Managing weeds around fruit trees

Question

I have an elevated garden bed with some citrus trees. The problem is that the whole area is full of weeds (mostly a mix of crabgrass and dandelions) that are nearly as high as the fruit trees. Because it's elevated it's hard to mow. I've tried pulling them out, but they just grow back. I don't want to use herbicide near my fruit trees.

1. How should I get rid of these weeds?
2. How should I stop them coming back?

I've thought about laying carpet over them but apparently that can contaminate the soil. I'm interested in planting something to prevent regrowth, but I don't want to have to mow it.

Answer 1

Start with some work with a scuffle hoe or similar hoe to remove the roots at the top. Rake off the cut material. You do not want to cut too deep and damage tree roots.

Then lay down superior grade landscape fabric. One or more layers depending on the weeds as bstpierre notes. In some parts of the country this will be called a woven geo-textile but result is the same. Water and air penetrate through the fabric but weeds will find it challenging to come up through it.

Top up with a mulch of your choice. Preferably not sawdust or other woody type material that will decompose quickly and use up nitrogen which your trees need. I like pea stone gravel, you may prefer to use locally available materials which do not degrade quickly.

Weeds will poke through wherever there are cuts or at the base of the trees but this is still much less work

Answer 2

I have recently acquired a weed torch, which allows me to kill weeds without chemicals. It is essentially a blow torch run by propane. I would recommend the same model I am using http://www.amazon.com/Red-Dragon-VT-2-23-000-BTU/dp/B00004Z2FP/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1315411041&sr=8-2

You have to be careful around the fruit trees, but the cone of heat is much smaller than you would think and it is pretty easy to clear the majority of the weeds this way. Just a few seconds and the weed shrivels and will die completely. It is really easy (and more than a little fun). I was worried about fire danger, but it has been incredibly easy to control so far.

This will not prevent them from growing back, but it would allow you to clear them easily and free of chemicals. You can then choose ground covers depending on the location and situation. There are a lot of live ground covers that don't require mowing, but the level of shade and moisture in the location will affect your choice. You can also use dead ground covers like redwood mulch.