Weeds: Roundup or dig?

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on June 04, 2009 at 7:27 AM, updated June 04, 2009 at 7:34 AM
Just dig weeds before mulching. It's good to eliminate weeds before mulching, but herbicide isn't a must.

Q: What do I do about weeds before applying mulch? Several people have told me to kill them with Roundup first, wait until they die, dig them up, and then put the mulch down. Is there a way to avoid using the herbicide, for instance, can I try getting rid of the weeds as much as I can with a shovel, and then cover the area with pine bark mulch?

A: That's what everybody did before Roundup came along. I pull and/or dig almost all of my weeds and then cover the ground with mulch.

Mulch alone will smother and kill some of the smaller, wimpier weeds, but most weeds will simply grow through an inch or two of mulch. That's why it's best to remove them first. If you get all the roots, the weed is gone immediately with no herbicide. Even if you don't get everything, why not pull/dig what you can, mulch and then spot-spray with Roundup later to kill anything that poked through? At least that's limiting the spray.

If you opt to use Roundup or a similar weed-killer up front, there's no need to wait to mulch or to dig it later. Once the spray is on, most weeds are doomed and will die under the mulch. Again, you can spot-spray anything that pops up later.