Are you looking for a low maintenance way to stop summer weeds now? What are you planning to do, so that you will have amazing curb appeal during the summer months?
When creating a new shrub bed, I use a pre-emergent weed control before I put down my mulch. The MSU cares web site has some good information on what type of pre-emergent to use in shrub beds. To visit their site, click here.
According to the MSU site, using a product with trifluralin does a good job on slowing down and stopping many weeds. I have had several people ask what type of weed control I prefer. I use a product called Snapshot, but it is only sold in large commercial bags and is fairly expensive. I like to start putting down my weed control now, during the months of February and March. Remember, as with all products, please be sure to read and follow the label. You knew that. If in doubt, always get an expert to help you.
Are you using pine straw or hardwood mulch this spring? Which one is better? Why?
Over the last few years, I have seen a shift in mulch preference from hardwood to pine straw. Both of these types of mulch have their place and both are useful.
Pine straw is by far the top mulch I use. I use pine straw frequently in my shrub beds for several reasons. It spreads quickly, and is easy to transport to distant sites. Pine straw is also very forgiving, if it is accidentally piled up too closely against a tree trunk or shrub base.
Hardwood mulch also has its benefits, but the biggest mistake I see, is piling on too much hardwood mulch or placing it too close to the base of plants or tree trunks. Click here, to see a video of this and what you should do to prevent this. I have seen folks lose their "Wow!" appeal because of piling hardwood mulch on the base of their plants. I tend to use hardwood mulch for pathways or walking trails and around swimming pools.
Are you looking for a low maintenance way to stop summer weeds now? What are you planning to do, so that you will have amazing curb appeal during the summer months?
When creating a new shrub bed, I use a pre-emergent weed control before I put down my mulch. The MSU cares web site has some good information on what type of pre-emergent to use in shrub beds. To visit their site, click here.
According to the MSU site, using a product with trifluralin does a good job on slowing down and stopping many weeds. I have had several people ask what type of weed control I prefer. I use a product called Snapshot, but it is only sold in large commercial bags and is fairly expensive. I like to start putting down my weed control now, during the months of February and March. Remember, as with all products, please be sure to read and follow the label. You knew that. If in doubt, always get an expert to help you.
Are you using pine straw or hardwood mulch this spring? Which one is better? Why?
Over the last few years, I have seen a shift in mulch preference from hardwood to pine straw. Both of these types of mulch have their place and both are useful.
Pine straw is by far the top mulch I use. I use pine straw frequently in my shrub beds for several reasons. It spreads quickly, and is easy to transport to distant sites. Pine straw is also very forgiving, if it is accidentally piled up too closely against a tree trunk or shrub base.
Hardwood mulch also has its benefits, but the biggest mistake I see, is piling on too much hardwood mulch or placing it too close to the base of plants or tree trunks. Click here, to see a video of this and what you should do to prevent this. I have seen folks lose their "Wow!" appeal because of piling hardwood mulch on the base of their plants. I tend to use hardwood mulch for pathways or walking trails and around swimming pools.