LESLIE: Ken in New Mexico needs some help with yard work. What can we do for you today?
KEN: Yes. I’ve got a problem. The front yard always, every year, this time of the year, these broadleaf weeds keep coming up and I don’t want to plant six inches of concrete. I know that’ll solve the problem, right? (Leslie chuckles)
TOM: (chuckles) Yes, it will.
KEN: (chuckles) I’ve heard that you can use vinegar, white vinegar; just spray that and it should kill the weeds. And I have Russian sage and I have trees there but I’m trying to figure out, once I kill the weeds, what should I use – the best thing to kill the weeds that doesn’t cost me an arm and a leg. And then what can I put on the ground to – that doesn’t require maintenance all the time; something – I know a little bit of maintenance but I don’t want to have to be spending all my weekends there pulling weeds. (inaudible at 0:17:24.5)
TOM: So do you have grass here in between the weeds, Ken?
KEN: No, I just have – it’s just dirt and weeds come up through that. I’ve been frustrated trying to figure out what to do with that area of the front of the house.
TOM: Right.
KEN: Back of the house, I’ve got all gravel and desertscape, so that’s taken care of.
TOM: I see.
KEN: That’s about 1/6 of an acre. But the front of the house, I’d like to have something that gives it a little bit of curb appeal rather than stark stones.
TOM: Sure. Well, first of all, in terms of getting rid of the weeds, I would recommend a product called Roundup. Very effective. Just spray the weeds and it’s a systemic product, so it will go down into the root of the plant and kill it and it won’t come back. If you just try to pull them up or if you try to use something like an old wives’ tale like vinegar, I don’t see how that’s going to do. The only good that will do is if you’re going to take those weeds up and use them in your salad. But other than that, I don’t think it’s going to kill them. So I would use Roundup and that will kill the weeds.
And in terms of some hardscaping ideas for this area, Leslie, what do you think?
LESLIE: Well, I mean pavers are gorgeous and available in different colors and sizes and shapes …
TOM: Yep.
LESLIE: … and you can really be creative with pavers and I think cost-effective and it’s definitely a do-it-yourself project if you feel like doing some digging. And then once you’ve got a little patio, I mean it really gives you an opportunity to have a wonderful, sitting, resting area; reading area; dining area. You can really extend your indoor décor outdoors to create an exterior room that you’ll use perhaps for many seasons of the year.
KEN: OK. Well, great. Thank you very much. I appreciate it.
TOM: You’re welcome. Good luck with that project. Thanks so much for calling us at 888-MONEY-PIT.
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