Five Top Tips for Effective Weed Control

Weeds are the bane of any gardener’s life – not only do they look unsightly, but they also can inhibit the growth of your flowers and shrubs by depriving them of valuable soil nutrients.

Madingley Mulch provide a wide range of gardening supplies to customers in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Essex and Suffolk, as well as our home county of Cambridgeshire.  Here are our top five top tips for keeping weeds under control.

Don’t Forget to Mulch

Mulches will stifle the life out of any weeds by depriving them of light. Organic mulches, such as those containing bark or wood chips, are particularly effective, as they are an ideal habitat for beetles and crickets. These insects feast on weed seeds just below the surface of the soil and prevent them from germinating.

You should always top up your mulch so it is at least 10cm (4in) deep, as this will smother established weeds. And leave a small gap around your plants, as some can be damaged by direct contact with the mulch.

Madingley Mulch supply a wide range of mulches, soil conditioners and composts which will help your plants to grow. These include Denise’s Delight and Tony’s Tonic, two exclusive products which contain horse manure, wood shavings and other effective plant nutrients.

Mind the Gaps

Weeds flourish in the gaps between plants, so crowd them out. Mass plantings of closely-spaced flowers and shrubs will be far more effective than a lot of widely-scattered ones. However, don’t be tempted to put them too close together. Remember that your plants will be competing for the same soil nutrients, and there is also a risk that you could transmit diseases from one plant to another.

Don’t Dig Too Deep

Many weeds grow from seedlings in your garden soil – but only those within an inch or two of the surface get enough light to germinate. So if you do dig out a pesky plant, all you might be doing is creating the conditions for others to thrive. Uproot them where possible, rather than digging them out, and cover the disturbed area with mulch or a new plant.

The best approach to take will depend on the weather. As the old saying has it, ‘pull when wet, hoe when dry’. So, after a spell of rain, the damp soil will allow you to uproot some weeds far more easily. However, if you have had a spell of sunny weather, then running a hoe over your bed or between rows of plants will kill most seedlings. Ideally, do this on a dry day with light winds, as the weeds will dry out on the surface of the bed rather than re-rooting themselves into moist earth. 

Lawncare

Weeds growing in your lawn create a different set of problems. Regular watering, particularly during the summer, and some vigorous raking or scarifying beforehand, will help your grass grow and make it more difficult for weeds to compete for the soil nutrients. Madingley Mulch also supply a lawn top dressing mix to feed the roots of your grass.

However, persistent plants such as dandelions and daisies can still cause problems. These should be removed with a hand fork, making sure you pull out all of the root, and then reseed or returf the bare patches if necessary. The best time to do this is usually in the spring or autumn, when the soil is neither too damp nor too dry, as this provides the ideal growing conditions for the new grass seed or turf roots.

A Helping Hand

You can make your life – and your plants’ lives – easier with some artificial assistance. Weedkiller, such as Round-Up, supplied by Madingley Mulch, will kill the majority of all these unwanted plants with just one application.

We also supply Groundtex, a high-quality garden membrane which will help suppress the most stubborn of weeds, and won’t get damaged by animals. You can also use it as a sub-base for a patio and other building works, and for general ground stabilisation.

Gardening Supplies from Madingley Mulch

Whether you want mulches, composts, or other specialist products such as a weed suppressing membrane or a lawn top dressing mix, gardening supplies specialists Madingley Mulch are the people to call.

We can deliver your order whether you live in Bedfordshire, Hertfordshire, Suffolk, Essex or Cambridgeshire – this is free to all addresses within 15 miles of our base on the edge of Cambridge. If you live within 24.5miles, then a standard £20 charge applies, and we can also deliver further away as well. Follow this link if you would like to learn more about our delivery services.

---

Back to blog