Hello everyone. I've been lurking for some time and today's activities have led to a question...I'm pulling weeds. About 6mos ago we bought a house on 2.5 acres in a rural area. The house, driveway, front and back yards take up about 1/2 acre. The rest is dirt. The driveway is larger sized gravel. Trees and shrubs are around the entire perimeter. There's no grass just dirt.

I don't mind pulling weeds around the plants but how can I deal with the weeds on the rest of the property? TheyÂ’re everywhere. I have no idea what weeds they are other than the Russian Thistle that is easy to pop out of the ground. What are some methods that are reasonable for such a large area? We are planning a garden so I do need to be able to grow in some areas but not the entire 2.5 acres.

IÂ’m in southern Nevada. Thanks

Welcome to the forum!

I've got 3 acres of yard bordered by trees (with 10 acres woods in back) so I sympathize.

Mine was overgown with weeds and brush. Just keeping the main areas of yard mowed helped to keep the taller stuff from forming flowers (thus seeds for the next generation of weeds) and allowed the smaller plants to get established without competition from the big weeds.

I don't know what kind of grass or groundcover plant would work best in your area--S. Nevada is kinda a tough climate I hear. Check with the local Agricultural Extension agent tho'--he WILL know.

Under the trees at my place (to keep down as many weeds as possible) I'm laying sheets of cardboard...free for the taking from the dumpster behind the Dollar store...and covering them with wood chips...that the electric company dumps after they've been cutting back encroaching branches. The mulch keeps the dirt from drying out around the trees and shrubs, conserving water.

Thanks for the tip about the cardboard and wood chips. Once I get done clearing the brush from the trees I'll have to give that a try.

As far as ground cover, I'd rather just keep the dirt bare for now. Maybe I'll plant something in a small area later on. Our house is actually "temporary" because we plan to build another house in a few years. So, I don't want to plant anything that I'll just have to rip up soon. I was going to try black plastic but that's a awful lot of plastic to lay everywhere!

All plants, even "weeds", need certain soil conditions to grow well and what we consider "weeds" (plants growing where we don't want them) can be used as indicators of what is going on with our soil. Most thistles prefer to grow in really moist soils and that may indicate a drainage problem, so look at that. Many of the most common "weeds" prefer growing in soils with a pH range or nutrient level outside that which the plants we want prefer, so look at that also. Good, reliable soil tests can help, and the University of Nevada cooperative Extension Service office near you can provide help with that. You can also dig in and learn more about the soil you have, as well as what to do with it, with these simple tests;
1) Structure. From that soil sample put enough of the rest to make a 4 inch level in a clear 1 quart jar, with a tight fitting lid. Fill that jar with water and replace the lid, tightly. Shake the jar vigorously and then let it stand for 24 hours. Your soil will settle out according to soil particle size and weight. A good loam will have about 1-3/4 inch (about 45%) of sand on the bottom. about 1 inch (about 25%) of silt next, about 1 inch (25%) of clay above that, and about 1/4 inch (about 5%) of organic matter on the top. Your primary concern is the OM level and yours may be pretty good.

2) Drainage. Dig a hole 1 foot square and 1 foot deep and fill that with water. After that water drains away refill the hole with more water and time how long it takes that to drain away. Anything less than 2 hours and your soil drains too quickly and needs more organic matter to slow that drainage down. Anything over 6 hours and the soil drains too slowly and needs lots of organic matter to speed it up.

3) Tilth. Take a handful of your slightly damp soil and squeeze it tightly. When the pressure is released the soil should hold together in that clump, but when poked with a finger that clump should fall apart.

4) Smell. What does your soil smell like? A pleasant, rich earthy odor? Putrid, offensive, repugnant odor? The more organic matter in your soil the more active the soil bacteria will be and the nicer you soil will smell.

5) Life. How many earthworms per shovel full were there? 5 or more indicates a pretty healthy soil. Fewer than 5, according to the Natural Resources Conservation Service, indicates a soil that is not healthy.

Hi, MIsha. Welcome!

Here is the 'link' for the University of Nevada Cooperative Extension Service located in Reno, Nevada:
http://www.unce.unr.edu/

Good Luck & Happy Gardening!

Thanks everyone for your ideas. That gives me a few things to look into.