Things you can do to decrease the amount of weeds you have
Whether you have an enormous flower garden full of exotic blooms, a large vegetable garden in which you grow all of your favorite vegetables for dinner, or just a lawn that you play catch on, weeds are something that you are going to have to deal with. Weeds are the bane of the existence of anyone who doesn't have just a rock garden. Weeds always come back, they always pop up in the most awful places, and they seem to outlive any plant that you actually want to stay in your yard, from pumpkins to grass to roses. But you don't have to give up your yard and your gardens to cheat grass and dandelions. You will always have to be fighting the war, but you can considerably cut down on the number of weeds that you have and you can win all of the battles in this never ending crusade against weeds.
How to cut down on the number of weeds you have
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There are two different categories of weeds: there are grassy weeds like cheat grass and there are broadleaf weeds like dandelions. There are two different types of weeds within each category: there are perennial weeds (they come back every year) and there are annual weeds (they reproduce by seeds). Once you can figure out what types of weeds you have, then you can figure out how to better control your weeds.
Fertilize
One of the most effective ways to cut down on and control your weeds is the approach that takes the most time and the most patience: fertilizing. If you know what your lawn's growing seasons are, then you can determine when the best time to fertilize is. You can mix fertilizer with a pre-emergence and weed control, and if you fertilize right before your grass starts to grow, then you can make sure that your grass doesn't allow any room for weeds to grow.
Mow your lawn wisely
If you have a lot of weeds in your lawn, then you will need to make sure that when you mow your lawn you bag the clippings. If you don't bag your clippings, then you will be spreading the seeds of those insidious weeds throughout your entire lawn.
Pull out the weeds
Pulling out your weeds is very effective, though only if you get the roots out when you pull out the weeds. If the ground is too hard for you to pull out all of the weed, then soak the ground with some water beforehand so that you can then pull out the weed more easily.
Herbicides
If you are going to purchase chemical herbicides from your local nursery or lawn or garden store, make sure that you look carefully at the label. There are now several herbicides that are produced that will kill weeds while keeping your lawn safe. Make sure that you only purchase an herbicide that says that it won't harm your grass. If you do have small children and pets, then you should keep them off of your grass for a while after you have applied your herbicide.
Flower beds
If you want to keep weeds out of your flower beds or out of your vegetable garden, then you should apply mulch around the plants. There are a number of different mulches that you can apply, from old tires to wood chips.
