Getting Rid of Unwanted Plants

There is an old saying that goes something like "One man's trash is another man's treasure," and this is a truism in gardening as it is anywhere else. In gardening though, the trash and treasure would be plants. What some people like to grow, others would only consider a weed. Whatever the reason, getting rid of unwanted plants in your garden and landscaping efforts is an invaluable tool that every gardener should firmly know. Here are a few guidelines that are designed to help you learn how to get rid of unwanted plants.

• Decide what is a weed. Before you begin getting rid of unwanted plants, you need to determine what your definition of a weed is. Strictly speaking, any plant can be a weed, if it is growing where you do not want it to grow. This means you need to carefully decide on what plants you want to keep, which ones you want to transplant, and which ones you want to remove completely.
• Dig it out. Once you have decided on what plants will need to be removed, begin digging them out. For large plants the easiest way to do this is by using a shovel. For smaller plants use a hand trowel. When digging out the plant, be sure that you remove as much of the root system as you can. This will help ensure that you don't have any resurgence of that particular plant coming back.
• Use herbicides to help. If necessary, use some herbicides to help remove the plants that you don't want anymore. Be careful as you use these though, since using them improperly can potentially harm other plants that you do want to keep. When not using these, make sure that you store them properly to avoid any harm from befalling children or small animals. Whenever possible, use organic herbicides since they will be less dangerous than other ones.
• Replace with a different plant. One of the best ways to prevent unwanted plants from coming back is to replace it with a newer, different plant. After all, it is a little more difficult for an unwanted plant or weed to grow somewhere if there is already something growing there. Ideally you should pick a plant that will grow well in your specific growing zone, and that will not require special care or maintenance when growing.
• Stay on top. After you have removed all of the unwanted plants in your landscape or garden, make sure that you stay on top of it. Continue to check for weeds, flowers, or other plants that you do not want growing in your garden. The minute that you see them, get rid of them. This will help prevent the plants from becoming more of a problem later on.