Keep Weeds At Bay With A Natural Garden Path Solution

Weeds are the biggest enemy of any beautiful landscape design. If not dealt with regularly, they can overtake an area, stealing valuable resources like sunlight and water from desirable plants and making garden paths look unsightly. The problem is, constantly pulling weeds is back-breaking work, and treating them with chemical-laden weed killers can be bad for both people and the environment. Fortunately, a slew of weed-suppressing and budget-friendly garden path ideas are available, including one that involves a material you might already have in your backyard: pine needles.

Acting as a natural mulch, thick layers of pine needles provide weed control for your garden paths. Pine needle mulch (also known as pine straw) will block sunlight from reaching the weeds, therefore inhibiting their growth. Plus, the natural look creates an aesthetically pleasing path that's easy to walk on, and pine needles benefit surrounding plants, like azaleas, by enriching the soil and helping it retain moisture.

While adding pine needle mulch to a garden path isn't complicated, there are some steps you can take to achieve long-lasting results. First, gather the fallen pine needles from your property or purchase commercially available pine straw for this project. Then, remove any existing weeds or debris from the area you'd like to mulch. Using a scuffle hoe garden tool during this step will save your back. Add a 2- to 4-inch layer of pine needles to the garden path, keeping it a few inches away from the base of any nearby plants, trees, and shrubs. Avoid piling pine needles directly at the base of plants; it may cause them to suffocate or rot.

It usually takes pine needles one to two years to fully decompose, so you can keep your garden path looking good by replenishing the pine straw every six months or so. However, if you add this light and fluffy mulch to your often-walked garden path, it might break down a little sooner. In that case, add more whenever the path is looking a little sparse, and especially if you can see the bare ground underneath.