I have been advised to mulch (of course) and to spread some Preen around. I would LOVE to do anything to keep the weeds down, but I'm afraid that the Preen might also discourage some of my desirable plants from coming up.

What do you think? Are some perennials re-seeders that will be prevented from germinating if I use the Preen? I am sort of thinking that most of them grow each season from roots or something else under the ground that won't be affected, but as you can probably tell, I don't know much!

Ideas?

but you are asking us to favor chemical intervention ...

i vote for exercise and mulch..

rather than the easy way out ...

ken

Mulch is good, and so is exercise, but some of us just don't have the hours. Wish I did.

preen when applied.. creates a chemical barrier that disallows germination ...

anything that breaks the barrier.. such as walking thru the garden.. pets.. etc.. reduces the effectiveness of the product ...

i see no reason how it could be selective in its ability to differentiate between what you want to seed.. and what you dont want ...

if you have any need for certain plants ... to reseed .. then you would not use this type of product in that area ...

but that wouldnt mean you couldnt use it in other beds ...

read the instructions.. and use it accordingly ...

preen is a brand name.. and there are generics available in bulk.. if you look hard enough ...

regardless ... i still favor mulch ... lol ..

good luck

ken

And I really do wish I had the hours that it would take to do it all by hand.

Thanks for your response. And for the record, I like mulch too.

What this tells me is that vjrnts's garden has gotten too big to handle, if weeds are a problem in spite of adequate mulch and good cultural practices.

Even though Preen is supposedly relatively safe, it's still a pre-emergent herbicide with reported negative effects on amphibians and other potential environmental effects that may not be fully appreciated given the short time it's been on the market. It represents an added expense while not feeding the soil like mulch, and will keep desirable perennials from reseeding.

This past weekend I was delighted to find a bunch of self-sown Hellebores in my front yard perennial bed. If I'd used Preen I wouldn't have them or the other valuable perennial seedlings I commonly make use of.

If you use the forum search function you'll find other discussions of pre-emergent herbicide use in home gardens.

I have found that if I mulch well enough, I don't have problems with weeds. I put down a layer of corrugated cardboard followed by a thick layer of relatively fine mulch and have very few weeds come up (and I almost never have to water.) My beds include lots of old manure from a pile that grows a magnificent stand of weeds each year, so it's not a lack of viable seeds. ;>)
I do have to renew the mulch about every 3 years or so and whenever I plant something I put down mulch over layered newspaper which is easier to get around a plant. Last summer due to job travel, I ended up away from home for 7 weeks of my 3 1/2 month frost-free season. My limited garden time was mostly spent weeding my veggie garden which is not as well mulched so that the soil warms better. I probably spent 1/2 hour all season on my perennial beds to keep them weed-free, so the mulch definitely makes the difference in my garden.

I don't use Preen because I'm constantly moving plants or planting new ones and my mulch is never undisturbed so it would be a waste of time and money for me.

Dee

corn glutten .. is an organic version... check out the link ...

and is probably 50 pounds for 10 bucks at the feed store ...

ken

Now about preen. I would not recommend Preen in any bed containing perennials that reseed themselves. I have a nice batch of black eyed Suzies that I know reseed themselves each yr. When an area of my beds start to get overgrown that is when I start to use Preen in that area. Knowing full well next yr only my existing perennials will re-sprout and no new plants will emerge.

As for the dangers of Preen. I have used the product for about 10 years. I have two children, two dogs and plenty of wild rabbits all over my property and none have become ill (obviously, I can not vouch for all the wild rabbits) from any of my organic or inorganic gardening materials.

Good luck and enjoy your beds!
Danny

Preen, I've occasionally considered using it but for all the above reasons I do not. Shredded leaves are my preferred mulch because leaves are plentiful for me. After the first year it is simply a mater of adding to the mulch as needed. There are still a few weeds here and there in unmulched areas which I pull whenever I see them as I am taking my stroll amongst the flower beds and doing deadheading.