How to Manage Weeds in Your Prairie/Pollinator Garden

*Insert some drawn out, poet writing about weeds and the metaphor of life*

Now onto the part you care about.

First, a couple things should be established.

1)    Your garden/landscape that you want weeded has pollinator or prairie.

2)    It is not individual plants but a whole plot of mixed species.

Here are the steps to handling weeds.

Step 1) Mow. The whole first year of your native garden being established, it’s important to mow it regularly—at least once a month. This keeps the annual weeds down.

Step 2) Mow a little bit more. The second year mow once or twice before the 4th of July. This fights the mare’s tail that loves to over power the first part of the year while the prairie and wildflowers are still gaining height.

Step 3) Spot mow/hoe. From now on you can simply go and weed where it’s necessary. If you have a smaller plot (less than 1/8 acre) you can just spend a couple hours hoeing a few times a summer. If you have a larger plot, then focus on the weeds that seem to be more aggressive. You can always mow down an area that is losing the battle to weeds and even reseed if needed.

What weeds should I watch out for?

It always depends on the soil, climate, and weather, but here are a few weeds that you should be vigilant against:

-       Queen Anne’s Lace: the queen of killing pollinator plots

-       Water Hemp: Whater you doing in my field

-       Mare’s Tail: The tale of weeding this is as old as time

-       Large Thistles (any thistles over 8 inches tall): They’ll be a thorn in your side… or feet

-       Yellow Mustard: Not edible

-       Horse Nettle: This nettle will nestle right into your field

-       Foxtail: They spread more like rabbits than foxes

-       Woolly Cup: … won’t even go there

If you can follow these steps, with a little elbow grease, in a few years your garden will be the envy of all your neighbors!

Best of luck! And if you’re looking for any weed free pollinator/prairie mix, check out our Prairie Shop.