Gardeners everywhere know that, sooner or later, they will need to tackle weeds in their garden. It’s one of the challenges that people have been addressing for as long as there have been cultivated greenspaces. Fortunately, this means there is an abundance of advice out there, so each person can choose the method that is easiest or most effective for their type of garden.
A good gardening service, like Town & Country Gardens, can help gardeners with many of the tips mentioned here. Some of them require a little effort to begin with, leading to a big reward in the end.
What is a weed?
A weed is defined as something that has no recognised value as an edible or medicinal plant and is highly competitive. They also germinate easily meaning rapid spreading. They often push out other plants by taking up space, light, and nutrients.
What can be done to remove weeds?
Any plan for garden maintenance in Wimbledon necessarily includes a weeding strategy. For some, there is value in the old-fashioned method of just digging them up one by one. Many people find this satisfying and thorough, not to mention friendly to the environment.
Other gardeners appreciate the advances in chemicals and pesticides that allow them to blitz weeds once and for all. This might be confined to a specific area such as a patio where weeds can come up between cracks.
Are there alternatives?
Some gardeners want to pursue the idea of a ‘no-weeding’ garden, which is theoretically possible with the right techniques.
This might include mulching the surface of the soil between deliberately cultivated plants to block out light, thereby suppressing weeds. Common examples of organic mulch include: shredded or chipped bark, compost, composted manure, grass clippings, newspaper, shredded leaves, and straw. People also use inorganic materials such as stone chips, black plastic or fabric. A good service for garden maintenance in Wimbledon will be able to provide advice on the supply and laying of mulch.
Another technique is high intensity gardening. This is where the goal is to cultivate many plants covering the different levels, nutrient needs, growing seasons, and areas. This aims to use up all the available resources with desirable plants so that the weeds have none to use to thrive.