This Easy Winter Weed-Killing Hack Stops Unwanted Plants Springing Back in the New Year

Winter weeds can push their way into the garden amazingly fast, like an alien occupying force. The weeds of winter are not tough, deep-rooted plants, so yanking them out by hand is an option. But if you have a garden full of them, there are other (easier) ways to keep on top of a problem like this, before it becomes a problem.

Winter weeds are wussy weeds, with shallow roots and soft stems. This winter weed killer is one of the most efficient and potentially inexpensive ways of staying one step ahead of weeds in your yard. Whether you’re looking to control weeds on a lawn, in a garden bed, in a raised bed, or between pavings, this easy weed killer for winter is a fantastic way to safeguard your spring garden.

This garden hack doesn’t require use of toxic chemicals – just some cardboard, newspaper or tarp – so it won’t damage other garden plants, or threaten wildlife. Yet over time, this trick can help you kill winter weeds (and prevent future weeds) in a very effective way, thereby making your spring planting that bit quicker and tidier.

What Winter Weeds Need to Survive

We tend to treat weeds as separate to other plants, because they are generally unwanted – but they are still plants. Like other garden plants, weeds need water, sunlight, and air to survive. This is just as true in winter as it is at any other time. And winter weeds are weirdly not always tough or as resilient as you might imagine.

Don’t make the weeding mistake of thinking that winter weeds require exactly the same treatment as certain weed varieties that seem to pop up all over the place in summer. Some of the more common garden weeds you’ll see at this time of year (hairy bittercress, chickweed, purple deadnettle, clover, speedwell) are relatively shallow-rooted and wimpy. So if you deprive weeds of any one of these three core elements, they will turn up their toes.

Of course, it’s not easy to keep weeds bone dry in winter. Even if you stop irrigating the area, winter rain or fog can moisten the soil. It’s also difficult to prevent air from getting to a garden area. But blocking out sunlight? Now that we can do something about. This is our core objective with this hack for weed killing in winter.

Depriving Winter Weeds of Sunshine

As someone who grew up in central Alaska, I know how depressing it can be to pass months without seeing the sun. Winter weeds don’t appreciate lack of sunlight, either – and this makes smothering an effective way to control their growth. Although you can get a lot of satisfaction from hand pulling weeds, this hack allows you to claw back some time both now, and in spring.

Smothering (the process of depriving weeds of sunshine) is effective as a weed killer for lawns in winter, as well as with those in garden beds and borders. Cutting off sunlight interrupts photosynthesis, a plant’s food-making process. This weed control technique involves covering the soil surface with a material that blocks sunlight. This is how a lot of mulching products work. Without sunlight, weeds cannot make food and will eventually die back. Smothering is an environmentally friendly, affordable method of controlling winter weeds.

Another plus with smothering is that it can coexist with any spring crops. Since lack of sunlight does not prevent germination, smothering will not prevent any seeds you’ve sown in autumn from germinating in spring. It can even work in spots around the garden where you have connecting pavers, stepping stones and patio slabs. And there are some great products sitting around your home that are perfect for smothering.

Weed Smothering 101

It is possible to use a few materials to smother your weeds, including organic mulch, cardboard, landscape fabric, newspaper, and clear or black plastic tarp. Any of these can be effective to block sunlight from the weeds, but some work better than others. However, the beauty of using cardboard to smother weeds in winter is that you are bound to have a fair old bit of card knocking around during the holidays, particularly while the gifting season is in full swing.

Flattened cardboard boxes or newspapers are a very effective way to smother weeds. One layer of cardboard will do the job, but if you want to use newspapers, pile on around 10 layers. You can hold the paper in place by hosing it down lightly, anchoring it with rocks or bricks, or covering it with an organic mulch like Back To The Roots Organic Premium Mulch from Amazon. The mulch is a good choice because it not only holds the newspaper or cardboard in place, but also makes the yard look nicer during the smothering process.

You can also use black tarp to prevent sunlight from reaching the plants. For best results, use a tarp that is larger than the garden area you wish to clear. Spread out the tarp, then secure it on all sides with bricks or rocks to prevent it from getting blown away by the wind. If you need a large tarp, use long pieces of wood to hold down the edges, with rocks or bricks on top of the wood.

Weed tarps and barriers like EcoGardener Pro Garden Weed Barrier from Amazon are heavy duty and durable. However, they could run expensive if you are looking to cover a wide area – whereas cardboard is inexpensive and something you are bound to have a fair amount of as the holidays rush towards our homes.

Whatever you use, you can smother winter weeds in as little as 3 weeks. But don’t make the mistake of removing the card too quickly. It’s a good idea to leave them on for longer, between 2-3 months, to make sure all the weeds are dead and that the ground is clear as you enter spring.

Tackling Other Weeds

As I have said, winter weeds are wimpy weeds, with soft stems and shallow roots. But there are other weeds, perennial weeds like dandelions or thistles, that are larger and tougher, and have deep tap roots. It may take more smothering time to rid the garden of these. So if you are tackling this project in spring, bear this in mind.

One option is to dig them out with a garden fork like RestMo’s Heavy Duty Gardening Fork from Amazon, before you lay down the card, tarp or paper. This is essential if the presence of perennial weeds prevents you from getting the covering material flat on the soil. You can also use a hori hori knife like Perwin’s Hori Hori Knife for Weeding from Amazon, to help sever and lever tap-rooted weeds in their entirety, preventing regrowth. Then use the card or paper to prevent further growth.

Your Weeding Essentials

Laying down some cardboard or newspaper is a great way of suppressing weeds ahead of spring, but it’s always a good idea to create a ‘weed toolkit’ that you can rely on for different, more tenacious weeds and specific parts of the garden. Here are some of the key tools and products to keep close ahead of the new gardening year.

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