Weed control in beds
 

New to the Villages,
I don't have grass, but do have a lot of beds, different kinds of rocks.
Who do Villagers use for weed control?

Thanks so much,
Sue

Monthly spray with a weed killer, being VERY careful around any plants.

Weed control can be difficult. Landscapers don’t really want to do it as it slows down the mowing. Spraying weeds works some but you can’t go by the timeframe on the bottle. The 1 year or 6 months or 3 months types of spray actually only work a few weeks. We leave for 6 months or more and always have a jungle when we return.

Don't use the "Extended Control" stuff that contains dicambra. If it gets into the root system of your shrubs or palm trees it will do some heavy damage. The standard stuff, like ordinary "Round Up" is much safer to use.

I just pull them out every week or two.

Me too. I've read Roundup and other pesticides can be bad for the environment. The effect of Roundup on bees and other pollinators has been the subject of much recent study. And obviously, any decline in the population of bees and other pollinators would be catastrophic to our agricultural production.

I use the vinegar, dish soap salt mixture. It works well.

That happened to me. Killed a few bushes.

Preen.

Preen prevents seeds from germinating.

I use RoundUp as often as needed, generally once every week or so. I also bought a weed burner from Amazon. Uses the small cylinder propane tanks. After I use the round up that kills the weed, I burn it up with the weed burner. Of course, I have rocks, not mulch or pine straw.

I pull them by hand for a variety of reasons:

1. Why pay for do-it-yourself spray when you can do-it-yourself free without spray?
2. It's good for me. Fresh air, dirt on my fingers, the emotional well-being of co-existing with nature - the only time I can accept the existence of a cockroach, is if I see it in the garden.
3. As long as I'm ABLE to do it, I'll continue to do it. Sweaty exercise is healthy (just stay hydrated and get into the shade every 20 minutes).
4. Herb gardens and chemical weed-killers or pesticides means inedible or potentially toxic herbs. My landscaper does a pesticide thing for the lawn but he stays out of my garden, or else he doesn't get paid. The honeybees love my flowering oregano even more than I do.
5. Many of those weed-killers are toxic to birds and other animals, including dogs that groom themselves - including licking their paws after a walk.

I stopped using Round up many years ago when I got cancer that might of been caused by Round up.

I would pull them as well other than the fact I am only in Florida 4-5 weeks a year.

I also pull those nasty balsam apple vines off my neighbor's plants and out of her garden and off her trees, mostly just because they're evil and must die and ripping them off everything and out of the ground feels incredibly satisfying. Give me permission and I'll do yours too, if you live near Orange Blossom CC, heh.

weeds
 

[QUOTE=Chinook;2172888]New to the Villages,
I don't have grass, but do have a lot of beds, different kinds of rocks.
Who do Villagers use for weed control?

Thanks so much, use a vegation killer...your Empire Zoysia is spreading from runners going into beds...when you buy weed killer...It is not a weed..