Cheap & Easy Weed Control

Keep those pesky weeds from ruining all your hard work with this simple weed control method. It’s easy, effective, and barely costs a thing….oh, and works so much better than landscape fabric!

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I had no idea you could even do this!! Wait until you see the photo that compares her newspaper method with the landscape fabric. UNREAL. I have a big gardening project this weekend, and now I know exactly how to prevent all those weeds from coming back! #weedcontrol #controllingweeds #lawnmaintenance #cheapeasylawncare

If you came to my house, and walked all around the outside, one major thing would probably stick out to you…I’m terrible at gardening! I wish I had been blessed with a green thumb, but all I seem to grow are massive amounts of weeds.

Stringy, tall, yucky weeds.

And who has time to remove them all in the scorching Florida sun? Not me!

So I can do one of two things:

  1. Either ignore the weeds and cause shame among all my neighbors
  2. OR, go outside in the 90+ degree heat and pull them

Ahhh, but you see, there’s a third weed control option!

I accidentally discovered this trick when we ran out of black landscaping fabric. With about three more feet left to cover and no desire to drive to Lowes that late in the day, Joseph suggested NEWSPAPER.

I had no idea you could use this stuff outside, but apparently it’s biodegradable. Newspaper lets just enough air and water through for the actual plants, and prevents weeds from popping up at the same time. In fact, after just a few weeks, we found it worked even better than landscaping fabric!

Plus, it’s super cheap, making it a win-win in my book.

Easy Weed Control

Supplies Needed:

  • Recycled newspaper
  • Rocks or mulch for the top

The Project:

Step 1: Weed your flower or garden bed completely. Don’t get lazy with this part, or you’ll be pulling weeds again soon.

Ugh, look at that overgrown mess!

Easy Weed Control

Ahh…..much better. Plus, we added a new plant!

Easy Weed Control

Step 2: Lay 6-8 layers of newspaper {not the glossy ads} and overlap the edges of the paper about 2 inches as you move along. Keep a hose nearby to soak the paper and keep it from blowing around if it’s a windy day.

Easy Weed Control

Step 3: Cover all papers with mulch or rocks. We used small river rocks, which cost about $2-$3 per bag.

Easy Weed Control

Side Note: The rocks were covered in nasty junk, so we set up a DIY cleaning station with wood and chicken wire to clean them off. A moment of brilliance from none other than Joseph.

Easy Weed Control

And we’re done!

Easy Weed Control

Total Cost: Free

I can’t even begin to tell you how excited I am to be weed-free for months. It makes me want to go through all the other flower beds too, which is SO not like me!

Plus, if you ever decide to add more plants later, it’s much easier to tear an extra hole in newspaper than fight with landscaping fabric. The latter has the potential to mess up all that hard work.

Want a peek behind-the-scenes? We had some dead leaf tips on one of our plants that looked horrible. So we literally used scissors to shape our own leaves for the photos!

weeds-behind-the-scenes

What weed control methods do you use?

 

Disclosure: Some of the links in the post above are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission. Regardless, I only recommend products or services I use personally and believe will add value to my readers. Read my full disclosure policy here.

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One Comment

  1. I think mulch and gravel is a great way to keep the weeds under control. I have noticed that even when these are used weeds still find a way to survive. When this happens you might want to look into some chemical uses.

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