So, in your garden/backyard, how do you deal with weeds? (Phoenix: rental, lawyers)

[kent_moore]

1 gallon of vinegar, 2 cups of salt and half cup of laundry soap, mix well. Works perfectly fine for me. Then buy one of those sprinklers.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by Nik4me

Propane Torch weeder?
https://shop.harborfreight.com/media...mage_11749.jpg

Get a good one with a solid valve if possible.
Another is 30%vinegar from amazon or farming supply store. Anything less wont work.
Torch could be cheaper in a long run. They even sell a small cart on wheels for 20 gal propane tank to pull around or u can make your own if handy

Wow, the first time I've ever heard of using a propane torch to kill weeds.. I'll have to look into it.. I have used the vinegar mix, I guess the good part about it is the soil won't have the problems I hear about that result from the use of weed killers, like Round-Up. The stuff is not cheap either, especially the concentrate.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by Voebe

Sorry, is "ground clear" the name of a product?

I have pebbles, and not thickly scattered. Hm, I just spoke to master gardeners who said that pre-emergent is only good once a year, mostly useless at other times. Actually, for something as unskilled as weed-pulling, I wouldn't mind hiring a high-school kid for minimum wage.

Ground Clear is a product that basically kills all vegetation, I've used it before, it killed weeds and it kept them away, though not permanently. The one disadvantage about using Ground Clear is you have to be very careful to make sure there aren't any plants or trees within a 10-foot radius of the area you spray, or if trees or plants can have water runoff from the area you sprayed with Ground Clear, it could potentially damage or kill trees/plants.

On rocks, my neighbor has a thick rock cover in his front yard and I rarely see weeds in it.

[Magnum Mike]

I've used weed blocker fabric in my backyard between the soil and the rocks, the stuff is a waste of money. It worked for a couple of years, after cold and hot seasons and rain fall, weeds are starting to push through the fabric cover..

[veritased]

I actually use weed pulling as a good exercise.
Learn how to do squats correctly, to save your back, and max your workout, and then for each weed squat down and pull it, believe me, it will be good for your health.
Google benefits of 'air squats' to learn more.

[Magnum Mike]

Originally Posted by veritased

I actually use weed pulling as a good exercise.
Learn how to do squats correctly, to save your back, and max your workout, and then for each weed squat down and pull it, believe me, it will be good for your health.
Google benefits of 'air squats' to learn more.

I do that also. - I wait a few days after rain for the soil to dry up a little bit, it makes it easy to tap the soil off the roots.

[LagunaMom]

Mow them.

[Voebe]

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Wow, the first time I've ever heard of using a propane torch to kill weeds.. I'll have to look into it.. I have used the vinegar mix, I guess the good part about it is the soil won't have the problems I hear about that result from the use of weed killers, like Round-Up. The stuff is not cheap either, especially the concentrate.

I've heard of using a propane torch before, and when I hear it, I have to giggle. It reminds of something like the fiasco when a guy set his house on fire by trying to kill a spider with one.

As far as I know, salt is not a good think to put into the soil.

Originally Posted by Magnum Mike

Ground Clear is a product that basically kills all vegetation, I've used it before, it killed weeds and it kept them away, though not permanently. The one disadvantage about using Ground Clear is you have to be very careful to make sure there aren't any plants or trees within a 10-foot radius of the area you spray, or if trees or plants can have water runoff from the area you sprayed with Ground Clear, it could potentially damage or kill trees/plants.

On rocks, my neighbor has a thick rock cover in his front yard and I rarely see weeds in it.

Whoops. Thanks, Mike, but there is a tree within 10 feet, so that's out.

Again, excuse my ignorance, but what do you mean by a rock cover? It surely can't be the mental image I have. Do you just mean that his rocks cover the ground? Well, maybe your neighbour is just luckier than I am.

[newtoaz20172]

We have gardeners at our place in North Scottsdale to take care of weeds. I did plant some mean grass this year.

[jnojr]

Originally Posted by Voebe

The weeds have been getting me in trouble with my HOA, but I'm trying to avoid using serious pesticides (my neighbors are urging me to use Roundup).

Why?

Your neighbors are right... use something that works. RoundUp does not give you cancer or autism or whatever the shrill cry of the week is.