David Domoney gives advice on weeding the garden
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The Royal Horticultural Society’s (RHS) Chelsea Flower Show took place earlier this month, having been pushed back by a few months due to the pandemic. David Domoney headed one of the stands at the show, which focused on houseplants and their benefits to people’s mental health and wellbeing.
David was on hand to answer gardening enthusiasts’ dilemmas, and he spoke to Express.co.uk about which tasks to do in the garden now, including how to get rid of weeds.
Luckily, there are fewer pests in the garden at this time of year, according to David.
He said: “You see a slight reduction in pests because the colder weather comes down.
“There is usually less issues with pests.
“It’s weeds that you need to keep on top of this month.”
To get rid of weeds naturally, David simply advised: “Pull them out.”
He added: “The secret is to do it now, as growth is slowing down.
“Get a handful of them.
“Get as much of the root out as possible, and that enables you to clear them out.”
The RHS also recommended pulling weeds out by hand.
On its website, the RHS advised: “Pull up annual weeds by hand before they set seed.
“Perennial weeds should be dug out with as much root (or bulb) as possible, using a hand or border fork.
“Hand weeding is easiest on lighter soils and should only be attempted where it will not disturb the roots of garden plants.
“Further pulling may be necessary with persistent weeds such as bindweed or couch grass where small root sections left behind can re-grow into new plants.”
You can also kill weed seedlings by running a hoe over a bed or between rows.
The RHS recommended doing this on a dry day with light wind, so that the seedlings will dry out on the surface of the bed rather than re-rooting into moist soil.
Other autumnal tasks to do now, according to David, are raking leaves off the lawn and trimming trees.
The horticulturist said: “Obviously there are lots of leaves on the lawn – leaves fall and you end up with big dumps of them on the lawn.
“Some of the autumnal jobs are to stop leaves covering and dumping on the lawn, as without light it can damage some of the growth.
“So, raking leaves off the lawn is one of the key things you can do.”
David added: “Also trimming.
“As soon as you start losing leaves off a lot of the branches of the trees, you can see the structure and the shape of the tree, and it enables you to prune it.”
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