Tips for removing weeds pls?

Queen_Latifah

I am losing the battle against weeds...
I have regularly removed them (individually with roots), used weedkiller, added layers of bark but they are coming back and growing so fast, they cover my beloved plants. Most of the garden is in full sun- and they are thriving well everywhere in the garden. Any tips welcome...

westiea

Weeds fall in to 2 categories.

Perennial - ones that come up and generally increase in size, every year. These need roots removed, Can dig, or use a spot spray with Glyphosate. You may need to spray 2 or 3 times dependent on weed type.

Annual - those that come up once, then set seed then die. Regular use of a hoe will stop these self-seeding. If you have no room to hoe then regular removal of tops/ and or roots will do.

Few keywords - Regular removal, Before self seeding

Landscape fabric may help if you are struggling - but weeds may still seed in the mulch you put on top to disguise it.

lostinrates

what weeds do you have?

My tips are: learn to enjoy it! I have one long border puntuated by markers so I can weed a set area and let dh know where hasn't been done so he can do the same Weeding can be ''pleasurable'' after a while, if you get in the mind set. Plus points are, on your hands and knees you always feel a bit like a kid, which is fun. You are at the right height to appreciate plants in a different way, and see more wildlife. And check out your soil, and see what the condition of the plants you want is like. Also, most importantly to me, to smell things.

Also, think about ground cover and how you plant....leave no room for weeds...it makes weeding harder as you weed around things, but where a plant is a weed cannot be!

foxgloves

I do know how you feel, but you'll never get rid of all your weeds....even if you get on top of most of the perennial ones, the annual ones will still appear as seeds are activated from deeper down in the soil & new ones are blown in by the wind or dropped by birds or from people's shoes. I'm afraid, that's what nature does. When there's some bare earth, even just a little patch, nature colonises it. I have had to change my mindset to enjoy the self-seeded things that come up that I do want, to be grateful for some extra fertility to add to my compost bins & to get on with it. I use the hoe to tackle them while they are tiny, and that cuts down on time spent weeding the veg beds, but the flower beds just get weeded when I've got the time & energy. I do 2 major clear-ups a year, one in Spring & one in autumn leading into winter....in between those, it's when I've got the time & energy!