Once weeds begin to take hold on your lawn or garden, it may seem like an overwhelming and impossible task to get rid of them. Have no fear. You can take your lawn and garden back with a few tricks designed to help you learn how to control weeds.

• Weeds are the bane of any gardener's existence. They get in around your healthy plants and steal soil nutrients and sunlight, often strangling those healthy plants to death. Getting a handle on weeds before they overrun your lawn and garden is one of the easiest control strategies, but how can you get a handle on them? If you're interested in learning more, please read on.

(Creative Commons photo by aussiegall)

• Cultivating soil before planting will help destroy weeds that have already settled into place. You can either turn weeds under manually with a shovel, or you can use a tiller to turn the soil. Not only does this kill weeds, it also adds the benefit of nutrients from the weeds decomposition within the soil.

• In the garden, you can lay down a thick layer of mulch around plants after planting to help keep the weeds at bay. You can make your own mulch from grass trimmings and old leaves, or you can buy mulch from your local gardening center.

• Monitoring your garden regularly for new weed growth will allow you to stay on top of weeds. Pluck new weeds out of the soil before they have a chance to mature.

• Perennial weeds are weeds that seed and reflower themselves every year, like dandelions. They may seem impossible to get rid of, as their seeds are abundant, and are constantly spread around by birds, wind and other animals. One way to get rid of perennial weeds is to dig up and eliminate the entire root system. This is difficult work, but will help you on your cause to get rid of those pesky dandelions. Do keep in mind that circumstances beyond your control, like wind and animals, may bring on a whole new infestation.

• Keeping your lawn free and clear of weeds is actually rather simple. You will want to mow your lawn regularly, fertilize and keep the grass healthy. Healthy grass battles weeds and keeps them at bay.

Unfortunately, if you have a garden and a lawn, you're going to face weeds. Keeping them at bay is easy with a few simple precautions. If you're starting a new garden, cultivate the soil and turn weeds under. This will cause them to decay, and provide some nutrients to the soil. You may also want to consider mulching around your plants to cut down on weeds. When weeds do pop up, pluck them immediately. Perennial weeds are a little more difficult to get rid of, as they tend to be abundant when it comes to their seeds. Digging up root systems is one way to eliminate them, but don't be surprised if a windstorm brings them back. You can keep your overall lawn free of weeds simply by maintaining it properly, and cultivating healthy grass.