Useful Weed Control Tools

In most gardens and landscapes, weeds can be a real problem.

Weedy plants are aggressive, fast-growing species that crowd out desirable plants by stealing space, sunlight, water and nutrients.  Unless these pests are controlled in a timely manner, they can seriously affect the growth and development of garden and landscape plants.  Here are a few tools that I find useful when combating weeds in my yard.

Mechanical weed control techniques have been around for as long as humans have encouraged the growth of useful plants.  Removing weeds by pulling or hoeing is not always fun nor easy, but, when the weeds get out of hand, sometimes pulling, hoeing or cutting are the only effective ways to solve the problem.  Fortunately, there are a number of useful tools that can make mechanical weed control easier.

A small pocket knife, such as what might be carried in a pocket or purse, is just the right size to cut small weeds that grow from cracks and crevasses in concrete walks, driveways and tennis courts.  A thin knife blade can easily be inserted deep into a crack to cut the weed below the crown, the spot where the stem and the taproot join.  It is important to cut below the crown because many weedy plants have dormant buds in that area.  If the crown is not removed, the plant will grow back again from those buds.

Another useful tool is the linoleum knife.  It has a stout blade with a hook on the end and a wooden or plastic handle that allows a good hand grip.  The linoleum knife is excellent for removing weeds that are in close proximity to bedding or garden plants.  A large hoe or shovel might be easier to use, but they are so unwieldy in tight places that it is almost impossible to get all of the weeds without doing damage to the desirable plants.  A medium-sized, single-bladed knife can be worked in alongside plants to cut the roots of weeds without disturbing those plants that we wish to protect.

When working with these knives, it is important to wear heavy gloves because as the work speeds up and the off hand is used to hold the weed for cutting, sometimes the knife blade can get a little too close to fingers or hands.  Good safety protection is important.  Since working close to bedding plants often requires kneeling on the ground, a set of knee pads can be a good investment.

Another useful tool is a small, multi-tined cultivation fork.  These tools resemble claws and usually have three to four tines attached to a handle.  The value of these tools is twofold.  First, they loosen and aerate the soil by breaking up surface crusts.  Second, the movement of the tines through the soil damages or removes small weed seedlings.  This tool generally is less successful for weed control when the weeds have more than two or three leaves.

The push-pull hoe is a tool that does its work, not with a chopping motion, but with a back and forth motion as it is pulled and pushed through the soil.  The push-pull hoe slices through weed roots just below the surface of the soil and generally requires less force to operate than the standard chopping hoe.  The push-hull hoe is a good tool to safely work around above ground drip lines because it slips along side and just underneath the drip tubing without danger of nicking or cutting the plastic tubes.  Tools which require a chopping action are difficult to control.  Lack of tool control generally leads to mistakes.

The narrow-bladed chopping hoe is a variation on a standard chopping hoe.  While the larger hoe works well in wide open spaces, the narrow hoe is much easier to use where plants are placed close together.  The narrow hoe will have a blade anywhere from one to two inches in width.  However, even a narrow hoe seems magnetically attracted to plastic drip irrigation tubes.

Garden tillers can make quick work of small weeds in between rows of vegetables or flowers.  A light weight tiller is best for this type of work because it is generally smaller and easier to control.  In heavy soils, or in gardens where the spacing is larger, a heavy duty model may be a better choice.  If possible, space the garden rows far enough apart to allow the tiller to pass safely between the rows without damaging the plants.

A flat blade attached to a handle by a hoop is called a weed hook This tool works with a swinging motion and, if handled correctly, can slice weeds off close to the surface of the soil.  It is quite effective for clearing large patches of weeds in wide open spaces.  The blade must be kept sharp with a file in order to work at peak performance. 

When using a weed hook, it is important to make sure that the work area is kept clear of pets and people.  The swinging motion of the hook can cause serious injury to those unaware of the danger.  A new operator may find that it is difficult to keep the blade out of the dirt and away from rocks as it is swung back and forth.  Practice will soon provide experience to correctly judge the correct height to swing the blade.

String trimmers, which are normally used to edge lawns, are also good weed control tools for alleys and other open spaces.  A low horsepower, thin-lined model will work good for small weeds, but once the weeds mature, a larger machine with heavy line will be needed to cut through their tough stems.  Because the whirling string can kick up small rocks and sand, it is important to wear eye protection.

When using string trimmers to cut grass and weeds around the trunks of trees and shrubs, remember that the string can easily damage the tender bark of many plants.  Girdling a trunk or stem can cause enough damage to kill the plant.  Always place a shield around the trunks of these plants before approaching with the string trimmer.

The standard lawn mower also makes a good weed control tool.  Heavy duty and rugged, a lawn mower can easily cut through most weeds.  If it is equipped with a catch basket, it can save a step in the clean up process by taking away the need to rake up the weeds after cutting.  The power mower is excellent for a quick alley cleanup, but it is important to make sure that all rocks are removed before mowing so that damage to the mower blade and injury to pets, children and innocent bystanders does not occur.

Weed control can be a challenge in any type of garden or landscape, even low maintenance desert landscapes, but a few tools can make mechanical removal of weeds more effective and easy.

If you have questions, you can reach one of the Master Gardeners at the Cooperative Extension office, 820 E. Cottonwood Lane, Building C, in Casa Grande.  The telephone is (520) 836-5221, extension 204.  The author’s email address is gibsonrd@ag.arizona.edu.

The University of Arizona is an equal opportunity, affirmative action institution.  The University does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, veteran status, or sexual orientation in its programs and activities.

Rick Gibson
Extension Agent, Agriculture
University of Arizona Cooperative Extension
820 E. Cottonwood Lane, Building C
Casa Grande, Arizona 85222
Voice:    (520) 836-5221
Fax:    (520) 836-1750
email:    gibsonrd@ag.arizona.edu