March might be too early to officially start your planting, but it doesn’t mean it’s too early to continue preparing your garden for the warmer months. One of the biggest challenges gardeners face are weeds. Classified as any plant growing in the wrong place, weeds can choke out your plants causing them to grow slower or smaller and forcing them to compete for nutrients and sunlight. Weeds can also become homes for garden pests that can further harm your plants and make it difficult for you to create the garden of your dreams. To ensure you have all the tools you need to combat weeds and protect your plants, it’s important to have a solid grasp on weeds and their role in your garden.

Productive Pests

Weeds aren’t completely bad. In your garden’s ecosystem, they can serve some helpful purposes. Soil left completely bare can fall victim to strong winds and storms that are common in the spring. Soil that is covered and protected by weeds is less likely to be blown or washed away. In addition to this, the roots of the weeds can provide nutrients to the soil and enrich the area as they decompose.

Grasses and Weeds

Missouri is home to four main categories of weeds. These categories vary based on the time of year they thrive and how they grow. Annual grasses are weeds that grow from seed each year and are able to be prevented with pre-emergent herbicides before they germinate in the spring. Perennial grasses are weeds that return each year once they’ve been planted and can spread from above or below ground through stems or rhizomes (a horizontal underground stem). Annual broadleaf weeds are another category of weeds that grow from seeds each year. Summer annuals germinate in the spring and die by early fall or the first big frost. Winter/spring annuals germinate in early fall, begin slow growth in winter and grow rapidly in spring. These weeds will die by early summer. Finally, perennial broadleaf weeds come back each year once established and can increase in size. If allowed to seed, these weeds can spread rapidly.

Earlier the Better

One of the easiest ways to prevent weeds is to start prevention methods early. An example of this is creating a garden that supports healthy growth and discourages weeds. To do this, be proactive about where you place your plants. Put plants that love sun in well-lit areas and those that prefer shade in more covered parts of the garden—and don’t forget to keep the area moisturized! Plants that grow well take up more space and leave less room for weed growth. It’s also helpful to regularly check your garden for weeds and to pull smaller weeds before they have a chance to grow and spread. A great time to do this is after it rains when the soil is a little looser and the roots come out easier.

Know Your Weeds

Dandelions (Taraxacum)

These perennial weeds are some of the most notable and easiest to identify. Known for their bright yellow flowers, dandelions appear in early spring and last through the fall. They spread through their puffy seed heads that are blown in the wind, spreading the seeds throughout gardens and yards.

Tip: Dandelions can be treated by hand digging them out of your garden or spot treating them with weed killer. Shading them out, covering them with black plastic or cardboard, can also work to kill the weeds.

Crabgrass

Growing up to 18-inches tall and 20-inches wide, these grassy annual weeds are common in lawns. Crabgrass grows in any spot where its stem makes contact with soil with its seed heads spreading out like four fingers.

Tip: Pulling crabgrass by hand, using a pre-emergent weed preventer or a spot-treatment after its emerged can help control the spread of the weed throughout your yard.

White Clover (Trifolium repens)

These common perennial weeds are prevalent throughout the United States. Growing from May to September, clover is identifiable by its compounded leaves with 3-4 broad leaflets and the small white flowers that grow atop their stems.

Tip: Much like dandelions, clover can be treated with spot treatments using weed killers or by manually removing patches through digging.

Poison Ivy

Commonly encountered on hikes, poison ivy can also pop up around your yard near trees or in shrubs. This broadleaf perennial can grow up to 15-feet tall and wide in the form of a vine, shrub or groundcover. Poison ivy is identified by its three leaflets that sometimes sprout clusters of green berries.

Tip: A deep layer of mulch can be used as prevention against poison ivy. If it has already started growing, spot treating it with a herbicide or manually removing the plant (be sure to use a plastic bag if using your hands) are also effective methods of removal.

Sustainable Solutions

If a weed killer is needed, natural and homemade weed killers are a more organic and eco-friendly option compared to a store-bought brand. It’s important to keep in mind that homemade weed killers are often less effective in taking out the root of the weeds and can have more short-term effects compared to store-bought brands.

Soap, salt and vinegar is an easy recipe for at-home weed killer. Combine one gallon of white vinegar, one cup of salt and one tablespoon of liquid dish soap then pour the mixture into a spray bottle. The acetic acid from the vinegar and salt will draw moisture from the leaves and they will begin to brown and wither. Make sure to be mindful of the plants you don’t want to kill when spraying the mixture and keep it on hand for small touch-ups that pop-up throughout the season.

Combining 2 tablespoons of rubbing alcohol with 1-quart of water is another easy mixture that is great for killing weeds. This weed killer should be used with caution as the rubbing alcohol can make the surrounding soil infertile if overused.

Boiling water is also an easy, quick solution to small bits of weeds that may pop-up around sidewalks and patios. While the boiling water won’t impact the roots of the weeds, it will defoliate the plants, removing the opportunity for photosynthesis and declining plant function. Be careful to not burn yourself when transporting the water from inside your home to your patio or garden!

If you’re looking for a pre-emergent herbicide, corn gluten meal is a great organic option. Simply scatter the corn gluten meal over your soil and water where weeds are a problem. This will inhibit root growth but if used too close to other plants, the meal will inhibit their growth as well.