According to Gilmour.com, weeds “compete with grass and garden plants for space, light, water and soil nutrients.” They germinate quickly and can carry disease and insects that hurt your plants. Here are five ways to prevent weeds in your lawn and garden.

Apply pre-emergent weed killer. Pre-emergents target specific weeds and their families. They’re activated with water, so be generous and soak your garden and lawn to prevent weed germination.

Use a weed barrier. Weed barriers work best in vegetable gardens where they can be rolled up and reused after harvest. Just roll the weed cloth over your garden area, cutting holes out for plants you want to keep. Shape the edges of the cloth to your garden, and then cover it with mulch, bark or gravel.

Mow your lawn correctly. Scalping weakens the integrity and defense system of your grass. That allows weeds to come in and take over. Set your lawnmower’s blade height to a level that cuts only the top third of your grass’ growth.

Aerate your lawn. Aerating is a simple process where you punch holes in heavily trafficked soil to alleviate congestion and allow for better air and water flow. This helps with weeds like crabgrass, chickweed and plantain.

Keep your yard weeded. Pluck weeds out of the ground as soon as you spot them, preferably before they come to seed.  Remove the entire root ball, reminds mahalo.com, as doing so ensures that the weed will not be able to reproduce.