My Mom Hates Gardening! However, Some Seniors Do.
Explaining that weeding is just a part of home ownership can fall on deaf ears to stubborn seniors. The truth is that young or old, those weeds must be removed from your yard and this is the time of year that they can be a pest. Weeds and unwanted grass can grow through the pretty rocks you paid a fortune to decorate the back yard after the children grow up and no longer need that he soccer field. How do you get rid of them? On the other hand, how do you let your grandparent enjoy the exercise and mental stimulation of gardening if she/he still wants that activity, without concerns of harm? My mother, and yes, grandmother are lazy gardeners. Let’s address each, if possible here.
Starting with the senior that enjoy gardening, please help a lifelong love of gardening continue with some accommodations. Gardening is good at any age but particularly as a person get older. It provides a great mental stimulation, exposure to some sunlight, possible social interaction, and a source of food for some.
For seniors, it’s important to make the gardens assessable, whether they are using wheelchairs, walkers, have arthritis, or are a risk for falling. Make sure there are paths to get to the garden. Benches nearby are helpful so that if the senior needs a rest, it’s easy for that person to sit down. A raised bed to grow plants, with automatic sprinklers, makes it easier. Be sure the tools are bright colors. Hardware stores sell them or you can simply paint the handle a bright color. Be sure to let the store know these tools are for seniors in case vision is becoming a problem. Often gardening clubs for seniors are available through Senior Centers (offering wonderful socialization) and even local Churches offer that help. If you have younger members in your family, offer to lift anything heavy. If not, ask the Churches nearby for that assistance and it’s often available. Gardening in the early morning or early evening is best, wearing a large brimmed hat, long sleeved shirt, sunscreen, and gardening gloves. Sunlight is good but not so much that a senior is sunburned. Be sure that a bottle of water is available to avoid dehydration. The main thing is to make sure falls are avoided so be sure the benches are very nearby to give your mother/father or grandparent a rest when needed, as well as observe proud accomplishments. If all of these things are provided, the senior can do what they enjoy.
Next, what affects us all: weeding! Again, my mother hates gardening — particularly weeding! I explained that the best way to get rid of weeds is to hire a gardener. If she’s too much of a penny-pincher, the only option is to do it herself. As a lazy gardener, that’s a nightmare. Okay, maybe lazy is too harsh of a word but she doesn’t want to do it! So how can she get rid of those weeds? Especially after rain, do something about the problem. There are many solutions, some temporary and some permanent. However, you must consider how much you want to protect your lawn and other plants surrounding the weed killers.
Most people go to the home improvement stores and buy the most popular weed killers such as RoundUp, Ortho, and Bayer. Check the labels to be sure you get the right one as they usually last about six to twelve months. Be careful with them as pets, children and animals are susceptible to the toxins and so are you. When applying, wear long sleeves, a mask, gloves, and glasses to protect you from skin, eyes, and lung irritation. These will not kill All of your other plants but read the labels to be sure.
One writer, Kevin Lee Jacobs, swears by a home ready of straight white vinegar applied directly to weeds. He cautions that it’s best used on pathways or dirt in which you want no plants to grow in the future. It will kill the surrounding plants and you will not be able to plant again. However, it is a home remedy that will not harm pets or children.
Other home remedies also will quickly kill weeds but will also destroy your surrounding plants and the possibility of growing again. They include vinegar, water, dishwater, and salt. The magic seems to be in the salt mixed with the vinegar:
Things you will need:
Household white vinegar, bucket, Table salt, Long-handled spoon, Liquid dish washing soap,
Funnel, Plastic spray bottle, Empty plastic container
Pour 1 gallon of white vinegar into a bucket. Everyday 5-percent white vinegar is fine, Add 1 cup of table salt, Stir solution with long-handled spoon until all the salt dissolves completely. Stir in 1 tablespoon of liquid dish washing soap. Blend thoroughly. Funnel the weed killer into plastic spray bottle. Coat all surfaces of weeds well with the spray. Any plants soaked with this solution will die within several days. They won’t be back and nothing else will ever grow there. Funnel left over solution into empty plastic container. Cap it tightly. Label it clearly and store it in a cool, dark spot.
Just be sure you understand that this solution will kill any area that you spray and nothing will grow there again. My mother will probably use this on her driveway and over her rocks where weeds are popping through. It’s great for someone like her that doesn’t want to garden.