With spring upon us, weeds seem to be cropping up everywhere. Where do weeds come from? How do they spread and what’s the best way to control them? It’s so aggravating to spend the better part of an afternoon pulling all the weeds out of your backyard only to have them come back!

Why do Weeds in My Lawn & Garden Keep Coming Back?

1. Weeds “come back” because they never really left. Seeds or roots are often left behind. If you start the weeding process after the plants have bloomed, it is very likely you’ll end up sending seeds everywhere. Some plants, even though they don’t have any seeds yet, can ripen seeds on cut flower stalks. Some weeds have tenacious roots that seem to have a bit of the root left behind no matter how carefully you pull them out. It may look like all the roots came out, but unfortunately not. They will sprout from these tiny pieces left behind and if you just pull the top of the weed off, new leaves will most likely begin to sprout from the leftovers.
2. Source for new plants comes from a seed bank. Lots of seeds can be stored in the soil. Weeds are known to produce lots and lots of seeds in these seed banks. The reason being they are great at reproduction and it happens early and often. Seeds can be active for years and sometimes decades and are much better at this than other plants.
3. Weeds are carried in by weather, animals, and humans. Seed rain is the process where seeds will rain down on your property. It doesn’t matter how well you weed your garden, you will still get new weeds being introduced. Weeds can grow around tree trunks because birds will eat berries and the seeds will drop from where they are perching. The stores of nuts that squirrels hide will blow around on a windy day and humans move seeds around on their feet. Unfortunately, you will always have weeds.
4. Removing seeds gives nicer plants underneath a chance to grow and weeding works both ways. When you remove raspberries, you will often times have another weed that was suppressed popping up to take their place. It’s unavoidable.

How to Pull Weeds & Prepare Ground for Planting the Right Way

1. Start pulling weeds when the weeds are small and the soil is moist. The weeds won’t get big enough to bloom even if the seeds keep sprouting.
2. After you weed use thick mulch. When the ground is bare, it’s good for weeds. Weeds that germinate in mulch are much easier to remove.
3. Let a little bit of time pass before you plant again. This will reduce the number of weeds that will come up when you have your new plants growing.
4. Vigilance is key. Don’t let months go by. Weed weekly and you will have great results providing you with fewer weeds and less work.
5. If possible, plant evergreens, woodier vegetation and try cover most of the ground to shade the weeds out.

Weed Control

Rentokil are professionals at weed control. We will identify any weeds, kill and eliminate their growth. We can tackle weed control for city, county or government properties. Now is a great time for Rentokil to apply our pre-emergent weed control to target seeds before they germinate. Depending on where you live in Northern Utah and Southern Idaho; as well as what weeds are at play in your yard, we can recommend the best course of treatment to ensure weed seeds don’t have the opportunity to germinate. Some of the specific weeds we target are dandelions, clover, morning glory(bindweed), thistle, black medic, and spurge. In most cases, weed growth from seeds that were blown or trodden onto your lawn can be eradicated using our post-emergent weed treatment. Without weeds, your lawn will be healthy, hardier and more pleasing to look at. Give Rentokil a call today to create a weed control plan that will stop weeds in their tracks.