Around this time of year, the sights and smells of summer gardens begin to pose a real temptation those whose gardens might only contain paving slabs. But for the enthusiastic amateurs seeking to transform their outdoors into a prospering flower garden, there are some realities to come to terms with: one of which is weeding.
What’s lurking beneath the surface of your garden?
Weeding might seem like a constant uphill struggle for gardeners, but it actually becomes easier over time. There will always be weeding to- especially annual weeds, the seeds for which can creep into your garden over the year, but on the whole weeding is a cumulative effort- as you continue to diminish the size and strength of perennial weeds, your weeding efforts will become easier. Perennial weeds spread through deep & often complex root systems that allow them to survive for years beneath the ground. You’ll need to commit to years of monitoring and digging before you finally eliminate them- it’s all about causing as much damage to the root network as possible, because as long as the fronds remain beneath the surface, the weed itself will return again and again.
Weeding or mulching?
The two means of fighting weeds- weeding (extraction) or mulching, are equally popular with gardeners seeking to reduce the prominence of weeds in their garden or allotment. In truth the two methods are not so separate- as effective mulching must be followed by some degree of weed extraction. Yet if your garden is suffering from a particularly heavy infestation of weeds, mulching can be a low-effort way to reduce them, limit their growth and spread and make for much easier removal. Simply cover the area between your plants, either with compost, grass clippings or leaves, to keep sunlight from reaching the weeds below. This will stifle weed growth and reduce water loss from the soil, and the organic matter should decompose into the soil. Ensure you leave the developed plants you wish to keep clearly exposed- the mulch will fertilise them, kill weeds and insulate them during colder months. Bear in mind that while this procedure increases fertility, h if that’s your main goal you could also consider top dressing or even plant food water additives. The other method of mulching involves a less sightly strategy- covering the weed-affected area with cardboard or black plastic sheeting to completely deprive the plants beneath of sunlight. In time they’ll shrivel and die, allowing for much easier removal. Unlike mulching with organic matter this approach cuts off the plants beneath completely from water as well as sunlight, which understandably causes a degree of trauma to the soil and won’t insulate as well- so ensure you time your choice of which form of mulching to use according to the weather.
While regular gardens and lawns might benefit from weed killers and additional chemical additives, those growing fruit and veg might prefer a more organic approach that kills weeds and stifles any spread of plants into undesirable areas of border or allotment- this is something organic mulch does very well, and in addition it offers a wide range of drainage, fertility and insulation control qualities.
By comparison weeding is a simpler task- you can pluck the weeds out by hand (always satisfying when successfully ousting a particularly unsightly specimen) or using tools like a fork, hoe, trowel, scissors or even a specialist purpose-built weed remover to uproot them. In the cases of annual weeds, lightly hoeing the area removed the stems from the roots and allows the dead heads to be removed easily, raked away or simply left to rot into the soil. With perennial weeds a more rigorous approach, aimed at removing the roots entirely from the soil, is needed to prevent the plant from regrowing or spreading. Lots of specialist tools are available for this task, although a simple garden fork is often the most popular.
Weeding with a fork, hand fork or trowel should be undertaken every day, or as often as possible to keep weeds down and should be across your garden- as any area where weeds can flourish can lead to spread across the rest of your garden. If you compost, remember to separate annual weeds from perennials, as the latter can take over your garden or even compost heap, are hard to extract and should be disposed of.
What topsoil is right for your garden?
It can be hard to know which the best topsoil is for you- and if you don’t know your soil you may struggle to get your plants to thrive. The truth is, most people aren’t that interested in the science of soil- but it has a lot of very special qualities you can’t see. Most people are surprised to learn that fertile soil is a finite, non-renewable resource and won’t be around forever. And with 1.2-2 billion tonnes of food intensively farmed each year –around 50% more than is eaten- we may soon be hearing more about the decline of our fertile soil resources. Aside from news of impending doom & gloom, however, why should you take the time to learn about the miracle of natural topsoil?
Topsoil is vital to the growth of plants and, therefore, humans! But it normally only occurs naturally on the top few inches of the ground. It can go down to a few feet at most.
Most importantly, topsoil is teeming with life! This is what gives it its rich, deep, dark colour. Decaying matter and microorganisms also provide its odour and miraculous growing properties. When it occurs naturally, topsoil is home to more organic activity than the rest of the earth! In fact, the next time you’re in the garden, grab a handful- you’ll be holding more living organisms in your hand than there are people on the entire planet! Yet all topsoil is roughly half air and water (its water absorption properties are miraculous- one acre could hold almost ten MILLION litres of water) and 95% non-organic material. Despite being only 5% organic, topsoil is the product- and in many ways the basis for- all biological activity that’s ever taken place on earth. Centuries of plant and animal organisms dying & decomposing goes into producing every centimetre of topsoil. Yet industrial farming and other bad production practices are reducing available topsoil at an unsustainable rate. That’s why increasingly the agriscience has been taking steps to reduce the damage to topsoil, such as more and more advanced composts and soil improvers.
The great advantage of using bought topsoil is that you can tailor your choices to improving the soil fertility profile in your garden. Scientists have identified over ten thousand different types of local topsoil in Europe alone, and each type of soil can favour certain plants. Using bought topsoil, instead of relying on compost and local earth, can allow you to grow a wider variety of the species you choose.
The Topsoil Shop is a leading supplier of high quality bulk & bagged topsoil across the UK. We have depots across the country to ensure fast & hassle-free delivery of fertile, freshly dug topsoil. See our depot locations here.
Mulch Ado About Nothing (or Chicken Soup for the Soil)*
Restore vibrancy to your soil with some life-giving mulch! A healthy layer of mulch is probably the best favour you can do for your soil this Spring- and definitely the cheapest. Readily available from our shop or easy to prepare at home (provided you know your garden and its soil type there’s no excuse not to get the most out your garden in 2016 with some mulch!
February is the perfect time to consider your garden’s needs for the coming year, and though it may not feel like it, now is the time to think of the summer that’s just around the corner, and prepare our allotments and gardens for the warmer, drying months that will pose challenges of their own. All this because, for our plants at least, the rain of the last couple of months may soon be missed. Unfortunately our climate limits how many projects we can undertake for another month or so, but if you want to take a positive step now toward a better garden this year, consider preparing and laying out some late-winter mulch to seal up your soil through the dry summer. Now, spring mulching is sometimes a contentious issue. There are those who feel mulch is best used to insulate your soil against the winter cold, and should be laid out in the autumn to warm the soil. Mulch decomposes, which leaks nutrients into your soil and can even generate a tiny amount of heat- which is just what your trees and perennials are after through the winter. However it’s been suggested that mulching in spring can act to seal entire beds, too, this time against moisture loss. A long dry summer (now replete with increasingly common hosepipe bans) can ruin your soil and turn your beautiful beds into dehydrated deserts! A healthy couple of inches of mulch now can trap in that moisture (one thing we have plenty of) and stops a hot summer from crisping your plants. Not only this, but of course mulching will the preserve the fertility of your topsoil, and even tops it up, just as it does in winter. So if your soil is prone to letting your plants down for nutrients, or if you remember last summers’ dusty dryness, top up a 5cm layer of mulch over your entire bed and feel sure that some of the winter rain we’ve enjoyed so much of recently, won’t up and disappear as soon as we hit the hot months.
*Apologies for the puns, we’re sow sow sorry!
