Weed Puller and the Common Weeding Mistakes in Your Garden

ECO gardenerMar 01, 2022

6 Common Weeding Mistakes in Your Garden

Weeds are a bane of every gardener’s existence! No matter how often you weed, these stubborn plants have a way of coming back and invading the garden. The thing with weeds is that they compete for food and space with your crops. They also spread plant pests and diseases all around.

Weeding feels like an endless chore, but there are ways to slow down weeds and perhaps eliminate them entirely. The first thing to remember is to avoid some mistakes that lead to wasted time and effort. There are also garden tools like a weed puller that can be used for removing weeds quickly.

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Common Mistakes While Weeding

Removing Weeds Using ECOgardener Weed Puller!

Common Mistakes While Weeding

In this guide, we’re outlining 7 of the most common weeding mistakes to avoid:

Misidentifying Weeds

Are you dealing with an annual, perennial, or biennial weed? You have to know if you're dealing with actual seeds, not regular plants. Gardeners, even seasoned pros, could misidentify a weed variant. And this happens more often than you think! You have to learn about the different varieties of weeds that grow in your garden so you can take care of them accordingly.

If you are unsure, use a plant book to identify the different varieties of weeds that grow in your area. You can also do your research online using free resources. You can also use plant-identification apps, although most are paid services.

Leaving the Roots After Pulling the Weeds

If you don’t want weeds from coming back to your yard, you need to pull out the entire root system. The weeds will grow back if you only pull some of the leaves and roots. Dandelions, for example, have deep root systems, and even if you pull a couple of inches of the root, the weed is still alive. By the time the growing season swings by, you’re back where you started.

Use a trowel or a shovel if you are pulling weeds by hand. If you have mobility issues or cannot remove the entire root system of the weeds, we suggest investing in a weed puller. A weed puller has a claw-like head that holds the weed firmly while digging the soil to pull the weeds and its roots.

Pulling Weeds by Hand

Manual weed removal is the best way to control weeds but let’s face it; not everyone is enthusiastic about bending and kneeling for hours under intense heat pulling weeds. Weeding is hard, repetitive work, but you don’t have to do this manually. Use any weeding tool that’s available to you. Some of our favorites are hand trowels, shovels, hoe, and a weed puller. Any of these tools will cut the time it takes to clear your garden of weeds.

Using Weed Killer

Weed killers like herbicides may work well in controlling weeds, but they’ll become less and less effective at some point. Worse, herbicides do not discriminate - they kill weeds and plants alike. Also, let’s not forget that herbicides pollute the soil and waterways.

If you must use herbicides, read and understand the label and instructions. Do not overuse it. Also, be sure that you are using the right product; otherwise, the results won't be as good. Instead of using chemical weed killers, look for eco-friendly alternatives.

Forgetting to Replace Old Landscape Fabric

Landscape fabric is perhaps the best long-term solution for controlling weeds. These fabrics are best used in large spaces that get a lot of weeds like pathways, driveways, flower beds, borders, etc. That said, even the most durable landscape fabric needs replacements too. Constant exposure to the elements will wear the material down. As time goes by, the landscape fabric develops holes in which weeds could take root.

If used in annual flower beds or vegetable gardens, you might need to replace the landscape fabric once a year. Or, at the very least, add compost and mulch to prevent weed growth. Always check your landscape fabric, see how they are holding up. The great thing about landscape fabrics is that you can change them by section.

Relying on a Cocktail of Chemicals

Using chemicals to treat weeds could eventually poison the soil. Using too many chemicals just to control weeds will do more damage to your crops than good. Also, some chemicals work on certain weeds, but not all. For example, a specific brand could kill dandelions but not the daisy.

Using too much of the recommended amount of herbicides could lead to significant damage to the health of your trees, crops, and flowering plants. Use all-natural weed killers if you can but if you must use chemical weed killers, follow the instructions because it’s so easy to mess up the application, especially if it is your first time. Also, wear protective gear to protect the skin from accidental exposure.