How do I keep weeds and grass out of my flower bed?

Question

I have marigolds and they grow fine but every few weeks I'm having to go in and clear out a lot of grass, weeds, and other green plants that like to grow in and around the flowers. Is there a product or technique I can use to keep this stuff out of my flower beds?

Answer 1

Try laying down landscape cloth over the soil after you prepare your flower bed in the spring. (It's availiable at home and garden stores). Or, you could use several layers of newspaper---the idea being to prevent light from reaching the dormant weed seeds in the soil. Both materials are permeable so water will easily pass through to your flowers' roots, though, and all you need to do is cut a hole through it with your trowel to accomodate each flower you plant. After planting, top it all off with a layer of mulch---this should reduce weeds even further, and will make those that do appear easier to pull out.

Just remember that, (especially in the first few seasons after establishing a flower bed), you will be dealing with the germinating seeds of weeds that were there before your flower bed was...just keep up with the occasional weeding (which can't be 100% avoided, in any case) and the situation should get better with time.

Answer 2

That pesky grass! I guess that's why it's become the main plant in people's yards, as it likes to grow and cover the ground.

  The best way to keep it out of flower beds is go around the bed and cut the roots out. Then make a little trench and put some kind of edging in.  The look depends on your tastes: field stones, basalt, dug into the soil a few inches.  You can also put landscape cloth down first.  And those plastic barriers are effective too, but just not as pretty.  You can also add some mulch or bark around the plants.  Mulch will also feed the flowers, and both with help deter weeds and grass.

  Happy digging.

Answer 3

Mulch helps, but remember weeds are a fact of life.

Answer 4

Hello, You can use a product called Preen. If you like something more organic try corn meal. Hope this helps

Answer 5

Mulch alone isn't enough to stop weeds. Try putting down several layers of newspaper and then putting mulch on top of the newspaper. Its cheaper than landscaping cloth, mostly because you are recycling, and since you are talking about an annual plant, next year you wont have to mess with the landscape cloth from this year. Next year just down several layers of newspaper, use a small knife to cut a small "X" where you want to plant your flowers then mulch. This work work for the whole season. Preen can also help stop  new weeds, but won't work on existing weeds or grass. The newspaper will suffocate anything under it.  

Answer 6

After years of trying just about everything you can imagine I still do it the old fashioned way on my hands and knees pulling them by hand.

Answer 7

You need mulch. Also you can spray roundup on the specific weeds you want to get rid of.

Teri- Mulch does work! I guess you flower beds look like trash piles with newspaper everywhere. Your regimen sounds like alot of work too.You can spray roundup if you keep trying to pull a weed and the root keeps growing back. I use it for ground covers when they spread to fast.