Who’s supposed to weed out the weeds?

“In the weeds” is a phrase used in the restaurant industry to describe when the front and/or back of the house becomes overwhelmed with orders, creating kitchen chaos.

It’s not a term we’d want to hear used to describe our beautiful Boulder City, but alas… It came to my attention that a production company was recently scouting film locations in our neighborhoods. The issue of weeds came up, questioning if it’s something the city routinely handles or if they would need to assume cleaning up the streets and sidewalks of weeds gone wild.

Weed overgrowth on multiple sidewalks, parkways, curbs, and alleys has become more than unsightly—in some places it outright obstructs passage and obscures view. Next level nasty are the weeds that produce those torturous stickers—goatheads and sandburs that stick to everything, especially my Shi Tzus. After a walk last week, as much as I tried to avoid weed patches, I had to pluck and cut at least a dozen sandburs out of my poor pups’ coats. (Not so fun for the “stickee,” but a fun fact about the remarkable stickability of burrs is that they inspired the invention of Velcro ®.)

But whose responsibility is it to weed out weeds? Well, it all depends on where they are. Obviously, anything growing on a property is the responsibility of the property owner. That includes vegetation encroaching the property perimeter, on say, sidewalks or neighbor’s yard. Parkways (the path between the sidewalk and curb), although a public right of way, are also the property owner’s responsibility. Whether they’re landscaped or not, the owner is required to maintain it.

Our City Code states, “9-15-16: Landscaping Public Property: The licensee shall maintain all landscaping in good condition and repair. It shall be kept weed free, plant material in a healthy condition at all times, and overgrown plants shall be properly trimmed. Any irrigation system shall be kept in good working order. Exception: Landscaped areas between the curb and sidewalk (commonly known as a “parking strip” or “parkway”) shall be exempt from the requirements of this chapter for obtaining a license. However, abutting property owners shall maintain and keep any landscaping within these areas in good condition and weed free and comply with all applicable state and local ordinances governing rights of way.”

Weeds growing off curbs and through street cracks is the responsibility of the city. Additionally, the city exercises weed control in parks, recreation areas, and open public spaces.

Last week, outside of my house, I was pleased to see a city utility vehicle manned with two workers spraying weeds along streets and curbs.

Residents can report bona-fide weed overgrowth issues using the SeeClickFix app or by going to www.bcnv.org/concerns to use SeeClickFix online—either can be used anonymously.

Killing weeds can be tricky, especially when wanting to avoid herbicide chemicals that have been linked to cancer in humans.

Here are my top-5 “natural” ways to stomp out weeds:

Boiling water—Scalding weed leaves will kill them. Use a teakettle to pour a just boiled stream of water over the weed head. It may take multiple times to get to the roots.

20% Vinegar and Citrus oil—This vinegar must be used with protective gear because it can burn you. Mix a ratio of 1 gallon 20% vinegar to 1 cup citrus oil and spray it on weeds, on a sunny, not windy day. Careful not to overspray onto wanted plants/grass.

Flame Weeding— A flame weeder uses a wand connected to a propane tank. Know that the goal is to heat the weed, not burn it. The intense heat destroys the cell structure within the plant’s leaves and stems by rupturing cell walls, thereby dehydrating and killing the plant. Read instructions thoroughly before use.

Weed Pulling—Pull from the base when the ground is wet. Use helpful tools, like a Warren hoe, using its triangular head to get to the root.

Mulch—A 2-3” layer of mulch will deter weed seeds from taking root, and small existing weeds will die with lack of sunlight.