likely going to be kneeling, therefore, a pair of knee pads are recommended, although if there are none available an old cushion or rolled-up towel will suffice.

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The first step might sound counter-intuitive, but you should water the weeds. Now, this isn’t to help them grow but instead is designed to loosen the root system of the weeds. The reason is that you do not just want to remove the weeds, you want to remove their root system too so that they do not grow back.

Once you have watered them, or if it has rained you should wait a couple of days before the next step which is using a small garden fork or similar, loosen the soil around the weeds you are planning to remove. The more and the better you do this the more chance you have of removing even the most stubborn of weeds.

Next, you should pull each weed individually rather than grabbing a clump of them as this gives you a better chance of pulling the roots out too. Try to grab the weed from as close to its base as possible and use a twisting motion as you pull upwards.

Alternatives

Alternatives to the methods above are to pour boiling water over the rocks that have weeds as the excessive heat can kill them off. Pouring rock salt around the weeds will deprive them of moisture and this will obviously hasten their demise.

Spraying vinegar on the weeds can also kill them thanks to its acidity. With all three alternatives, you must take care to you avoid other plants in the area as they can all damage these plants.

Hopefully, you will agree that other than removing a few weeds from rock landscaping makes it a very low maintenance feature that can enhance the appearance of your garden.

If you’d like to discover more ways you can use rocks for garden landscaping, and thousands of other landscaping ideas, then head over to Ideas4Landscaping.

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