Outdoor BMPs: Fence-lines

BMPS for Fence-lines in Grassy Areas, Mulched Areas, or Other Unpaved Areas

• Determine a threshold for weed tolerance (ex: no poison ivy but will ignore goosegrass)
• Deal with weeds when they are small and less established
• Aim to remove complete plant and root when weeding
• Continual knock back (removal of leaves) will eventually starve roots of some persistent plants without use of pesticides
• Establish a management plan (IPM) for long-term success based on thresholds and treatment options
• For playground fences, install a weed barrier such as weed-proof landscape fabric covered with a significant layer of wood mulch, rubber matting or rubber mulch
• Use string-trimmer or heat treatments (flamer or hot water steam)
• For fence-lines in grassy areas, consider impermeable material such as concrete, underlain with weed-proof landscape fabric
• Consider options of low-maintenance ground covers able to out-compete weeds in troublesome areas

Common Pests

• ants, carpenter
• ants, turfgrass
• ticks
• wasps, ground
• dandelion
• poison ivy
• yellow nutsedge

Resources (PDFs)

• How to Reduce Your Risk of Injury from Stinging Insects
• Nonherbicidal Weed Control Strategies Implemented by City Parks Staff in the Northwest: Maintaining Hardscapes and Fence-lines
• Common Field Weeds of the Northeast
• Twenty Tips for Healthy Grounds
• Reducing Risk for Poison Ivy Rash
• Basics of Mulch
• Ticks and Mosquitoes: Should they be included in School IPM programs?

For More Information

• Wasp and Bee Management: A Common-Sense Approach
• School IPM Action Plan for Eastern U.S. Ticks
• Penn State Plant Science Weed Identification