Keeping Weeds Out of Lawn Areas
Weeds can establish themselves in a flower bed rather easily due to the fact that there is relatively little competition. There is plenty of open area with freshly disturbed soil, which is perfect for weeds to grow. In contrast, weeds have a much more difficult time establishing themselves in a well maintained lawn due to the fact that the grass is so tightly packed and allows for little else to grow between the plants. Problems can arise in a situation where weeds have established themselves in a flower bed next to a well maintained lawn. The weeds are able to grow strong and can send runners or seeds into the nearby weed free lawn. Even the most well tended lawn will not be able to fight off this kind of close proximity attack.
How to Keep Weeds from the Flower Bed Out of Your Lawn
The best way to keep weeds in your flower bed from invading your lawn is to keep the weeds from your flower beds to begin with.
First, thoroughly weed your flower bed to remove as many of the weeds as possible. Next, lay down a pre-emergent, such as Preen, in your flower beds and lawn. A pre-emergent will keep new weeds from growing from seeds. As an added precaution, add a plastic border to the edges of your flower bed. Make sure the plastic border can be pushed into the ground at least 2 to 3 inches (5-8 cm.). This will help prevent any weed runners from escaping the flower bed.
Keeping an eye out for future weeds in the garden will also go a long way towards helping to keep the weeds out of the lawn. At the very least, make sure to remove any flowers on the weeds that do grow. This will further ensure that no new weeds establish themselves from seeds. If you take these steps, the weeds should stay out of both your lawn and your flower beds.
