Ideas: Getting Rid of Weeds

Weeding can take a lot of time and effort for the amateur gardener so trust in Green Onion Landscaping professionals to do the job quickly and efficiently so your weeds are kept under tight control!

Green Onion Landscaping can get rid of garden, path and driveway weeds far quicker than you will ever be able to do it.

Do you know your weeds from your plants and flowers

Not many people do know the difference between weeds and flowers, this is understandable as some weeds are very attractive and can produce very pretty flowrs.

We at Green Onion Landscaping do know the difference between flowers, plants,shrubs and weeds.

There is little point in us even attempting to describe the hundreds of plant species that are classified as weeds. You just want to get rid of your weeds don't you? So let's look at how we can do that for you.

Annual weeds

These types of weeds grow from seeds every year. These weeds frequently grow after an area of soil has been disturbed, it is possible for the seeds of weeds to lay dormant for years, it is the exposure to the light and oxygen which promotes their growth.

These weeds are fairly straight forward to get rid of, they have shallow root systems. The biggest pain with these types of weeds is that if left they become prodigious seed producers. These types of weeds go to seed soon after flowering and then go on to produce a massive amount of seeds themselves. Get rid of these weeds before they flower! There's an old saying which really is true, "one years seeds leads to seven years weeds."

Perennial weeds

These are your biggest nightmare! These are the hard case weeds. They have much stronger root systems. They have arrived by seed and germinated but much slower that annual weeds. Perennial weeds will by far out compete annual weeds.

Perennial weeds are built to with stand tornadoes they are ridiculously hard to shift. The roots of perennial weeds go on forever. Much of the perennial weed is under ground, so no matter how many times you pull this weed up if the roots are still in the ground you won't shift them, they will keep growing back!

Entrenched perennial weeds

One of the most common questions we get asked is: How can I get rid of my weeds? The quick answer to this question is get Green Onion Landscaping to do it for you.

There is no immediate miracle cure to weed killing. Getting rid of weeds properly takes time and effort and lots of it. No matter how you chose to do it!

Time dependent weed removal

The organic approach - non chemical.

This relies Green Onion Landscaping covering your weeds with a specially designed weed fabric, so that light can't get to them.

We would start this process by cutting your weeds back with shears a strimmer or a lawnmower set on the highest setting. We would then apply the weed fabric, the weed fabric must be heavy enough not to flap about in the wind. Green Onion Landscaping will always secure the corners and edges of the weed fabric so that it cannot fly off or move.

For weed fabric to be completely effective you will need to put in some work and effort. Each month ideally you should pull back the weed fabric,remove any growth and put it back again.

Weeds will keep pulling on their root system to produce more leaves, but the roots never gets replenished without oxygen from the leaves so keep pulling the leaves off and keep the weeds in the dark. Eventually the roots die and your perennial weeds will be gone. This process realistically could take a year or more to be completely effective.

The non - organic approach v chemical attack

Use a glyphosate containing weedkiller. There are plenty of these about in local DIY stores.

These types of weed killer are absorbed initially by the leaves of the weed and carried (trans located) all over the plant right down to the root tips too. These chemicals are neutralised on contact with the soil, but will kill any plants they come into contact with.

Do not remove any leaves or foliage from the weed prior to weed killing.

You need the weeds to have the maximum area for absorption  of the chemical,

the weed killer is absorbed through the leaves and carried through the leaves into the weeds root system killing off the roots and tips.

Do not touch your weeds during this time. Weed killing chemicals also work  best in Spring and Summer during active growth. At colder times of the year , they can be almost ineffective.

When all the foliage has died down, collect the dead foliage wearing protective gloves and dispose of it. We always disposes of our chemical waste accordingly and will always take this away from your property.

Now you need to watch for recovery / regrowth - believe me there will always be some.

Let this grow until there is a reasonable amount of leaf surface and repeat spray with the weedkiller again. Two applications are usually enough, though you may even need three if you have a bramble problem. Then finally dig the area over thoroughly before planting.

Effort dependent weed removal

Most people don't want to wait or simply do not have the time to wait the several months or longer it need to kill weeds by the above methods. In that case you will need to do some very hard graft or we will on your behalf!

Root attack - It's not rocket science.Get yourself a garden fork and start at one end of the garden where the weeds are. Dig up a fork full of soil and then break it up with the fork, pick out the roots and shake the soil off.

The more thorough you are at removing pieces of root, the more effective your eradication will be. This can be very time consuming and tiring. You'll be amazed at how many roots you can dig up from a small area. This explains how the weeds keep coming back over and over again though! You'll never get all of the roots out in this way, but you will reduce the ability for them to return very considerably.

Leaf attack - Every time you remove the leaves you are depleting the root system. If the leaves get large enough, they will start to replenish the roots. KEEP PULLING THEM UP!

Individual attack - this works well for individual perennial weeds. Use a trowel , push it down the side of the weed as deep as you can. Start a digging action until you hear/feel a "crack or snap" of the tap root.

Recommended approach for entrenched perennial weeds

• Cut down, clear all top growth

• Get out your garden fork attack and clear the roots

• Leave to recover, when there's a good amount of leaf, spray with glyphosate weedkiller

• When the leaves have died and been cleared, dig the area over with a fork

• Spot weed spray if needed

Green Onion Landscaping are happy to tackle your weed problems anywhere in Teesside, Tees Valley, Stockton on Tees, Darlington, Middlesbrough and Cleveland.

Blog - Ideas