Gardeners with out of control weeds told to make drastic change

IF WEEDS ARE PLAGUING YOUR GARDEN AND YOU'RE HAVING TROUBLE PULLING THEM OUT, GARDEN EXPERTS ADVISE THAT THIS ONE SIMPLE METHOD IS THE 'NEXT BEST THING' TO GET RID OF THEM

04:00, 03 Jun 2025Updated 09:10, 03 Jun 2025 Nothing will ruin a perfect summer garden faster than an unruly overgrowth of weeds, but luckily experts advise there’s an easy fix. Some of the

most common UK weeds include dandelions, daisies, buttercups and spiky milk thistles. Of course, not all of these flowers are unsightly and some may be welcome in certain parts of your

garden. However, gardeners should be cautious over how fast these pesky plants spread. One of the most major problems posed by weeds is that they tend to leech nutrients from the soil. This

leaves less for your other plants, including grass, and can result in sparse patches in your garden. READ MORE: Gardeners urged to act over 'top priority' as mini heatwave hits Of

course, they can also cause massive structural damage, too. Weeds have a tendency to grow in between pavement stones and crack paving slabs, as well as damage drains. Equally, they create a

prime environment for all sorts of nasty pests. Dense weed growth provides ample shelter for ravenous bugs like aphids and mealybugs, which love to chow down on your plants. Article

continues below Unfortunately, as most gardeners are already aware, it can be a nightmare to get rid of weeds. They like to dig their roots deep into the soil, making them a drudge to drag

up. And while turning to pesticides can be a tempting option, gardeners are better holding back. These products often contain a cocktail of chemicals that can cause serious damage to

surrounding wildlife. Instead, there is a much better – and natural – alternative. The garden experts from Fine Gardening recommend simply chopping off weed heads if you can’t pull them out.

Fine Gardening writes: “When you can’t remove weeds, the next best thing is to chop off their heads. With annual weeds, dead­heading buys you a few weeks of time before the weed ‘seed rain’

begins.” Of course, some weeds will continue to live on, year after year. They continue: “Cutting back the tops of perennial weeds, like bindweed, reduces reseeding and forces them to use

up food reserves and exhaust their supply of root buds, thus limiting their spread.” If these tips don’t work, there are other natural hacks you can turn to. Another viable solution is to

use washing up powder to kill weeds. This is because it contains a chemical called boron, which is toxic to weeds. However, gardeners should take care to use it only on the weeds they wish

to get rid of, otherwise they risk harming surrounding plants. Article continues below