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Time-Saving contents

Tools and 2 5 Fast, Frugal Weed Barriers


Put Plants within Easy Reach

Tricks
Keep Pots from Tipping
A Coat Hook in the Garden

3  rom Trash to Trellis


F
Construct a Tepee in a Flash
Simple But Rugged Tomato Cage

4 
Quick Saves for the Yard and Garden
Straw: A Speedy Solution for Your Garden
Keep Sand at Your Fingertips

5  omposting with Red Wigglers


C
Beer Here! Good-Bye, Slugs!

6  Tie-and-Toss Twine
The Bad News Express for Earwigs
4 Rapid-Access Hose Tricks
Take-Along Water Gauge

7 Plant Seeds to Overpower Weeds


CD Tricks to KO Birds and Bugs
No-Fuss Codling Moth Trap

8 Fast Facts: 15 Lawn Weeds


Fast Facts: 5 Notorious Weeds

9 
Fast Facts: 4 Fixes for Problem Lawns
A (Nearly) Weed-Free Lawn
Back to Contents

5 Fast, Frugal Weed Barriers Keep Pots from Tipping


Simple ways to keep garden paths weed free One sturdy stake is all it takes

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here is no one perfect way to down in a jiffy, and it will biodegrade. f you grow large pepper or
In-a-Flash ID Cards for
banish weeds from garden paths, • Corrugated cardboard, recycled from indeterminate tomatoes in pots, first
Tomatoes and Peppers
except perhaps for laying down large boxes, is stouter stuff than paper, of all you’ll need a big pot—
10 to 15 gallons. Second, to both Standard garden labels tend to
blacktop, and even paving can and it also biodegrades.
support the plant and keep it from acting disappear as tomato and pepper
give way to certain aggressive growers. • Roofing paper, with its coating of tar, is
like a sail and blowing over, place the pot plants grow. To make sure you can tell
Most of us would prefer something soft rugged stuff, and you can roll out more
where you want it and drive a long metal what’s what throughout the season,
and yielding underfoot, at any rate. A layer than one thickness for lasting effect.
or wood stake down through the drainage make durable plastic tags and place
of mulch looks good, breaks down into a If you’ve been unhappy with past
hole and well into the ground below. them close to eye level, at the top of
valuable soil amendment over time, and efforts to tame garden paths, you might
You may need to make additional holes cages or stakes. Cut rectangles out of
allows water to quickly perc through. But convert those vulnerable strips of soil
in the bottom of the pot to ensure good square-sided cider or milk jugs; write
it won’t be impervious to weeds, requiring to lawn. That’s not a magical solution.
drainage. Last, add a potting medium and the variety name on each tag with an
a second out-of-sight layer to squelch First, you’ve got to establish a healthy
plant the tomato or pepper. indelible marker; use a hole punch or a
them. Here are a few choices—with their patch of turf if the grass is to stand up
nail to make a hole at one corner; and
pros and cons. to frequent foot traffic. That requires
tie the tags to the supports.
• Newspaper is free, if a bit lumpy. And watering as needed and cutting regularly
unless you keep it well covered, it can with a mulching mower. And you’ll need

A Coat Hook in the Garden


be unsightly and—worse still—become to keep the grass from turning the beds
airborne in a strong wind. into lawn. For that, install strips of plastic
• A roll of plastic or landscape fabric goes edging that extend deeply enough that
down quickly, but it may not hold up more grass won’t migrate. This edging can have Mount a speedy retrieval system

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than one season and is not biodegradable. the additional benefit of helping to shore
• A roll of brown kraft paper, available up the sides of raised beds. ach year, on average, gardeners While you’re at it, you might also put a
at office and art supply stores, also goes in the United States leave ring minder on the post, if you’re one of
65,000 jackets, 24,000 hats, those gardeners who doffs a ring or two
300 pairs of binoculars, whenever digging in the dirt.

Put Plants within Easy Reach


250 cameras, and 200 wristwatches
out in the garden to be rained on.
Well, those are fictional numbers. But Postal Tool Garage
Save your back and your garden bed they help make the case for putting a coat To keep your gardening hand tools,

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hook or two out in the garden. Mount it twine, and stakes where you need
nce you’ve prepared garden board will distribute your weight, much on a gate or fence post that you’ll pass by them—in the garden—set up a mailbox
beds to a nicely light and like a pair of snowshoes. It also can be on your way back into the house. Rare is on a fence post, either using an old
fluffy state, it feels just plain used to help plant seeds in arrow-straight the gardener who hasn’t left something box found at a yard sale or buying an
wrong to go galumphing over lines; lightly press its narrow edge into outside to be subjected to the elements. inexpensive one from a discount store.
them. Instead of tiptoeing apologetically, the soil to make an indentation. To give And if you have one spot dedicated You can spare yourself trips back to the
or threatening your lower back by sprouting seeds a break from the sun, to hanging stuff, there’s less chance of house by also using the box to store
reaching over the beds to plant, cultivate, support the board on a few bricks as a being forgetful than if you just toss that spare gloves and suntan lotion.
and harvest, keep a gangplank on hand—a shade. When the board isn’t in use, you jacket over the nearest stationary object.
2-by-12-inch board of convenient length can rest it across two or three stacks of
that you can lay down between rows. The cinderblocks as a garden bench.

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From Trash to Trellis Simple But Rugged Tomato Cage


Bits of timber, branches, or what-have-you are instant support These heavy plants need serious support
for tomatoes in a pot

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omato plants can quickly Locate a concrete supply firm in the
f your yard is tiny and even your end, an old (and no longer trustworthy) become unruly as they grow phone book or on the Internet, and buy
patio seems overfurnished, you wooden ladder sawed down to size, the lavishly in every direction, a roll of mesh with holes at least 6 inches
still might be able to find room for stiles from a ladder-back chair, or even a and indeterminate varieties square—large enough so that you can
a tomato plant by training it up a tree branch. are especially vigorous. The best way to reach in and extract a nice, big tomato.
trellis. First, choose an indeterminate To make sure the support won’t topple contain that green zeal is to construct Form each piece into a cylinder about
tomato variety—one that will keep in a wind, attach it to screw eyes driven into a cage—a sturdy cage. The standard 24 inches in diameter, then use pliers to
growing indefinitely rather than remain door or window trim, to shutter hardware, commercial versions tend to be expensive hook the clipped ends of one cut edge
in a bush shape. (Most older, traditional or to metal stakes driven into the ground if you grow more around the wires of the
varieties are indeterminate.) on either side. Guide the stems up through than a few plants, other edge. If the cages
Second, select a pot that will hold the support, and tie them as necessary with and they’re often are too narrow to stand
at least 10 gallons of planting medium. strips of cloth. Keep in mind that potted flimsy as well. As upright by themselves,
Third, get creative with your support plants may get little water if placed along a for homemade drive in a pair of wood
trellis. You can use a panel of lattice, a wall with rain gutters above. You’ll have to cages, they are or metal stakes inside
section of wrought-iron fence stood on make up the deficit. prone to flopping each cage, placing them
over and often don’t opposite one another.
last more than a few

Construct a Tepee in a Flash seasons. Instead,


make cages out
Bend the ends of the wires
around the other edge of the
of wide-spaced piece to form a cylinder.
Support your plants with these rustic frames

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cement reinforcing
t’s easy to build a simple tepee for together, tie off with another tight knot. mesh. Chances
are you won’t Reinforcing wire is used to
climbing tomatoes or beans. When 3) Stand the poles on end and form make concrete stronger; a cage
the season is over, take it apart and a tepee, with the poles 2 feet apart at find it at a home
of the beefy stuff will do the
store the poles until next year. the base. Push the bottom of the poles and garden center. same for your tomato plants
1) Gather four bamboo poles, each 8 to several inches into the ground.
12 feet long and 34⁄ -inch diameter. 4) Plant four beans about 6 inches apart
2) Lay the poles side by side on the around the base of each pole. Or place
ground. Using twine, tie a tight knot, one tepee above a tomato plant. Dealing with Heavy-Duty Metal Mesh
such as a double half hitch, 1 to 2 feet 5) If desired, use strong twine for When cutting reinforcing mesh or hardware cloth, dress for the job—the stuff can be unruly
from the end of one pole. Then wrap horizontal bracing, 1 foot apart, around as it tries to curl back up into a roll. Protect yourself with work gloves, safety glasses, and a
the line several times around the three the tepee. As the tomato vines grow, tie long-sleeved shirt of heavy fabric. Use wire cutters to cut pieces to size.
poles—both individually and as a group. them loosely to the canes.
When the poles are securely lashed

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Quick Saves for


bed, poke the center out of a straw bale they are particularly vulnerable to strong
and fill the void with compost for spring winds. Stack up a wall of straw on

the Yard and Garden


planting vegetables. the windward side of flats and pots to
• If you’re putting in a new lawn, it’s a create a friendlier microenvironment.
challenge to keep the soil from drying Finally, keep in mind that by using
Recycled items can enhance your landscape and snuffing out the sensitive new grass. straw instead of plastic, you’re living a
Take the time to scatter straw over bit more lightly on the land. Each year,

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f you like to haunt antique shops cast-iron fencing, an ornate birdbath, the area to filter the sunlight and slow commercial vegetable growers in the
and vintage clothing stores, try a park bench, Belgian block paving evaporation from the soil. United States roll out some 200 million
shopping for lawn accoutrements at stones, a vintage wooden wheelbarrow, • When seedlings are taken outside pounds of plastic mulch.
yard sales, household auctions, and or a stained glass window for the garden to become acclimated to the elements,
renovation supply firms. You never know shed. With their built-in history, these
what you’ll find—and that’s part of the objects instantly seem right at home.
fun. You might come away with Victorian
Keep Sand at Your Fingertips
15 ways to use this precious resource
Straw: A Speedy Solution for
S
and is one of the three ingredients

Your Garden
• Set out a bowl of moist sand in the
of a good, loamy soil, along garden to attract sipping butterflies.
with clay and silt. It can be • Make a Japanese rock garden with
Make sure it isn’t hay put to many uses—besides the raked sand.

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sandbox—in your yard and garden. • Scatter sand on walkways to cut down
o the uninitiated, a bale of hay Keep in mind that sand comes in on slick and slippery surfaces.
doesn’t look much different different particle sizes—fine, medium, and • To clean garden tools, plunge them
from a bale of straw. And coarse. For most gardening purposes, coarse into a bucket filled with sand and some
while there is more nutritional (or builder’s sand) is the one to have. You vegetable oil.
value in hay, straw is the one you want as can buy it in bags; or, for bigger gardens and • Stir 1 cup of sand into exterior paint
a weed-smothering mulch for the garden. more ambitious projects, buy it loose and before painting porch floors or steps to
It contains far fewer weed seeds than hay have it delivered or take it home in your improve traction.
and also resists becoming a wet, moldy own truck. Store loose sand under a tarp, • Mix sand, compost, and peat moss
mass when spread over the ground. weighing down the perimeter so that cats into the soil from a planting hole when
Straw bales are awkward to bring can’t dig in it. transplanting a container-grown plant.
home. If you’re having mulch trucked in • Add sand to garden soils for better • Level stepping-stones or stone
at the beginning of the growing season, • Don’t have a compost bin? You can drainage. walkways with sand.
try to include straw with the delivery. make a biodegradable one out of straw • Make your own potting mix out of equal • Keep a shallow, large basin of sand
Then consider tarping the bales (as well bales, leaving one side lower to facilitate parts garden soil, compost, and sand. near the back door to rid boot soles
as the mulch) to keep them from rotting adding to the pile. • Start cuttings in sand. of mud and soil clumps.
prematurely. • Build a wall of bales around a chilly • Place sand around plants vulnerable to • Relax on the patio using sand-filled
Straw is valuable in other ways compost pile to help rev up the slugs. buckets for candleholders after a
worth looking into. biological processes within. • Mix tiny seeds with sand to make it hard day of gardening.
• To prevent ingredients in a compost • Fluff up a layer of loose straw over fall easier to sow evenly.
bin from becoming wet and heavy, keep vegetables to help buffer them from • Store root crops and summer-flowering
a couple of bales of straw close by to freezing temperatures. bulbs in sand in the basement.
add by the occasional handful. • For a small single-season raised

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Composting with Red Wigglers Beer Here! Good-bye, Slugs


These worms make short work of breaking down food scraps Bar these sleazy creatures from getting your plants

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ll you’ll need to get worms also need worms, of course—and not lugs aren’t selective when it comes slugs. Make the roof from a folded piece
behind your gardening effort just any worms. The familiar earthworm to beer. They’ll slither in droves to of cardboard, a propped paper plate or
is some sort of bin to contain won’t perform well in a bin of compost. any brand and don’t care whether board, or anything else that shades the
them (even an old dresser You have to buy redworms, either from a it’s regular, lite, or nonalcoholic. beer-filled container while allowing slugs
drawer with 1⁄2-inch holes drilled in the local source (try bait shops) or through the Gardeners weary of slug damage can use access to the brew.
bottom and sides will do for a start). You Internet. Once the worms get established, this weakness to their advantage. Set Check your traps every day or two,
a bin measuring 1 foot high and 2-by-3 shallow containers, such as jar lids or pie emptying slug-laden beer into an old
feet will be able to handle about 6 pounds tins, into the soil near affected plants, bucket and refilling the containers with
Steaming Water Is Teeming…
of kitchen waste a week. The completed placing them so their rims are even with fresh suds. Look for slugs hanging out on
with vitamins and minerals. When you
compost is harvested by shifting the the soil surface. Fill the containers with the underside of the roof, too, and scrape
steam vegetables, some of their goodness
material to one side of the bin, placing beer before giving each saloon a roof them into the bucket along with their
ends up in the water. You can save the
fresh garbage on the other side, and to make it cool and inviting to thirsty beer buddies.
water for use as soup stock. Or allow it to
allowing the worms to migrate into the
cool and then treat your houseplants to a
new stuff. Then the finished compost can
safely diluted source of nutrients.
be shoveled out for use in the garden.
Easy-Does-It Compost Containers
Successful composting doesn’t require a lot of space or equipment. Make a simple
Direct-Deposit Compost Ingredients outdoor composter by cutting out the bottom of a trash can and setting the
can firmly into the ground to prevent tipping. Use several cans for continuous
Not every type of kitchen waste has to be processed in the compost pile. Here are
waste composting; wait 6 months to a year, depending on your climate, for the
several that you can carry right out to the garden. Scratch them into the soil to help
finished product. To speed up the process, chop your wastes before adding them
them become incorporated more readily (and to keep the beds from looking trashy).
and periodically turn the material in the cans. Holes drilled into the sides and lid
provide aeration to keep the system working and encourage earthworms to inhabit
• Buggy dried fruit • Leafy tops trimmed from vegetables
your garbage can composter.
• Burnt toast • Leftover oatmeal
Check at garden centers and on the Internet for compost tumblers, also
• Carrot and potato peels • Soups and low-fat sauces
called barrel or drum composters. These work quickly; used according to the
• Coffee grounds • Stale crackers
manufacturer’s instructions, they produce finished compost in about 2 weeks.
• Dead bouquets • Unfinished bowls of breakfast cereal
It’s important to shred or chop all materials before adding them to a container.
• Eggshells • Used loose tea leaves
The compost won’t “cook” unless everything is the right size and is kept moist.
• Flour and grains that have gone • Water used to steam vegetables
past their expiration date

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Tie-and-Toss Twine 4 Rapid-Access Hose Tricks


Give plants a lift with properly tied twine Don’t let garden hoses trip you up

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s a 1928 Kansas Agricultural arden hoses have a
Experiment Station guide way of making trouble,
to growing grapes said, “Tie sideswiping delicate
promptly and use only square plantings and getting
knots.” That bit of advice still is worth underfoot. Here are a few ways to
following, for all sorts of plants that need manage them.
a lift. Make the knots as soon as they • Put hose bumpers at the corners of
are needed, rather than trying to force beds, using either the commercial type
a plant to conform to a trellis or other that spins, the screw-in soil anchors
means of support and risk breaking a sold for trellis wires, or large potted
vine or stem. Use a square knot, as shown plants set a couple of inches into the
here, and keep plenty of sisal trellis twine ground.
on hand. Check with garden stores and • Get reel. Buy a hose reel, either
look in catalogs for twine that hasn’t been freestanding or one intended to be
chemically treated so you won’t have any To tie up a plant, mounted on a wall. There’s even a
qualms about tossing it in the compost begin with a snug model that uses the flow of the water
square knot on the to do the reeling for you.
bin when gathering plant waste at the end
support. Make a loop to
of the season. • Bury hoses from the faucet at the
support the plant without binding it.
house to individual gardens or beds.
• To avoid tripping on a hose across a

The Bad News Express


walk, dig a tunnel under the walk (in
an inconspicuous spot, if possible) and

for Earwigs
slip in a section of PVC pipe, which
can be found in the plumbing section
of a home center or hardware store.
Let them read the news, then crawl into cool, moist places during It’s easy to thread a hose through the
say adios

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the day. Make a trap by rolling up a plastic pipe.
hose nasty-looking European newspaper and placing a rubber band
earwigs aren’t all bad—they around it. Tape one end of the roll closed,

Take-Along Water Gauge


eat decaying matter in the then lay the roll’s open end near your
garden and dine on aphids plant stems. In the morning, quickly
and mites. They can be particularly shake the open end of the roll over a
bothersome to favorite plants, though, bucket of soapy water; the earwigs will You carry it with you everywhere

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such as hollyhocks, strawberries, lettuce, come wiggling out of the newspaper, fall
and potatoes. They feed at night, then in the bucket, and drown. o know when to water How much is enough? Irrigate every
container plants, use your hand. pot until water flows out the bottom. If
For plants in plastic or clay your plant drains into a saucer, throw out
containers, stick your finger the excess—or better yet, use it to water
into the soil down to the first knuckle. If another plant.
your fingertip is dry, it's time to water.

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Plant Seeds CD Tricks to KO Birds and Bugs


To Overpower Weeds Shiny disks can protect your harvest

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Some vegetable plants’ leaves can help shade out weeds he out-of-date CDs your scare tape but are essentially free.
family no longer uses can find Turn CDs with yellow labels into
new life controlling pests in traps for flying insects in the greenhouse.
your garden or greenhouse. Spread a film of oil over the yellow side
To discourage birds from pecking and insert the CD into the slightly split
fruit, tie old CDs into cherry and peach end of a straight stick inserted upright
trees or string them above blueberry in a pot. When the oily film becomes
bushes and strawberries. Their shiny, clogged with trapped pests, wipe it clean
reflective surfaces are scary for birds. and apply a fresh layer of oil.
They work as well as commercial bird-

No-Fuss Codling Moth Trap


A homemade attractant lures them to their death

F
or a nontoxic way of catching 2) Cut two or three 2-inch holes just
codling moths around fruit below the shoulders of the jug.
trees, mix up a brew of 3) Pass a strip of cloth through the
household ingredients in a handle and tie the jug to the fruit tree so

Y
special container. that the holes are canted downward and
ou’ve probably noticed that there isn’t a 1) Pour 1 cup of cider vinegar, 1⁄3 cup of won’t admit rainwater.
lot of weed activity beneath the jumbo Weed Suppressors
dark molasses, 1⁄8 teaspoon of ammonia, 4) Monitor the trap and replace the brew
leaves of squash, for example. Whenever •Beans •Squash, and 5 cups of water into a plastic gallon from time to time.
possible, try to use vegetable foliage to •Cucumbers pumpkins,
and melons jug. Put on the cap and shake well to mix.
block out weeds, both by choosing big-leaved crops •Kale
•Sweet
and by planting on a tighter spacing. Fast-growing •Lettuce potatoes
vegetables also can help by getting a jump on weeds. •Potatoes •Swiss chard
And you yourself can help the vegetables compete •Sweet •Tomatoes
by seeing to it that you’ve given them adequate water corn

and nutrients.

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Fast Facts: 15 Lawn Weeds Fast Facts: 5 Notorious Weeds


To have a nicer lawn next year, knock out the interlopers Some weeds are poisonous or armed with itch-producing chemicals

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y getting familiar with the hoe the shoots that appear. But you may ven if you are sympathetic to
growth habits of the more be better off exhuming the entire patch weeds, several common species
common weeds, you’ll be better and either putting sod in its place or shouldn’t be welcomed to the
prepared to keep them in check. adding soil and then seeding. yard because of their potential
Annual weeds are spread by seeds and • Many broadleaf perennials can be hazards to health. That’s especially true
live just 1 year. They can be classified as controlled by digging. These include if you have inquisitive children who like
either winter annuals that germinate in fall dandelions, thistles, buckhorn and to roam the grounds. Here are several of
and complete their life cycle the following broadleaf plantain, chicory, spotted the most notorious weeds you’re apt to
spring, or summer annuals, germinating in spurge, field sorrel, ground ivy, encounter.
spring and growing until fall. Shepherd’s creeping jenny, and mouse-eared American bittersweet (Celastrus
purse is a winter annual; crabgrass is a chickweed. Go at them in spring, before scandens). This woody vine finds
summer annual. they have a chance to store food in their its way into wreaths and dried flower
Perennial weeds live at least 2 years roots. If you don’t get around to digging arrangements, where it shows off its
The entire plant is poisonous to humans:
and typically go dormant for a period in until fall, you may have to face them again. yellow-orange berries. The berries can
the leaves, the stems (children may
summer. The best-known perennial is the Repeated digging will eventually deplete their cause stomach upset and diarrhea if
become ill if they use them as straws),
dandelion. Some perennials are classified energy reserves, if you’re persistent enough. ingested.
the roots, and especially the seeds.
as broadleaf weeds, with wide leaves • Moss and algae can be managed by Deadly nightshade (Solanum
Poison ivy (Toxicodendron
marked by prominent veins. They often improving growing conditions. That’s dulcamara). This perennial woody vine
radicans). If you can’t eradicate the
grow from a thick taproot. Grasses such as because they will get a foothold only attracts attention with small star-shaped
plant, teach your kids how to identify the
quackgrass have much narrower leaves and where the yard is acidic, wet, infertile, or purple flowers and berries that turn
leaves. Be cautious about embracing a pet
spread primarily through underground root compacted. lipstick red when ripe. Its toxin is at its
that has been cruising an area rich in PI.
systems. • If you would like to see a little less most concentrated in the unripe berries,
Pokeweed (Phytolacca
Here are general cultural controls for white clover in your lawn, be careful to and small children are particularly
americana). This weed is a standout,
some of the most troublesome annuals avoid applying high levels of potassium vulnerable because of their lower body
sending up thick stems to a height of 5
and perennials. in fertilizer blends. Cut your grass higher weight.
feet or more. The inky berries ripen to
• Crabgrass is an annual, dropping to shade out the clover, and hoe, pull, or Poison hemlock (Conium
a rich purple, and if digested they can
seeds in fall that lie dormant until warm flame seedlings to prevent them from maculatum). Attractive enough to
bring on headache, abdominal pain, and
weather returns in spring. To help the flowering and setting seed. be mistaken for a garden plant, poison
severe diarrhea.
lawn resist this new crop of weeds, reseed hemlock resembles anise or wild parsley.
the troubled areas in the fall and add No-Guess Gauge
fertilizer to get the grass off to a strong
A lawn typically requires about 1 inch of
start. As with a number of other weeds,
water each week when actively growing. Poisonous to Pets
crabgrass is encouraged by shallow Dogs and cats occasionally munch on weeds, for whatever reason. And if they chew on
That’s from both nature’s contribution
watering and mowing infrequently. certain toxic species, they can become very ill—without the ability to tell you what they’ve
and your own with a sprinkler. It’s hard
• Quackgrass is a perennial that spreads tangled with. Generally, if a plant is classified as poisonous for humans, it will have the same
to judge that inch, so you may want to
via underground rhizomes, so dealing effect on pets. And some plants that don’t trouble us are noxious to them. Dogs are adversely
place an inexpensive rain gauge out on
with it requires digging in order to get at affected by onion, garlic, heavenly bamboo, schefflera, and dracaena. Cats can’t handle calla
the lawn where it will be filled by your
these unseen stems. If an area is riddled lily, philodendron, pothos, and scindapsus.
watering as well as by rainfall.
with quackgrass, you should repeatedly

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Fast Facts: 4 Fixes for A (Nearly) Weed-Free Lawn


Problem Lawns If you can tolerate an occasional nongrass plant
in your lawn, these 6 quick tips can help you handle
Tailor your lawn care to suit tends to favor shallow-rooted weeds, as weeds with cultural and mechanical controls
the site

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well as certain turf diseases.

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t’s a rule of thumb that weak lawns he first step in establishing a for your region, as well as for the
lead to weed problems, and not the Fertilize As Needed good-looking lawn is to make light conditions of your own yard. For
other way around. So rather than focus Fertilizer feeds the weeds as well as the sure it is a healthy lawn, with information, check with your regional
angrily on the weeds that pop up, do grass, of course. But a proper level of a dense and vigorous stand of agricultural agent (find them at nifa.usda.
what you can to make the turfgrasses thrive. fertilization helps the turfgrass grow turfgrass. Weeds will be less likely to move in gov/Extension).
thickly and shut out most weeds. Too if the ground is already occupied. You can do
The Shady Lawn much fertilizer can be as bad as too little, a number of things to keep the grass growing
Lawns need some light. If a Kentucky reducing the lawn’s vigor and giving weeds thick and green.
No-Fuss Mulch Solution
bluegrass lawn gets less than a better chance. • Remove no more than one-third of the Gardeners return home from summer
6 hours of full sunlight in a typical day, blade length when you mow, to avoid vacations greeted by a lot of mail, lawn
the grass may be thin and weed prone. Easy-Care Lawn: Moss slowing plant growth. grass long enough to bale, and weeds,
The telltale weeds in a sunlight-starved Perhaps the most attractive no-mow • Keep weeds from spreading by mowing weeds, weeds. To ensure that weeds
yard include ground ivy and chickweeds, alternative is moss on part of the lawn. before they can set seed. take some time off, too, leave time while
along with patches of moss. You can The best place would be a shady spot • Water deeply, rather than sprinkling packing for your getaway to spread mulch
overseed with shade-tolerant grasses such where moss is already giving lawn grass often and only superficially. in the yard’s trouble spots. If your supply
as fine fescue. It also may help to prune a run for its money. (It won’t work in a • Allow mulched clippings to stay in place of bark mulch and straw is running low,
nearby shrubs and trees to admit more sunny area with soil that tends toward and fertilize the lawn. lay down disassembled cardboard boxes
sunlight. You could forget about turfgrass a high pH.) There’s no need to water or • If necessary, periodically remove thatch as a stopgap and weigh them down with
and switch over to shade-tolerant ground fertilize a moss lawn, and except for hot, either with a rake or a rented dethatcher. rocks or bricks. Mulching will not only
covers such as vinca and pachysandra or dry spells, it should look good throughout • Make sure you are growing an keep the weeds at bay, but also help
native woodland plants that flourish in the year. To quickly restore the green appropriate mix of turfgrass species plants get by with less watering.
your area. color to parched moss, sprinkle the area
briefly with water. In autumn, it’s a good
Mow High idea to gently sweep away fallen leaves Speed-Weed When Soil Is Wet
If you raise the mower deck to 3 inches or collect them in netting, then roll them
or so, you’ll leave longer grass blades and If a stretch of rain leaves your garden soil too wet to be workable, grab your galoshes and
away. And that’s about it for maintenance,
cut down on the sunlight available to do some weeding. You can pull even tough, taprooted weeds like dandelions and rampant
unless you need to lower the pH.
sprouting weeds. Come fall, however, it’s spreaders like bindweed with relative ease from soggy soil. And young, shallow-rooted
The ideal pH range for moss is from
best to lower the deck to about 2 inches weeds will come up so easily that it won’t seem like work.
5.0 to 5.5. To prepare the ground for a
for the last mowing in order to guard While on your wet weed hunt, work from the edges of your garden to avoid compacting
moss carpet, spread aluminum sulfate or
against snow mold. the soil. And remove the pulled weeds from your beds—many weeds can reroot easily into
ferrous sulfate over the area. Lowering
wet soil.
the pH also has the effect of keeping
Water Well grass and weeds from moving in. The
To discourage weeds, water less often best time to establish the carpet is in fall,
but thoroughly, preferably early in the with some mosses needing up to 3 years.
morning. Light and frequent watering

9
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Project editor: Diane Gilroy • Project Manager: Pamela Feliciano • Copy editor: Jennifer Hoffner
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