Weeds are a nuisance in any garden space, but one expert has advised people to maintain a method for plucking them from the ground in a bid to banish them for good
With Easter weekend fast approaching, it’s time to get rid of all those pesky weeds ruining your garden. But before you rip them up, experts have advised to take one important step first.
Not all weeds are an eyesore, but left unchecked they can completely wreck your garden. Some of the most common UK weeds include dandelions, bittercress and chickweed. These unwanted plants can be spiky, like milk thistle, making lying out on your lawn an incredibly painful experience if you’re not careful.
Weeds can also attract unwanted insects. Infestations of bug such as whiteflies and spider mites are not just unpleasant, they can also carry a host of diseases.
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Worse still, these unwelcome plants also drain nutrients from the soil. This can make your grass appear sparse and damage other vegetation in your garden.
It can be tempting to use a chemical weed killer when you notice a problem. However, these are damaging to the environment and can also harm other animals.
The other option is to physically remove weeds. Unfortunately, this can require a high degree of physical exertion, as once weeds become rooted in the soil, they can be very difficult to extract.
So, how do you effectively get rid of them? Chris Cooper, a lawn expert from Hayter, urges gardeners to act fast when it comes to pulling weeds. The weaker they are, the easier they are to remove. He said: “Remove weeds while roots are weak. Weeds first begin to rear their heads in spring, before they have fully matured. This makes spring the ideal time to start seeding, mowing, and fertilising – in that order.”
Consistently maintaining your lawn is also important. He added: “Regular, well-practised lawncare will make it very hard for weeds to make strong roots in your lawn.” Of course, prevention is usually the best cure. Other steps you can take to reduce the chance of weeds taking over your lawn include not over-mowing the grass.
This may sound like an odd tip, but mowing your grass too short leaves more room for weeds to grow. This is because the bare patches of grass leave free space for them to siphon nutrients.
Another way to reduce the chance of weeds taking over your garden is to make sure you fill any spare lawn patches with fresh grass seeds. Once these germinate, they will grow new shoots, filling up the bare space.
Although, be careful not to overpopulate your soil seeds either. If there are too many competing with each other it can make it difficult for the new grass shoots to appear.