‘Capture them now!’ Gardening expert shares July weed hack to stop them releasing seeds

Homebase share their tips for gardening in the summer

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July is the perfect time of year to harvest any fruit and vegetables and clear away any dead foliage. With the height of summer just around the corner, it’s a great month to get your garden in order ready for summer barbecues and entertaining guests. As well as getting rid of unsightly foliage and keeping your lawn well-fed, annual weeds can also release their seeds around this time of year.

Annual weeds usually complete their life cycle within a year or less and reproduce by releasing seeds.

Examples of annual weeds include chickweed, crabgrass, knotweed, lambs-quarters, common mallow, pigweed, purple deadnettle, groundsel, nettle (common), purslane, speedwell, spurge, and yellow wood sorrel (oxalis).

It’s important to eradicate these weeds before they release their seeds.

In a YouTube video for Homebase, a gardening expert shared their garden tips for July, including how to stop certain weeds from spreading.

They said: “Days are long and hopefully warm at this time of year.

“To keep your garden looking its best, clear away disease and spent foliage and keep an eye out for pests.

“Make sure plants are well-fed and remember it’s not just the garden that needs water.

“Help out our feathered friends by keeping bird baths topped up as well.

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“Capture seed heads from dandelions and other weeds before they have a chance to release.

“Give lawns a summer feed to keep grass healthy.

“Harvest courgettes, peaches, apricots, nectarines and garlic.”

The gardening expert also recommended removing any “blanket weed” from ponds or water sources.

This will ensure the water remains clear and healthy.

Perennials can also start to grow out of control around this time of year, so to keep your borders “looking smart” cut back anything starting to look a bit faded.

The Homebase gardening pro also said to “keep an eye” out for pests.

“Keep an eye out for pests to catch problems early before they develop,” they said.

Signs of pests on plants include yellow patches on plants, distorted growth, honeydew on the plant or scab-like spots on the plant.

The gardening expert also suggested fertilising plants and refreshing water for birds in July.

They added: “Feed crops with general fertiliser to encourage plentiful growth.

“Clear away diseased and spent foliage in the vegetable garden to help plants flourish.

“At this time of year birds will appreciate clean water to drink and wash in so make sure you change the water in your birdbath daily.

“Turn compost in your composter to keep it aerated and speed up the composting process.”

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