Weed control in the garden

Weeding takes up a lot of time in the average garden, and a bit like housework, it can seem like a pointless task because no sooner have you finished then you have to start all over again with new weeds popping up to taunt you.

There are ways to get the weed population under control though…

Let sleeping weeds lie

Your garden is chock full of weed seeds and there’s nothing you can sensibly do about it. Only the seeds in the top inch or two of soil will get enough light to germinate and start to make a nuisance of themselves, so only dig when you need to and once you’ve finished digging, add mulch to stop the onslaught.

De-weed your lawn by using a sharp knife with a narrow blade to slice dandelion roots and other pests; this severs their food source and saves the bother of digging them out.

Get Mulching

Mulch keeps the soil cool and moist, and stops light getting to weed seeds, so it’s an all-round good thing. Organic mulches are even better as they support insects that love to eat the weed seeds, thus giving you a natural and garden-friendly weed killer.

Weed at optimum times

Young weeds are easier to get rid of than established, older weeds, so get them while the conditions are good to stop them bedding in.  One good time to get your weeding gloves on is after a torrential rain session – it’s easier to wrench them out from the ground when it’s nice and damp.

When it’s dry, slice the weeds off just below the soil line and they will just shrivel up and die, especially if you use a sharp edged hoe to get at them.

Take off their heads

Chopping off weed heads is great for the garden, giving it short- and long-term benefits. It’s perfect for hardwired weeds that you can’t completely get at, and makes you feel better!

Cutting back the tops of perennial weeds slows down their reseeding, making them use up their food reserves, which stops them spreading all over your garden; for a while, anyway.

Don’t leave too much space

If you plant beds tightly together it reduces the chances of pesky weeds popping up, although they will still give it their best shot. The closer the plants you actually want to grow are to each other, the more shade there is and the less sunlight to get to weed seeds.