Weed Management

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Person wearing gardening gloves spreading mulch in a garden bed.
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Mulch

Mulching is a simple yet powerful tool for gardeners and landscapers. By applying mulch properly, you can enhance the health and appearance of your plants, reduce water use, and even improve the quality of your soil over time.
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Ask Our Helpline

Something in your garden or home bugging you? Do your roses have strange spots? Is something eating your tomatoes? The Merced Master Gardeners are here to help! Contact our Helpline to get answers to your garden challenges and pest problems. Send an email to anrmgmerced@ucanr.edu.
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Invasive Plant Species

Invasive plants are one of the greatest threats to croplands, rangelands, aquatic areas, and wildlands in the United States; they degrade the productivity and biological diversity of all ecosystems. Below are the sixteen most harmful weeds in Humboldt County.
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A person looking at a bottle of 20% acetic acid vinegar weed killer with a signal word DANGER.
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Can I Use Vinegar to Control Weeds?

July 18, 2024
Acetic acid, also known as vinegar, is used in products for weed control. Many people choose it because it is natural. However, acetic acid can damage skin and eyes, especially at concentrations commonly found in weed killers.
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A small green plant with long, narrow leaves in a bed of brown wood bark mulch.
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Nutsedge—Yes, We Hate It Too!

June 26, 2024
By Belinda Messenger-Sikes
Nutsedges are aggressive and persistent weeds that commonly infest lawns, vegetable and flower gardens, and landscapes. These perennial sedges are a problem in lawns because they grow faster than turfgrasses and result in non-uniform turf.
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A hand holding a dark green aquatic plant.
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Invasive Pest Spotlight: Hydrilla

June 5, 2024
By Lauren Fordyce
Hydrilla (Hydrilla verticillata) is an invasive, aquatic weed that can be found in many slow-moving fresh water bodies in California. The plant forms large mats that can crowd out native plants, restrict water flow, and interfere with boating and fishing.
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Figure 1. Broadleaf plant characteristics page from the UC IPM Weed Gallery.
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Need Help Identifying Weeds?

March 26, 2024
By Karey Windbiel-Rojas
After all the winter rains you may find yourself dealing with weeds and struggling to control them. The first step in successfully controlling weeds is knowing what weed you have.
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A green backyard lawn surrounded by small shrubs.
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Killing Your Lawn?

November 8, 2023
By Lauren Fordyce
Kill your lawn! has become a popular phrase and landscaping trend in recent years. Whether you are looking to completely remove your lawn or just renovate it, this article will give you useful information to help you decide how best to do away with your existing lawn and prepare for your new design.
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Green feather-like leaves and white flat, clusters of flowers.
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Poisonous Plants in the Landscape

September 19, 2023
By Lauren Fordyce
Plentiful rainfall in California this spring created an ideal environment for many plants to thrive, including wildflowers, trees, and shrubs that desperately needed the water. However, other potentially harmful species also benefited from the unusually wet weather.
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