Our new garden is quickly maturing into a lush patch of vegetables and flowers. We were away for a few days recently and when we came back we were absolutely amazed at how quickly everything had shot up, including the weeds! Annual weeds are no real problem to get rid of as long as they are pulled up before they go to seed. They can also be mulched which keeps them in check. Unfortunately the same cannot be said about perennial weeds. There have the potential to grow stronger and stronger every year. Any attempt to get rid of them usually ends up with the roots snapping off underground, leaving you with the top growth in your hand. Dandelions are notorious for such persistence and even the smallest piece of root in the ground will turn into another plant. I put black webbing over a few docks when I did the garden and the plants have managed to work their way up through a small hole. Others will do the same, horsetail, lesser celendines, coltsfoot, ground elder, Japanese knotweed, bindweed couch grass and most thistles are also very difficult to get rid of. If you have a small garden like ours the weeds can be controlled by painstakingly digging the plants out. In larger gardens it will be too much to do this, so the only alternative left will be to use a weedkiller. I personally would prefer to live with the problem than put the chemicals into the ground but (as I have already said) I only have a small garden so it isn’t an issue for me. For those of you whose life is made a misery by these pests, here is some weedkiller advice.
WEEDKILLERS
Some varieties of weedkillers might need two applications to get rid of the problem. Do not be tempted to put on more in the first instance as this will run off into the water table. Always apply weedkiller when the weeds are growing actively and choose one that will be taken up by the leaves and carried down the whole plant. These are known as translocated herbicides and are the best ones to use for perennial weeds. Contact herbicides only kill green material and so are more suited the control of annual weeds. When using any of these chemicals, spray on a calm day and keep it away from neighbouring plants. I suppose now would be a good time for me to mention that you should follow the manufacturers instructions
Horticultural.
WEEDKILLERS
Some varieties of weedkillers might need two applications to get rid of the problem. Do not be tempted to put on more in the first instance as this will run off into the water table. Always apply weedkiller when the weeds are growing actively and choose one that will be taken up by the leaves and carried down the whole plant. These are known as translocated herbicides and are the best ones to use for perennial weeds. Contact herbicides only kill green material and so are more suited the control of annual weeds. When using any of these chemicals, spray on a calm day and keep it away from neighbouring plants. I suppose now would be a good time for me to mention that you should follow the manufacturers instructions
Horticultural.
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