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you are here: Guide to Weeds
Guide to Weeds Weeds - the bane of every gardener's life! Technically, a weed is simply a plant that is growing where it isn't wanted. However, some are easier to remove than others are. Some of these unwanted plants can prove to be extremely invasive and destructive. Weeds, just like our desirable plants, fall into the categories of annual and perennial. They compete for water, air, space and nutrients and can cause the death of our desirable plants. The following list is a guide of some of the weeds you are most likely to come across in your garden, what they look like and what you can do to avoid or destroy them. Annual Weeds The aim of annual weeds is to grow and set seed as quickly as possible. They grow from seed on any recently cultivated soil. Seeds can survive for years in the soil, waiting for the perfect conditions to grow. They germinate at lower temperatures than most garden plants, giving them a head start over rivals! Controlling annual weeds is relatively easy. The trick is to recognise them at the seedling stage, so you can get on top of them without accidentally eliminating flower or vegetable seedlings. Most hoe or pull out easily even when they reach a good size. Put them on your compost heap, so long as they do not have seed-heads.  Chickweed An annual but also known as ephemeral because it can mature and produce seed in 5 to 6 weeks so there can be several generations in a year. It forms a dense mat, smothering other plants. Seed can remain dormant in the ground until cultivation stirs them up. The roots are tenacious. Hoeing or hand pulling is one method to deal with them. Trace the stems back to the roots and remove. However, root removal is not essential as it the weed does not regenerate from root fragments. 
Groundsel An annual that flowers throughout the year. Groundsel acts as a host for leaf rust and the fungus that causes black root rot in peas. It is recognisable as a bushy weed that bears small yellow flowers and fluffy seedheads. It is able to produce many seed, and several generations of this weed can grow in a single growing season. Plants can overwinter and act as a host for rust fungus. This weed is adaptable to a wide range of growing conditions. Seed can blow in from surrounding gardens, fields and waste ground. Hoe or hand pull to remove - it is an easy plant to remove and will not regenerate. Do not compost them. Kill the seedlings and young plants by applying a contact weedkiller to the foliage. It's important to do this early in the weed's life, as weedkiller applied to plants in flower may not kill them before they are able to set viable seed. 
Fat hen Fat-hen is a native summer annual found on cultivated land and waste places. It is common on sandy loams and frequent on clay but less numerous on chalky soils and gravel. It grows best on fertile soils and manuring can increase its frequency. Fat-hen is one of the most troublesome annual weeds as it will quickly spread and colonise any open ground. A single plant can produce 20,000 seeds in its short lifetime. Hand weed or hoe out seedlings as they appear, or smother them with a good layer of compost or mulch. Try to remove plants before they flower and seed to slow its spread. Use a total weedkiller, such as glyphsate, but avoid spraying on a windy day and near other desirable plants. 
Hairy bitter cress Hairy bitter cress is a small short-lived annual that can spread rapidly by means of small seeds dispersed from spring-like seedpods. It can complete its lifecycle in three to four weeks to disperse thousands of seeds, all of which can germinate to release their own seeds in quick succession. The weed may be introduced as seed, seedlings or as plants in compost when buying new plants from nurseries or garden centres. The seed can also remain dormant in the ground until cultivation activates it. Remove young plants before they get a chance to flower and set seed. Pull them out individually by hand or hoe off young seedlings and remove from the soil surface. Avoid deep cultivation which brings up new seeds. Apply a mulch to the surface after weeding to prevent further germination. Use contact weedkiller to kill seedlings and young plants before they grow and get a chance to flower. 
Speedwell Speedwell appears in lawns as individual plants, inhibiting growth of grass, and, if unchecked, spreads through borders. It spreads by seed in spring and autumn to form plants with strong tap roots. If speedwell occurs in borders, hoe it before it can flower and set seed, then remove it or leave it on the soil surface on a hot day to wither and die. In lawns, increase the height of the cut so that it is shaded out by the grass or spot-treat the weed using a weedkiller such as a 2,4-D-based herbicide in spring or early-summer, when growth is at its most vigorous. Repeat through summer where necessary. Apply in cool, moist, still conditions when there is least risk of the chemical drifting onto and damaging nearby garden plants. Perennial Weeds Perennial weeds are more of a problem because they can live for several years. They survive the winter by storing food in their roots. These roots make them harder to get rid of than annual weeds. Some are difficult to dig out and others spread underground. If you leave even the tiniest piece of root in the soil when you dig them out, you'll get a whole new plant. Dig out perennial weeds as soon as you see them. So long as you don't let them produce leaves, the roots will use up their energy stores and eventually die. Never rotavate soils with perennial weed infestations, as it is a brilliant way of propagating them! Always dig out every little bit as they will regrow and often with twice the vigour. If you don't mind using chemicals, treat them with a weedkiller containing glyphosate. Never put perennial weed roots or seed-heads on to the compost heap. 
Brambles Brambles are thickets of thorny, woody growth, which rapidly spread to compete with cultivated plants for light, water and nutrients. It can be seen on freshly-cultivated ground, established borders, undisturbed ground, old walls and cracks in paving. They are able to root at the tips. The plants produce blackberry fruits, which contain seeds that can grow into new plants. The tough roots are able to grow again when the stems are cut down. To control, cut back stems and dig out roots thoroughly. Pull out seedlings and young plants before they become established and spread. Cut back stems of established plants, and treat the regrowth in spring and summer with brushwood killer. Treat the foliage of seedlings and young plants with a systemic herbicide, which will kill the roots as well as the top growth. 
Creeping thistle Creeping thistle is a rampant weed that spreads via wind-blown seeds, as well as roots that can grow 6-12m per year. If left unchecked, it can rapidly dominate areas of your garden. Winter is the only time of year that offers a reprieve, but for the rest of the year the best way to tackle it is to dig it out as soon as it appears. Strong gloves are vital when dealing with this weed as the stems are covered with sharp spikes. The best way to deal with thistles is to get a fork under the plant and gently tease out as many of its spreading white roots as possible. Although a new plant will generate from any pieces of root left behind, these will become weaker and easier to remove each time you dig them out. Use a total weedkiller, such as glyphosate, on this weed, as it'll kill the plant without leaving a residue in the soil. Avoid spraying on a windy day and near other desirable plants. 
Dandelion Dandelions are one of the more familiar weeds - we can all remember blowing the dandelion clocks to watch the seeds float! Dandelions can be seen on established flowerbeds, cracks in paving, garden walls and lawns. They can spread quickly via seed to colonise freshly cultivated soil, and are able to survive in compacted soil in lawns. The deep tap root allows them to survive and re-grow when the top of the plant is cut off. Remove the whole tap root by digging down into the soil with a knife or spike-like daisy grubber. Stop plants from setting seed by removing flowers before they produce fluffy seed. Dandelions growing in paving or flowerbeds can be treated by applying a systemic weedkiller at the leaves. A selective lawn weedkiller or a lawn feed and weed product can be used on dandelions growing in lawns. 
Field Bindweed Field bindweed is a pretty, white-flowering climber loved by butterflies. However, it's a pernicious weed that will smother anything in its path, and will quickly take over beds, borders, walls and fences unless kept in check. In winter, the weed will die down. The best way to deal with it when it is among other plants is to get digging! Every piece of root left in the soil will grow into a new plant, and the roots can venture down as far as 5m. Use a fork to avoid breaking up the root. Use a total weedkiller, such as glyphosate. This is most effective when the weed is flowering, although it'll still work on good leaf coverage. If the weed has already started to grow around other plants, untwine it, lay it on bare ground and then spray it. Avoid using the weedkiller on a windy day and near desirable plants. 
Ground elder This vigorous, spreading perennial is rampant, growing over cultivated plants and making them compete for light, water and nutrients. Characterised by apple-green, lobed leaves and flat heads of cream-white flowers in summer, ground elder spreads rapidly. What makes it even more difficult to eradicate is it can creep between cultivated plants. It creates large clumps of foliage that obscure and smother smaller plants. Ground elder dies down below ground in winter, which means it's difficult to spot when cultivating the soil. However, it's capable of re-growing from only small fragments of root, making it a particularly virulent plant. In existing flowerbeds, it's best tackled by digging up the cultivated plants and washing their roots to tease out the cream-white roots of ground elder. Regular cutting of the foliage, just below ground level with a hoe will gradually weaken the plant, but this needs to be done every 7-10 days, as soon as regrowth appears. Alternatively, fork through the soil every 10 to 14 days, removing every piece of ground elder root that's found. Apply systemic weedkiller to the foliage as soon as it appears in spring. Re-apply throughout the growing season at four- to six-week intervals, or as soon as any re-growth appears. 
Stinging nettle Stinging nettles are tall-growing perennials that spread below ground by rhizomes or across the surface by creeping stems or stolons to form dense clumps of stinging foliage. Stinging nettles are able to survive in a wide range of conditions but are most common on ground that has been left uncultivated for a long period. Plants can spread to form clumps, and seed is also distributed to infest new areas. They die down to tough yellow roots in autumn, over-wintering to grow up again the following spring. Remove seedlings and young plants on freshly cultivated ground before they can establish and spread. Dig out established clumps, ensuring that all of the thick, yellow roots are removed. The unflowered top growth of nettles can be added to the compost heap but roots should be burned or binned. Apply systemic weedkiller to the newly emerging shoots in spring and make further applications as necessary. If treating in summer, cut down foliage and apply weedkiller to the regrowth that appears. |
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