When Is the Best Time to Pull Weeds?

There’s nothing better than a lush, green yard and flourishing gardens, and nothing worse than weeds taking over. This guide will help you figure out the best time to pull weeds, the best methods to use, and how to prevent weeds from ruining all your hard work in the future. 

What Are Weeds? 

Weeds are an invasive species of plant that grows amongst other foliage. They are an unwelcome guest in gardens, as they are unsightly and can have a dramatic effect on your overall yard health. Weeds can also clue you in to your soil health if you pay attention to the type of weeds that spring up. 

Weeds compete with nearby plants and flowers, often robbing the plants of sunlight, water, and space. Some species introduce bacteria and diseases, like pseudomonas, that can infect neighboring plants, causing them to rot prematurely. 

Best Time to Pull Weeds

Whether you are a new gardener or a seasoned pro, weeds can infiltrate your garden. If left alone, they will thrive and compete with your plants. Knowing the best time to pull weeds will help you maintain a flourishing garden. 

Spring and early summer are often the best times to pull weeds, preventing root systems from becoming widespread and interfering with the growth of wanted plants. Pulling emerging weeds before they have a chance to spread seeds and develop deep roots will help keep them from taking over your yard.

When the Soil Is Damp

Pulling weeds after rain will allow for a more effortless experience. Damp soil is loose, so pulling up entire weeds is less challenging than attempting to weed through dry soil. Watering the garden before pulling weeds can also suffice if rain is not on the radar.

Dry soil compacts and locks stems into place. Pulling weeds from dry soil will likely cause the stem to break, leaving the roots underneath the dirt. This will result in more work that can become strenuous. Improper removal can also allow weeds to reemerge if roots are left intact. 

Before Planting New Crops or Flowers

New crops and flowers need ample room to lay down roots and adjust to the soil. To thrive, a flower bed must be free of weeds prior to planting. Pulling weeds before planting allows your plants ample room to lay down strong and healthy roots. 

Weeding before mulching will also allow for better soil quality that will, in turn, aid in keeping the garden healthy. Mulching can also help prevent weeds from emerging.

Harmful or Poisonous Weeds Have Begun to Grow

At first glance, it might be challenging to assess the danger of a weed. Some weeds can appear charming and noninvasive. However, what goes on beneath the soil could be a serious problem for a garden. Learning about harmful or poisonous weed species can help an inexperienced gardener identify troublesome plants. 

Many common weeds have poisonous or irritative properties that affect humans and animals. Poison oak and poison ivy are notoriously dangerous weeds, and all forms of ragweed can affect allergy sufferers. Milkweed, jimson weed, and ivy can prove incredibly poisonous for pets.

When you spot one of these harmful or poisonous weeds, tend to them quickly and safely. You should always handle poisonous weeds with care and, most importantly, gloves. 

Weeds Have Infested Your Garden

While routine maintenance is essential, life can sometimes get in the way of proper garden care. 

"But it’s important to pull weeds before they have set seed to decrease the amount of weeds that will grow in the future," says Tara Dudley, Angi Expert Review Board member and owner of Plant Life Designs.

Should weeds take up residency in a garden, they can germinate and spread rapidly. These quick-growing plants could leave a gardener with an infestation of weeds within a relatively short period of time. Pulling weeds sooner rather than later is always preferable to save time, effort, and money. 

Nevertheless, if things have gotten out of hand, you’ll want to tend to your yard as soon as possible. The more weeds in a garden, the fewer nutrients the garden flowers or crops will receive. 

For a large group of weeds, pulling one cluster at a time may be strenuous. Consider a gardening hoe for collecting multiple weeds at once. 

Flowers or Crops Aren't Thriving

Weeds compete with nearby plants for soil space and light. They absorb vital nutrients and thrive while neighboring plants decline. Changes in your flowers, like wilted petals, colored spots, or decaying leaves, often indicate a lack of nutrients. If you notice these signs amongst your flowers or crops, examine the area for competitive weeds. 

However, vitamin deprivation can occur due to other garden-related problems. If you do not have an abundance of weeds, your issue may be related to soil or access to sun or water. Learning about the plant species in your garden and their specific needs will help you feel empowered as a gardener. 

Weeds Have Appeared in Cracks Between Pavement 

Weeds that grow between cracks in pavement, stone tiles, or walkways can be aesthetically unpleasing, but moreover, they can be a safety hazard. Weeds can cause pressure on an already weak tile, breaking it further. These weeds can create uneven footing that could result in a trip and fall.

Due to their unique location, pulling these weeds from the root may be challenging, so an alternative weed-killing method may be preferable. 

Best Ways to Pull Weeds

Weeds can be resilient if given a chance to survive, so you must remove them completely. 

• If you are pulling weeds by hand, pull the weed out gently to thoroughly remove the entire weed. Leaving the roots in the soil will allow for more weeds to thrive. 

• Using a weeding tool would also be beneficial for securing the whole weed without breaking the plant at the stem.

• Chemical weed killers, including DIY ones, will eliminate the entire plant when administered correctly. Use caution when applying certain weed-killing agents, as they can corrupt the soil and harm otherwise healthy plants.

"Only use these chemicals on a non-windy day to prevent drift damage to nearby plants," says Dudley."

Alternatives to Pulling Weeds

Pulling weeds on a routine basis may be easily done by hand. However, it may be more beneficial to use an alternative weed-killing method for larger quantities of weeds or specific species of weed. 

Weed and feed is an excellent solution to preventing weeds and treating grass simultaneously. This herbicide and fertilizer combination comes in pellets to administer over the entire lawn. The best times to distribute weed and feed are right before significant shifts in seasonal weather, like late summer and before fall. 

If you intend to administer weed and feed to a garden, wait until your crops or flowers have begun to bloom; otherwise, the herbicide will prevent their seeds from germinating.

A weed burner is a tool for the quick elimination of weeds. It consists of a propane tank, a hose, and a nozzle that effectively sprays a flame at the offending weed. Use this method with caution, and you should only burn green weeds for your safety and that of your yard. Burning any dried or brown weeds can result in a fire. 

Weed Prevention Tips

Once your lawn is free of weeds, there are methods to keep them from reemerging. 

• Use a pre-emergent weed treatment at the beginning of the growing season to prevent weeds from taking root.

• Use mulch around wanted plants to deprive weeds of the sunlight they need to grow.

• Use landscaping fabric to prevent weeds from accessing sunlight. Cut holes for wanted plants.

"However, it’s best to use landscaping fabric only with inorganic mulch," says Dudley. "When using it with an organic mulch, the fabric prevents the mulch from naturally breaking back down into the soil."

In gardening, routine weed maintenance can save a gardener time, effort, and money. It can stop an infestation in its tracks and protect the health of the flower bed. 

Weeds are versatile plants that can thrive under many circumstances. If you feel your weed problem is beyond your capabilities, consider contacting a local weed control service. Hire someone to pull weeds and take care of your lawn or garden so you can get back to the rewarding parts of gardening.

DIY vs. Hiring a Pro to Get Rid of Weeds

Weeding is doable for most DIYers, but manually removing weeds is labor-intensive and time-consuming, so it may or may not be a good idea, depending on the size of your yard. The good news is weeding costs nothing as a DIY job, assuming you already have the basic tools, like gloves and a weeding tool.

You can expect manual weeding to take one to two hours or longer. Pulling weeds takes patience and care because you have to get down to the roots. If you’re not careful, all your hard work will be for nothing since the weeds will quickly regrow if you don’t remove the roots. 

If you don’t have the time in your schedule to pull weeds, hire a landscaper to weed your yard. You can expect weed removal costs to range between $30 and $300 for a quarter-acre of land. Herbicide application to kill weeds costs less, at $60 to $180.