How to Prevent Weeds Before the Start to Grow
Unwanted plants can make an otherwise beautiful property look messy and unkempt. In fact, weeds have the power to portray a home as abandoned, ignored and even neglected. They can lead to fines from HOAs, along with deterring customers with commercial properties.
Types of Weeds
The lifecycle of weeds typically starts with seeds. Their seeds are often times more proliferant than wanted plants, and sprout more quickly. These in turn, produce more seeds, at a faster rate. Unwanted plants can suck out the life of wanted plants, by covering the ground quicker.
In our region, of the West Coast and Northern Nevada and Eastern California, some of the most common types of weeds (known by their common name) include:
- Russian thistle (tumbleweeds)
- Cheatgrass
- Whitetop
- Siberian Elms
- Wild Mustard
- Dodder
- Milkweed
- Dandelion
- And many more
These weeds tend to find their way into any and every crack and crevice and exposed soil. Their lifecycle is quick and can often be multiple generations in one season.
How to Prevent Weeds Before the Start to Grow
The most effective weed control usually involves covering the ground. These methods include pavement (almost 100% effectiveness), patio pavers, and then grass lawns. Other ground covers include weed control fabric with mulch or topping, compacted DG, and shrub-based ground covers like juniper tams and phlox flowers. In addition, wildflowers in-mass can help crowd out unwanted plants, and take the place of weeds, with more aesthetic flowers.
On the chemical and application side of weed control, the use of pre-emergent, post-emergent and herbicides can be effective.
Finally, and most practically, scheduled weed trimming is the most effective for handling weeds that have already grown.
A combination of all of these methods will likely lead to the least amount of weeds, and the most clean and kept property achievable.
Pre-Emergent Weed Control
Pre-emergent works at inhibiting the sprouting of unwanted plant seeds right before they start to germinate. It requires the chemical to be “watered into” the soil and soak into the surrounding matter around unwanted seeds. It is formulated to not negatively affect most wanted plants. It is not entirely effective but can work on preventing most current weed seeds in the soil from germinating and sprouting. It is best performed in winter and early season. There are also branded formulas designed to have multiple applications during a season, like Preen.
Post-Emergent Weed Control

Post-emergent weed control is essentially like pre-emergent, but applied right at the end of a season, when the seeds have recently fallen. It works at making the seeds impotent before they settle into the soil during the dormant winter season. For ideal timing of pre emergent applications, Postemergent in late fall, combined with pre-emergent in early spring/late winter is the most effective use of pre-emergent series applications. They ideally should be done together.
Weed Control Fabric
Weed control fabrics help prevent weed seeds under the soil from popping up. And any weed seed on top has a difficult time taking root, due to the artificial barrier between the topper/mulch and the soil. The fabric is layed around wanted plants, and ideally on top of any drip irrigation, with a topper over it. It can be effective at reducing weeds by over 90%. And what weeds do grow, are easier to pull up, with their shallow root system. Converting all perimeter landscaping and planter beds into fabric covered beds can create a mid-to-long-term weed control solution. It’s also important to use long-lasting, high-quality commercial grade weed control fabric. This will last much longer than low-cost versions. Always purchase the highest grade available for this type of product. It will have the lowest long-term cost.
Spraying and Herbicides
Herbicides work differently than pre-emergents, in that they attack an existing weed that has germinated and taken root. There are many kinds. The most popular branded version is Roundup. It works at killing plant species, through absorption through the leaves and stem, and works its way into the root system. Oftentimes, this will take about 1-week to see full results, but some varieties and brands boast about visible results in a matter of hours. Herbicides and spot spraying are ideal for patio joints, driveway and pavement cracks, hard to reach areas. They reduce the back-breaking work of “pulling” weeds and kill the weed rather than leave a stub (from weed trimming). If applied early enough, the weed will die before it is able to reproduce.
Weed trimming and pulling
Weed trimming, using string trimmers and other tools, is often the fastest way to remove the visible eyesore of large weeds on a property that really needs a cleanup. Weed pulling usually involves manual hand-pulling of weeds, by the roots. While more effective at preventing the weed from coming back, weed pulling can be incredibly laborious and costly.
When to Cut and Remove Weeds
It is more cost-effective to trim weeds, ideally before they have pollinated, then using a leaf blower and rake to gather them up. In under an hour, an entire property can be cleaned up, with only minor visible stubs exposed. Some of these will simply die off. Others may need recurring visits to maintain. In the Reno-Sparks area, a startup property cleanup in April, should often be followed up in June with a pure weed control visit, as June is a month that weeds truly need to be attacked before they go to seed. And finally, an end-of-season September or October cleanup may be needed.
When considering long-term weed control, for your home or business, utilize this 3-part approach of landscape design + seasonal herbicide + scheduled property cleanups to keep your property as weed-free as possible.
About Author
Mike Cutler is a past landscaper by trade, small business counselor, and advisor to Smartscapes Landscaping in Reno, Nevada. He enjoys outdoor activities with his family in the Sierra Nevada Mountains.