When Weeds Met Boomer
I'm not sure if this is what you're looking for. And I don't even know if it works in Florida anyway. I assume so, but I know nothing about gardening in Florida's climate.
But just in case it helps, here goes:
If you are looking for something to just flat-out kill the weeds themselves, like Roundup, I am not sure what to recommend. Sometimes with a spray, you hit other things in the target's area. Holding up a piece of cardboard as a shield sometimes works. And make sure there is no breeze before you spray.
What I have always done is just to get the :edit: weeds pulled out in the first place. Be sure to get those roots. And then I play defense - or is it offense? :dontknow: Oh, I really don't know. I should not try to use sports language because I know pretty much nothing about sports. Sorry. I digress.
Back to my plan.
After the weeds are gone, I hit the ground with Treflan, a pre-emergent. That kills the weed seeds so they don't have a chance to even get started. Treflan is the main ingredient in Preen. I just buy generic Treflan and save a little money that way. Treflan is supposed to last about 90 days. There is a new one called Dimension that claims to last 120 days. But I just bought my good old generic Treflan again.
I sprinkle the Treflan on the bare ground in the beds. I always overdo it, but you know how I exaggerate everything. I water this stuff in and then put down mulch. And water that down, too.
I use all-bark mulch. Usually cypress because it is light and has a longer lifespan than most mulches. And it does not get that dog
mold on it. (Yes, that's what I said. And that's what it looks like. If you have seen it, you know what I mean.) All-bark mulch is more expensive than most, but it lasts so much better from year to year that it actually saves money. I add less each year.
So. . .generic Trefaln because it's cheaper and works fine. Cover it with the hoity-toity mulch that costs more but lasts longer, and therefore is cheaper. I like return on my investments.
I have the most wicked gardening tool for weeds. It's pretty much all I use. But I just checked the Smith & Hawken website and it looks like they don't have it anymore. Anyway, this thing has about a 6-inch long blade, slightly saw-toothed, on a 4-inch long handle. The blade is a little more than 2 inches wide.
The glory of this thing is that it is the sturdiest little gardening tool I have ever seen. I think it may have been called a Farmer's Weeder. I dig with it and I gouge weeds out with it and I hack things with it. And if anybody messes with me, I chase them around with it.
It used to be my standard gift to gardening friends. I did not wrap it. I just tied a big beautiful bow around the handle. This thing looks just like an incredibly sturdy dagger that is not very sharp. I even have a backup because I fear I will lose it. If you come across something that fits this description, consider getting one if you are waging war on weeds.
Well, I just wrote something here that only the gardeners among you managed to get through. And it probably was not the answer that dd46 was looking for. But this is what works around here. It just takes upfront prep by getting the weeds out. And then make sure they never get ahold of the flowerbeds again.
Oh, and even if they say that you have to reapply the pre-emergent after the 90 days, I never do. You may have to pluck a few weeds here and there but it is nothing too serious. I put Treflan down every spring and I think there may even be a residual effect from year to year, although according to instructions, it's worth 90 days. I get pretty lazy by the end of the summer so the beds never get a second hit. They really don't need it. But that's in Ohio.
Oh, and something else. Start buying groundcover or getting it from your friends. (We share our plants.) After a few years, the groundcover will fill in and prevent most of the weeds and you won't have to buy mulch anymore. I call it planning for my old age.
About that groundcover. . .Remember, the first year it sleeps. The second year it creeps. The third year it leaps. You'll get there.
My goodness, writing all this has made me pretty excited. I think I am going back outside to plant a few things. Maybe this is some parallel version of what those women who sit around writing those romance novels go through.
Boomer