Weed Control Mistakes to Avoid
                     
Everyone seems to have a preferred 
way to deal with weeds. 
For instance, you might have watched 
your grandparent pour boiling water 
over unwanted plants in their yard. 
While you’ll often come across some 
good advice when you talk to your 
family and neighbors, it is still possible 
to make these common mistakes that 
hinder your efforts at weed control.
Starting Too Late 
In the Season
If you wait until you see weeds popping 
up, then you can expect to be dealing 
with an extensive problem. 
Once weeds show up above ground, 
they may already be capable 
of spreading their seeds. 
The best way to keep them under 
control is to start out early in the 
spring with pre-emergent spraying. 
In Arizona, this also needs to be done 
in the fall to kill off winter weeds 
before they begin growing. 
Forgetting About Natural 
Weed Barriers
You’ll often see people putting down plastic and other types 
of barriers, and this can be effective in rock gardens, 
provided that you keep them maintained. 
There’s also something to be said for a lush and healthy lawn for choking 
out weeds. When grass is healthy, it covers up bare dirt that could serve 
as a place for seeds to get buried. 
Thick grass also helps to block sunlight from reaching 
a newly planted weed seed.
Using Ineffective 
Hand Pulling
Most people start out with the best 
intentions of enjoying a beautiful 
spring day outside with their 
kneeling mat and weed pulling tool 
in hand. 
Yet, things can quickly spiral out 
of control. 
At best, you might just miss a few 
roots that grow back with 
the next rainfall.
At worst, you could wind up with 
a sunburn or pulled back muscles 
that make you dread the next 
weed-pulling day. 
While you can successfully pull a few 
errant sprouts from your garden, 
you’ll want to leave more extensive 
work to the professionals.
Spreading Seeds 
by Accident
Have you ever been tempted to just 
mow over weeds so that they’ll 
blend in with the landscape? 
If so, then you may have just 
scattered seeds all over your lawn, 
which will make the problem worse. 
The same issue can also happen with 
hand-pulling, if you toss the plant off 
to the side as you work. 
Spraying weeds is more effective for 
preventing new weeds than mowing, 
which does nothing to fully eliminate 
the existing one. 
If you do hand pull a weed, 
make sure to dispose of it properly 
so that you don’t accidentally drop 
the seeds.
Killing Off 
the Good Plants
There’s a difference between weed 
sprays that isn’t always apparent 
if you don’t know what to look for 
on the label. 
Certain sprays are designed to only 
kill specific species of plants. 
These are best to use when you 
have grass or decorative plants that 
you want to preserve. 
Other sprays are meant for killing off 
everything they touch. 
Only use these in places where 
you don’t want anything to grow 
for several months or even years.
If we had a flower for every weed 
mistake we saw people making, 
we’d have a beautiful bouquet 
to share with everyone! 
The good news is that most mistakes 
are easy to remedy with a professional 
weed spray service. 
While it may take some time, 
you can enjoy being weed-free 
at your home or commercial property. 
Give us a call and let us help you 
eliminate your weed problem.
Custom Weed & Pest Control 
has been in business since 1989, 
serving the greater Phoenix metro 
area for both residential 
and commercial.
We offer organic, natural and chemical 
pest control, with customized service 
to meet your specific needs.