Yes, it's that time of year when weeds can easily get a jump on you and your garden. How the heck can those darn weeds grow without benefit of water or fertilizer? Then to top it off, they come up completely healthy in the cracks of your driveway?
Well, the appeal of toxic herbicides, such as RoundUp or Finale is awfully powerful, especially this time of year. You don't even have to mix the chemicals anymore in your pump sprayer, thanks to ready-to-use sprays weed killers that are ideal for small jobs.
However, if you really want to "think green," consider alternate methods of getting rid of weeds. Here's four alternatives:
Flat-Blade Screwdriver. You can also add a putty knife or any other tool that you can scrape weeds out of cracks in the driveway and sidewalk. And really, when you think about it, how much more work is it to scrape those weeds away compared to spraying them with herbicides?
Other Tools. These can range from long-handled hoes and push-pull hoes to some of those goofy tools you see advertised on television or in garden magazines. I can personally attest that the winged weeder and the Hound-Dog work. The former is a funny-looking winged hoe that cuts away weeds just below the soil surface with less effort than traditional hoes; the latter is a strange pronged tool that digs individual dandelions out roots and all without having to bend. Of course, both the traditional long-handled hoe and push-pull hoes work well, too. These hoes work best when soil is moist and may take a little old-fashioned effort.
Flame Weeders. Flamers do an excellent job of weeding along fences, in pavement cracks and in turf. All types burn propane from refillable tanks. Most flame weeders on the market are the same ones used by firefighters to set back fires. The flame is about two inches in diameter, which may be too big for most landscapes. More practical is the Spot Singafier. It produces a small, easily controlled flame only about a half-inch in diameter, so is more energy efficient. The big drawback? Flame weeders aren't cheap, running around $205 by mail-order. It isn't necessary to completely burn a weed to kill it. Passing the flame over the weed for three seconds will heat the sap, bursting the cell walls. Weeds will die in a day or two.
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