Common Mallow Control

Completely eliminating this weed could take years. This is one of those cases where you absolutely can not be apathetic about weed control. If you want to get rid of mallow in your garden or lawn, you need to kill every plant you see, watch for new seedlings, and then kill them, too. Vigilance is important with any weed. If you allow them to mature you will be damning yourself to years of continued problems. Because of the amazing protective quality of the mallow seed, you will likely be dealing with this problem for years anyway. If you are able to prevent reseeding of an area, eventually you will get the better of those weeds.

Remove manually before it produces seeds. Aside from the problem of spreading seeds, the mallow plant is also significantly easier to remove before it is allowed to sink its carrot like taproot into the soil. Also, as the plant grows it spreads out further and further, becoming entangled in any plants around it. In a garden setting this could lead to problems, as you could potentially damage your garden plants like tomatoes or peppers when removing. So, get them while they are young: pull them up, dig them up, chop them up, and compost the corpse. Educate yourself on what the plant looks like from seed, to heart-shaped sprout, to green, creeping adulthood.

Cultivate garden soil repeatedly. Every spring we are greeted by the rebirth of the plants with which we share our world. Unfortunately, this also includes the weeds that inhabit our gardens. If your garden is fairly new or unkempt, it is likely that a carpet of green will sprout up once the soil conditions become favorable. This is because the soil is absolutely thick with billions of seeds. It is at this stage, when they are small, just putting down roots, when they are most susceptible to death via cultivation. Plan your garden so you can rototill between rows, and you will save yourself a lot of trouble pulling the weeds up by hand.

Use mulch to kill weeds in gardens. If you're sick of pulling up weeds and have access to a large quantity of seed-free compost or organic mulch, layering this material in areas around your garden plants will help control weeds. You can also use landscaping fabric or plastic sheeting as a type of mulch. In fact, in some cases it might be better than using organic mulch, which will decompose with time. Remember, it is better to start with an area free of growing weeds before putting down the mulch material. It isn't hard for an already growing plant or rhizome to find its way through or around mulch, but seeds are not likely to successfully germinate under mulch.

Keep your lawn thick and healthy. Generally speaking, if your lawn is healthy, weeds like mallow don't stand a chance. However, mallow will thrive in your lawn if you have some dead spots, spots with dry rocky soil, places that have been mowed too short, areas with a bad pH balance, or unbalanced nitrogen levels. Once it is established, you really need to kill it off before it spreads more seeds, test and adjust your soil, and replant your turf grass. You can use broadleaf herbicides, if you want, or hire a lawn chemical company to come analyze your grass and maintain it for you with their weed and feed sprays. Keeping your grass mowed at around three inches will allow it to out-compete most weeds.