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From using hot water to garlic sprays and a dash of sugar, every gardener has tried to battle the weeds in their garden but is there an easier way to keep them at bay?
Gardening consultant and self-confessed weed whisperer Kate Wall believes we should all learn to love weeds and work with them, not against them.
So how do you become one with the weeds in your yard?
Kate has some top tips for creating a no-weed garden.
Grow more plants
Kate says the fuller the garden, the better it is to keep weeds away.
“If there are no gaps there are no weeds,” she says.
“When you have a full garden there is less work to do as you don’t need to weed as the garden takes care of itself.
“It creates a microclimate therefore the plants start supporting each other so a full garden is less work.”
It can be tricky if you’re trying to create a formal garden, but Kate says it’s not impossible.
“Formal gardens are more work overall as you’re hedging and clipping but it’s about being strategic,” she says.
“A wilder garden is often less work and less about weeding.”
Improve your soil
Keeping the soil healthy can often make it easier when it comes to dealing with weeds.
“The more we improve our soil the more we’ll have weeds that are not as invasive,” Kate says.
“The very first thing is to understand the soil conditions that weeds are exploiting, as many people think weeds are growing in the wrong place, but I believe the weed grows in the right place for that plant.”
She says it’s easier to adjust the soil to the conditions of the plants you want to grow and the weeds you’re trying to get rid of.
“For example, nutgrass is a big problem for most people as it loves compacted soil with little calcium, so to fix the soil you need to add a good rock mineral product, dolomite, and compost,” Kate says.
“Good fertile soil and filling up the garden so there’s no room for the weeds to come up really are the best ways to start.”
Kate says using chemicals are low on her list.
“Herbicides are our last resort but things like Cat Claw Creeper which go up trees have giant tubers underground and you have to cut a stem and add a drop of poison to it,” she says.
“I never spray poison. I always drop it into a plant stem and it’s very effective.”
Say no to salt
Videos and posts on social media suggest salt is a good way to get rid of weeds, but Kate is strongly against it.
“Don’t use salt on weeds as it’s very bad for the soil,” she says.
“Many people use hot water to kill weeds for things like clover, as well as cheap white vinegar which can work but skip the salt.
“It will harm the soil and it will take a long time to get the soil back to where you want it to be.”
Fellow gardeners shared with ABC Radio Brisbane their weed-killing tips:
“I use a sugar solution on nutgrass which works well.” – Tony from Kandanga.
“We control weeds organically with mulching to keep the weeds away.” – Mark from Kenmore.
“I use peppering, where I soak the weed in water for a week and then I spray it back on the weed. You must have patience as it can take 6–12 months to work but it works.” – Greg from Ipswich.
Know your edible weeds
Some weeds found in the garden are used by Kate in her kitchen, but she warns that gardeners need to be able to identify the weeds first.
“There’s a huge world of edible weeds, and we can make pesto and do many other things with them,” she says.
“Dandelions are good eating, especially the young leaves, and you can use the flowers in your salads.”
She says it’s best to do your research using the scientific name of the weed and making sure you use images to correctly identify the weeds you’re looking at.
“If you don’t know what the weed is then it’s best to leave it and learn about it first,” Kate says.
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