How to kill weeds in flowerbeds without killing plants
Standard weed killers cannot distinguish between weeds and desirable plants in a flowerbed, forcing people to find selective methods or targeted products. Without a safe option, gardeners risk ruining their flowerbeds or wasting time on treatments that fail to kill tough weeds.
What people tried
Every workaround mentioned in the threads below. We haven’t tested any of them — and nobody here is claiming they worked.
Found another way around this?
Share your steps and trade-offs so fellow engineers don't have to reinvent the wheel. No account required.
- 1Pulling weeds manually by handDid this help you?
- 2Using a stirrup hoeDid this help you?
- 3Removing rocks from the flower bedDid this help you?
- 4Reading product labels to select broadleaf or grassy killers carefullyDid this help you?
- 5Using various weed killers and herbicidesDid this help you?
- 6Consulting beginner guidesDid this help you?
- 7Soaking them in RoundupDid this help you?
- 8Removing all the rocks and re-digging out the areaDid this help you?
- 9Considering soaking the ground in vinegar or bleachDid this help you?
In their words
Unedited, grouped by where they were said, most upvoted first within each place, each linked to the thread it came from.
“Would you have any recommendations I would like a kill all product that doesn’t affect the plant?”source ↗
“Not sure what this is... but I have hit it with a bunch of things, and it just doesn't seem to want to die.”source ↗
“Hello, I have a client request that I having weeds grow through there flowerbed and want them gone. However I do not want to kill the plants do you guys have any recommendations for a weed killer that will do the job?”source ↗
“I gutted my flower bed to create a rock garden with metal sculptures. Previously it had bulbs all throughout and I thought I got them all but obviously I did not. I have been soaking them in round up but it does not seem to be doing anything worthwhile and more and more are popping up!!!”source ↗
Where this came up
People with this problem also raised
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- 2How to stop weeds between fences and sheds without chemicals
- 4How to keep grass out of flower beds
- 7How to naturally deter bugs without harming kids