A GARDENING expert has revealed a key job homeowners should do this month, to keep weeds at bay.
June is a busy month for gardeners, with plenty of pruning and deadheading to be done.
However, weeds also grow extremely quickly in the summer months, so it is important to stay on top of them.
Gardening expert and Managing Director of Hedges Direct Jamie Shipley revealed why tackling your weeds now will be beneficial in the future.
He said: “Weeds will grow quickly during the summer so it’s important to stay on top of weeding to prevent them from setting seeds for later in the season and next year.
“Persistent, perennial weeds such as bindweed, ground elder and mare’s tail should be pulled or hoed regularly.”
The expert continued: “This will prevent them from being able to photosynthesise and gradually knock them back until they no longer return.
“Using a bark mulch will also help to suppress weeds and retain water in your garden beds.”
The gardening pro explained that he does not usually recommend the use of chemical weed killers, as they “negatively impact your soil’s biodiversity”.
They can also be incredibly toxic to pets.
However, he said that some weeds are more persistent that others.
He explained: “Deep-rooted and persistent weeds can be difficult to kill, so that’s when you’ll need to resort to a weed killer.
“Instead of using a chemical weed killer, lemon, vinegar or rock salt can be used to dry weeds out and kill them through dehydration.
“These natural herbicides are ‘non-targeted’, meaning they have the potential to harm all plants, not just weeds and will stop any plants from growing in that space for a long time so make sure to keep them well away from any other flower beds in your garden.”
Salt is a great natural alternative to toxic weed killer.
It works by increasing the levels on ions in the soil and increasing osmotic pressure, which means the weeds will be unable to absorb water and will dry out.
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White vinegar works in a similar way, as the acidity of it breaks down cell walls and removes moisture from weeds.
You can also pour boiling water on to weeds, as this dries them out and makes them shrivel up and die.
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