- 1). Rototill the planting site for your flower bed during the hottest two months of the summer in your area. Cover it with plastic sheeting for six to eight weeks. This simple solarization method will effectively kill a significant number of weeds and weed seeds.
- 2). Cultivate the top inch of your flower bed's soil as soon as the soil can be worked in the spring. Flood it with 1 or 2 inches of water. Repeat every two weeks, up to about three weeks before you wish to plant flowers. This cycle encourages weed seeds to sprout, after which they drown from the heavy irrigation.
- 3). Treat your flower bed with a glyphosate-based herbicide, like Roundup, two weeks prior to planting. This will kill weeds that have survived the cycle of cultivation and irrigation. Rototill the glyphosate into the planting site. Follow the packaging instructions carefully.
- 4). Purchase flower plants from local sources, if at all possible. These are typically well-adapted to the environmental conditions in your area. They'll grow more vigorously than others, which means that their growth will be less affected by weeds. Your county extension office will be able to advise you in this regard.
- 5). Apply 2 to 4 inches of mulch to your flower bed after planting. Mulching is the easiest single most effective weed management technique. Mulch also helps to retain soil moisture and keeps the bed cooler during the hot months. You can use almost any organic material such as leaves, pine needles, bark, sawdust, grass clippings or wood chips. Many people prefer synthetics such as black plastic or landscaping cloth. Avoid using hay unless it's been composted because it carries a significant seed content, and you don't want to add to your weed troubles.
- 6). Apply granular pre-emergent herbicide on top of the mulch layer to stop weed seeds from sprouting. Follow the manufacturer's recommendations carefully.
- 7). Cultivate your flower bed often. Use a sharp hoe to dig around just under the surface of the soil. This will cut or damage the roots of developing weeds, and expose them to the air where they'll dry up and die. Pull other weeds by hand when they do manage to emerge through the growing season.
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