My front garden, not very large, is overgrown with weeds.

I heard that Tarping is very effective in controlling and killing the weeds.

Has anyone done this, and is it practical? What is the correct method of doing it?

Thank you!

On 6/21/2024 at 12:32 PM, ravip said:

My front garden, not very large, is overgrown with weeds.

I heard that Tarping is very effective in controlling and killing the weeds.

Has anyone done this, and is it practical? What is the correct method of doing it?

Thank you!

Had to look up tarping ,covering the land in plastic sheets ,which prevents light getting though and kills off weeds etc .

It works in the UK ,it was done by putting old carpets down ,works well, but it takes a long time .

Here in Thailand first off finding a large plastic sheet ,a job for Lazada etc,it would have to be laid flat on the land ,probable with weights on ,keep snakes rats etc out, like carpets it would have to be down for some time ,some Thai weeds have very long  tap roots and will take some getting rid of .

I would say it would be easier to get a small pump up sprayer and some weed killer ,again Lazada for weed killer, cut the weeds as they grow back spray the young shoots more of a chance of dying than spraying more mature plants. 

3 hours ago, kickstart said:

Had to look up tarping ,covering the land in plastic sheets ,which prevents light getting though and kills off weeds etc .

It works in the UK ,it was done by putting old carpets down ,works well, but it takes a long time .

Here in Thailand first off finding a large plastic sheet ,a job for Lazada etc,it would have to be laid flat on the land ,probable with weights on ,keep snakes rats etc out, like carpets it would have to be down for some time ,some Thai weeds have very long  tap roots and will take some getting rid of .

I would say it would be easier to get a small pump up sprayer and some weed killer ,again Lazada for weed killer, cut the weeds as they grow back spray the young shoots more of a chance of dying than spraying more mature plants. 

Thank you. My plan is to grow some grass and have a few flower beds.

Spraying weed killer can have an effect on the cats & dogs, isn't it? Never tried that.

On 6/21/2024 at 12:32 PM, ravip said:

My front garden, not very large, is overgrown with weeds.

I heard that Tarping is very effective in controlling and killing the weeds.

Has anyone done this, and is it practical? What is the correct method of doing it?

Thank you!

Concrete every square centimeter. Flower pots for the garden. 

9 hours ago, ravip said:

Thank you. My plan is to grow some grass and have a few flower beds.

Spraying weed killer can have an effect on the cats & dogs, isn't it? Never tried that.

You should not have any problems with cats or dogs ,I would use glyphosate, available on Lazada.

2 hours ago, kickstart said:

You should not have any problems with cats or dogs ,I would use glyphosate, available on Lazada.

Thank you. This is an option I would like to try.

12 hours ago, novacova said:

Concrete every square centimeter. Flower pots for the garden. 

I too was thinking about this - it would be nice and clean and with minimum maintenance. Only issue is during the warm weather, can generate a lot of heat, isn't it?

Yes, as a last resort I might go for this.

In my opinion, ditch the herbicides and do a manual weed removal for the least-toxic and best long term results.  If you want to plant grass and flower beds, the best method would be a dedicated process of removing the existing weedy growth by digging or rototilling, Rake it smooth and deep water or wait for heavy rains to saturate the soil. Weed seeds will germinate and grow back. Dig or rototill them again before they go to seed. Repeat one more time for best measure.  Then prepare the soil to a 6" depth by incorporating compost and a complete organic fertiliizer.  Overlay with new sod. Then the ongoing weed management will be limited to spot pulling of new weeds and cultivation of your new turf grass, which will eventurally dominate and squeeze out most of the weeds. Mulch the flower beds for some degree of weed suppression, but keep up with weekly weed pulling or digging. It can be enjoyable work and satisfying results if you keep up with it, and if you don't mind getting a little sweaty, tired and dirty.