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It’s getting busy here at Ask Gardenerd this week.  Here’s another question that came in:

“Is there an easier way to keep the weeds down in my flower garden besides using preen covering, & then putting wood chips on top of the preen?”

Hi there,

I’ll admit, I actually had to look up Preen because I’d never heard of it. I see that you’re talking about acorn based weed suppressant, correct?

Okay – so there are two things that help weeds grow: water and sunlight.  One of the best way to keep weeds at bay is by using drip irrigation instead of overhead watering.  If you can use drip or bubblers to water right where you need it, then you’ll have fewer weeds.  Of course, if you live where it rains like crazy, this is not really a solution for you.

Mulch is actually that second solution. It sounds like you’re already doing that.  It also helps if you can get to the weeds before they go to seed each season.  Pulling them before the seeds have a chance to disperse will eventually decrease your weeds each year. You could definitely try a thicker layer of mulch, and if you aren’t dealing with crabgrass or Bermuda grass, you could lay down cardboard and then mulch over it with something more attractive.  This is called sheet mulching and there is a ton of information on the web about how to do it.

Another approach is planting your flowers close together.  They’ll act as a living mulch and crowd out the sunlight,which can help reduce weeds.

So, to make a long story…well…just as long… I don’t have an easier solution for you,but I can validate that you are on the right track.

Thanks for writing in!