It seems like once you have a garden or a landscape that you like, you will spend far more time taking care of it than you will enjoying it. Of course, that’s part of the fun of watching your garden grow and prosper; it’s not as satisfying if you don’t put a certain amount of sweat and blood back into it. One of the most annoying tasks that many come across is the process of removing unwanted plants, such as the invasive vines and weeds that can choke out an otherwise perfectly healthy area in no time flat. There are a variety of herbicides and other harmful chemicals one can use to make this an easier task, but we here at the Parke Company believe in a more natural solution, which is why we have compiled a list of some eco-friendly ways to take care of those pesky plants.
How to Get Rid of Weeds & Vines
Identifying the Enemy
Identifying the problem plants at hand is pretty easy. All you need to do is drive away from Nashville proper and look at the roadside, and you will see entire trees, poles, and more taken over by a particularly invasive and fast-growing plant called Kudzu, also known as “the plant that ate the south.” Another commonly seen invasive plant is the several subsets of the honeysuckle bush, which is not necessarily a bad thing as many people like the smell it produces, but it is not always welcome, and can easily take up valuable resources like sunlight and water. Other plants include the winged burning bush, wintercreeper, and the purple loosestrife. As far as vines go, which are more troublesome considering how quickly they tend to grow, be on the lookout for various types of ivy and creeping charlie.
Taking Action
Once you know what you’re looking for, the problem then becomes what to do about it. Doing something is the first step, as the more you wait the more the problem gets out of hand. It is important to come up with a plan of attack, working from the outside in, and from the top down. Hacking away at the vines and getting to the root of the problem (so to speak) is a great strategy. Do not rip them up right away, as this could damage the roots of any nearby plants. You have to remember that the vines will sprout again soon, but cutting them down to size will have immense benefits for the next phase. For a lot of plants, the answer is to remove the shady coverings as much as possible, which helps them grow, and expose them to the sunlight so they wither and die. Another strategy is to smother the offending plants with a thick liner, although you have to be careful to avoid smothering the good plants, and to work a high-in-nutrient fertilizer into the soil afterwards.
Removing offending vines and weeds is a hard job, one that requires a lot of elbow grease and constant vigilance to make sure they do not return. If they do, you need to be prepared to step in right away or the problem will present itself again. If this seems like a lot of work, you could always give the professionals here at the Parke Company a call and we can help you with your landscaping needs, including maintaining these problematic plants.