Weeds are a menace for any keen gardener; if you’ve spent months planting bulbs and flowers at the perfect time in order to get it ready for summer, the last thing you want to see is weeds. Although there’s no avoiding the fact that some weeds are much harder to get rid of than others; for the majority, you can be pretty sure that these hints and tips will see the end of them.
- If the weather is warm and dry then any weeds that you uproot from the garden can be used to replenish the goodness into the soil. All you have to do is place the weed – with the root in the air – on top of the soil. Remember though, if the weather is wet, just dispose of the weeds either at a local tip or deep into your compost bin because if you leave them on the soil then there’s the chance that they’ll start to re-root.
- o You need to break up the soil regularly. A hoe is definitely the best tool for the job – especially if you have a large garden – but you can use a trowel or a rake as long as you turn it deeply and cover your entire garden. Regular hoeing prevents any existing weeds from growing.
- o Be aware that weeds don’t really die, they just lie dormant. If you dig over your soil then any seeds that are under the soil may be brought to the surface and therefore begin germinating. In order to avoid this you should keep an eye on any area that you’ve dug over and if any signs of germinating weeds begin to show, just hoe the area in order to get rid of any weeds that have begun to develop.
- o The harder to remove weeds like Japanese Knotweed, Horsetail and Bindweed need to be treated with a weed killer and removed by hand. The ground should then be forked over and the waste burned. These weeds create intricate and very large networks of roots underground and if they’re not all removed then they find it really easy to carry on sprouting new shoots.
- o Dandelions are killers for gardens and they are the ultimate survivor of the weed world. Dandelions can survive for months on end even without water and soil so the only way to get rid of them is to put them in the bin – don’t even entertain the idea of putting them on your compost heap.
George Barks had a severe weed problem in his garden and no matter what he seemed to do it carried on coming back. He got on the internet and identified the weed as Japanese Knotweed so got in contact with jknotweed.com and they gave him advice on how to get rid of it for good.