Here's How To Win The War On Weeds


Nobody likes weeds. But they’re especially hated by gardeners who often find themselves obsessing over them in the small hours of the morning. Yes, weeds are a problem but, fortunately, one that can be solved with sustained effort and intelligent strategy. Here’s how to control your weed problem for a more beautiful, vibrant garden.

Eliminate Spaces Between Plants
If you’ve been gardening for a long time, you’ll know where weeds are most likely to show up; in between your beds and in open areas. The reasons for this make biological sense: weeds have less competition in open spaces and so are more likely to survive to the point where they become noticeable. Unfortunately, this quirk of biology often means that any weeds you do have are all the more conspicuous. The good news is that you can game the system, planting in such a way that makes the emergence of weeds less likely. Instead of growing in straight beds with clear delineations between rows of plants, plant in a way that makes your shrubs overlap one another, preventing weeds from getting a foothold. In areas that are densely populated with many different species, it is difficult for unwanted species to even get started.

Kill Seedlings To Deal With Perennials
Perennial weeds are perhaps the most difficult to eradicate from your garden. This is because they’re able to survive the winter by laying dormant in the ground before the onset of spring and summer when they come up in force. Vitax Garden World suggests dealing with the seedlings first by spraying systemic weed killers first which act over the course of about a fortnight. Even if they weeds do come back the following year, the advice is to simply reapply the killer.

Don’t Water Weeds
Smart, family-friendly gardeners use droughts to their advantage, especially if they’ve got a perennial weed problem. All plants need water. And so selectively watering the plants that you want while ignoring those that you don’t can tip the balance of power back in favor of your garden varieties. How? By watering the plants you want, you’re making them stronger while at the same time, making the weeds weaker by allowing them to desiccate. The hope is that by following this strategy for long enough, weed species will be eliminated from your garden, and the species you want will come to dominate.

Remove Weeds Before They Go To Seed
Like all plants, weeds need to reproduce. But weed reproduction isn’t guaranteed. In fact, if you can cut off the heads of weeds before they go to seed, you can prevent new seeds being sown and new weeds from popping up next year. Over time, the weeds that you do have will get progressively weaker, eventually dying altogether without having any offspring.

Weed When It’s Wet
Weeds are a lot easier to pull up when it’s been wet. So once the storm has passed, put on your gardening gloves and get weeding. Weeding in moist soil helps to remove the entire root, preventing the plant from returning from the abyss the following week