One way to make sure your garden is weed-free is to scatter a certain material on the lawn – but there’s a right way to do it, and a wrong way
While autumn might seem an odd time to start pondering about weeding your garden, it’s the ideal time to maintain them in preparation for their full bloom in early spring. Weeds often kick off their lifecycle in the late summer and then germinate throughout autumn and winter for the spring.
However, regular lawn care will aid in keeping grass growing robustly and deter any unwanted plants. And according to pro gardener Simon Akeroyd, there’s one thing you can sprinkle on the lawn now to help prevent weeds further down the line.
Speaking to the gardening experts at Yell, he unveiled how to help your garden flourish even in the chillier weather.
According to Simon, all you need for a weed-free garden is a bag of lime – which is essentially just ground limestone.
Adding this to your garden will assist in balancing the PH of the soil and make it a less welcoming place for weeds to take root, as weeds favour acidic soil.
Autumn is a good time to do this, ensuring you get in there way before spring sowing and planting, otherwise there won’t be enough time to actually affect the soil, and the results won’t be as good, reports the Express.
How to apply lime to your lawn
Apply lime on a dry day with no wind when the soil is damp or fairly dry, but not actually wet, according to the experts at Gardeners’ World.
Ensure not to inhale any of the dust, and wear protective clothing too, like gloves and a dust mask.
As a general guideline, you should ideally be using 50g of lime per square metre, ensuring it’s evenly distributed across the lawn.
Lime can aid grass in out-competing weeds by making the soil more conducive for grass growth.
However, when applying lime, it’s important not to overdo it.
Overuse can significantly increase the pH of your soil, causing many plants to suffer due to nutrient deficiency.
Excessive lime can also result in high levels of calcium in your soil, preventing plants from absorbing magnesium. This is a vital component of chlorophyll, the green pigment that plants use for photosynthesis.
Therefore, it’s absolutely essential that you test the soil before sprinkling lime on your grass or other parts of the garden.