Preventing Weeds from Growing Through Landscape Rocks

Preventing Weeds from Growing Through Landscape Rocks
You have your landscaping project all planned out. You have a great idea for using landscape rocks on this one part of your yard. As with many landscaping projects, however, you need to keep maintenance in mind. One reason for that is weeds. Those nasty buggers will pop up anywhere, even in your landscape rocks. When they do pop up in your landscape rocks, in particular, they can be even more difficult to remove.

In this post, we are going to talk about different ways to prevent and treat weeds that grow in your landscaping rocks.

Remove Weeds Before Putting Down Rocks
When you decide upon the piece of ground that is perfect for your rock landscaping, you'll want to make sure it is weed-free before you begin. Take a close look at the area and single out any current or potential problems that could come from weeds. If you find some trouble spots, you have a few options for weed removal. If you are not in a real hurry to get the rocks on the ground, you can cover the area with plastic and let it cook under the hot sun for about six weeks. This will certainly kill any weeds under the plastic. You can also get in the dirt and dig the weeds out from the roots. Be sure to throw those dug up weeds away, though; you don't want any of them seeding in the area you just cleared;or any other part of the lawn, for that matter. Finally, you can try a premixed, post-emergent, non-selective herbicide that you simply spray on the existing weeds.

Weed Patrol
The basic reality of weeds is that, no matter what steps you take to prevent them, you are still likely to see a few pop up. If this happens to you, pull those weeds the second you see them emerge. Also, and this is really important: don't leave the plucked plant there. If you can, move the rocks away from the weed so that you can get right down to the root of the weed when you are pulling it. There are also small handheld weeding tools that can help you reach down to those pesky weed roots situated between rocks.

Advanced Weed Removal Techniques
If you are unable to get the weeds out from the roots, you are almost guaranteed to see even more weeds popping up between the rocks. There are other means to getting rid of those weeds and regaining the upper hand.

Have you heard of a weed flamer? Well, it's a thing. And it works very well in an application like this, because your landscape rocks are not flammable and they can withstand a tremendous amount of heat. It's as simple as blasting the weeds with the heat from the flamer. It's worth mentioning here that you want to keep the flamer away from any flammable materials, such as wood mulch or, you know, your house. If flammable materials are nearby, you can try using boiling water on the weeds. The heat can have the same effect, though, admittedly, this method doesn't have as much "wow" factor as the weed flamer. If you'd rather forego any methods that involve heat, you can always apply a premixed herbicide, such as glyphosate, right on the weeds.

In Conclusion
Weeds have been the enemy of landscaping since time immemorial. This is certainly true with regards to their willingness to disrupt your perfectly laid landscaping rocks. Knowing what to do before you lay that rock, as well as after, can give you an advantage against weeds and keep your landscaping looking picture perfect.

If weeds are making your life miserable, don't fret. At E.P.M. Lawnscape and Supply, we offer residential weed control services to help you have the lawn and landscaping you love. To learn more, contact us online or call us at (517) 990-0110 today!

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