The light weight trencher is one way of clearing weeds on a slope.

Our landscape beds, slope and lawn areas have been damp for about 4 weeks. The drought is over in California at long last. The boom and bust of water in this state is normal. Now that there is rain, the weeds are back in full force.

In the home backyard the weed appears with no stopping each time rain falls. The slope that exists the length of our side yard is my focus here. The slope remains rather weed free by keeping a weekly focus on the slope with the trenching shovel.  Poisons do not have to be heavily used for weed control with this weekly attention and it takes only a few minutes.

Every week we are getting 1-3 inches of rain and after a few days of sun the weeds appear. If the weeds are ignored the growth of those plants shown in the photo above would grow massive and need digging out.

I can take care of the bulk of the weeds by standing at the short retaining wall and scraping the plants loose with the tip of the shovel. I can also use the side of the light weight shovel for wider areas. Any weed pulled loose can be left where it is and will wither in a few days.

The plus of this method is the shovel has a long handle and most weeds are eliminated without climbing up and having to negotiate the slope each time.

This photo shows the weeds dislodged. If you do this before the roots get too deep your weeding is easy to do.

The area a few days later. Weeds are eliminated till the next rain comes around.

I also use this shovel for digging the holes for new plants. It is easier to use than a wide digging shovel.

In Southern California the hot summer months allow for a break in this weekly routine if timed watering is not used. The secret is to only water the individual plants as needed. The area where cactus is planted all watering is avoided most times. The tender succulents get more spot watering. With this method of watering I get out of the house and new weeds are kept in check.

The beauty of choosing cactus and succulents is during a two or three week vacation all the plants can survive on their own.

Enjoy your yard and use it for a reason to get outside.