Help us in our battle against Weeds! What do you do? (lawn, irrigation)

[RenW]

Any advice big or small would be useful!

We are settling into our new home in Tempe. Predominately having lived in the Midwest and only owning a home once before, I know very little about dealing with this alien yard we now possess.

The front yard is a desert landscape without rock, but it was done in a pleasing way. It doesn't have any rock and I like it that way. (Hopefully cut down on the heat effect as well.)

Our backyard has two patios and fair amount of stone work (half the yard in fact.) When we bought the home it had some struggling grass in the back but I'd rather have desert landscape back there as well. We haven't watered and it has pretty much died off.

The ultimate plan is to plant more native cactus, desert plants, trees, and bushes that require little water. We don't have an irrigation system so whatever we plant we have to hand water and we have little desire to continue that long term.

Most of the plants in our yard are completely alien to me. I'm going to need help in that area but that is another thread entirely.

Right now I'm at a loss at exactly what to do. Please understand I'm really new at this so any basic information is welcome and certainly won't make me feel offended.

I've read about spraying with Roundup or Vinegar/dish soap home mixtures. This feels like a stupid question but once you spray the plants and they die how do you manage the dead weeds?

There are a couple areas in which I don't want anything to grow such as a front (soon to be gravel) walkway, along the driveway, in cracks of stone work. I've thought about literally salting the earth in these places as I'm afraid to use something like Ground clear will spread too much.

It is evident we are going to need to use a pre-emergent especially since we have let the weeds go. How many times a year should we use one?

I'm also intrigued by other solutions such as propane weed burner. Has anyone used one of these?

It would just be really nice to know what other people's weed killing routines are. What do you use? How often do you engage in weed control? What exactly does your routine consist of?

If you use a service how much does it cost and how often do they come out?

Thank you so much for your help!

[Bungle]

Originally Posted by RenW

I'm also intrigued by other solutions such as propane weed burner. Has anyone used one of these?

I have no idea where you live and what's around you but this sounds like a horrible idea considering how dry everything is out here and how quick winds can show up.

[RenW]

Originally Posted by Bungle

I have no idea where you live and what's around you but this sounds like a horrible idea considering how dry everything is out here and how quick winds can show up.

To use it properly you don't actually set the weeds on fire, but you sap them of their moisture with the flame. But used incorrectly I could see it being a really bad idea.

[bgray9]

Originally Posted by RenW

To use it properly you don't actually set the weeds on fire, but you sap them of their moisture with the flame. But used incorrectly I could see it being a really bad idea.

I use one at times and yes, if you're not paying attention you can get in trouble quickly or melt a drip line or two, that sort of thing. We try to not use any chemicals in our yard and the propane torch is great for taking care of a good amount of weeds pretty quickly in areas where you don't have plants you want to keep or drip lines. Getting weeds with this in areas we can makes pulling the remaining weeds (in places you shouldn't use the torch) seem like a much more manageable job. We found out about using one from talking to a neighbor down the street who was using one when we were first making an offer on the house we subsequently bought.

[cactusland]

Vinegar won't do anything. Your best bet is to spray Groundclear, and do it in the morning. Do it well before any rain and maybe spot treatment after rains. If you do it properly, you really only need to do it twice a year. Some parts of your lawn will be 'hotspots' for weeds more than others. I just use a weedeater and Groundclear and it is fairly managed. If anything gets too out of control, it is easy to take care of after the chemicals chew the weeds up. Keep it away from any plants you want to keep though.

[Wally Sconce]

Ortho Groundclear is all you need. Spray it everywhere you don't want anything to grow, just stay a foot away from plants. I'm a part time resident and I spray it twice a year on my properties and it works just fine AND dandy. NO REASON TO "BATTLE" WEEDS..JUST KILL THEM dead!

[observer53]

Originally Posted by Wally Sconce

Ortho Groundclear is all you need. Spray it everywhere you don't want anything to grow, just stay a foot away from plants. I'm a part time resident and I spray it twice a year on my properties and it works just fine AND dandy. NO REASON TO "BATTLE" WEEDS..JUST KILL THEM dead!

Does Groundclear kill existing weeds AND act as a preemergent preventing additional weeds? If so, then one product is enough, but most preemergents are not weed killers, and vice versa.

[wpme]

I use a product from Tractor Supply called "Barrier" (I'm sure it is also available at other stores), it is glyphosate (roundup) and a pre-emergent, spray twice a year and NOTHING grows

Dead weeds, bend over, grasp firmly, and pull, throw in garbage, do that a few thousand times and you will know why I use Barrier

[Wally Sconce]

Originally Posted by observer53

Does Groundclear kill existing weeds AND act as a preemergent preventing additional weeds? If so, then one product is enough, but most preemergents are not weed killers, and vice versa.

It kills everything that is growing and it keeps them from growing at least that's my experience. ..I get a few weeds in the winter but that's about all and usually they grow in wet places like where the eves run off or next to a plant that I have avoided getting to close to with Groundclear.

"Kills weeds and prevents new growth for up to 1 year" Ortho GroundClear Vegetation Killer Concentrate If you read the reviews they are mixed. Obviously this stuff works the best in places like AZ with little rain but using it in Washington State or Maine will head different results.

[pbenjamin]

Groundclear's documentation claims that it is a pre-emergent and a post emergent.