How to get rid of weeds for good

Stop the spread of those unwanted garden visitors with these organic and safe methods

As the light levels diminish moving into the autumn, all garden weeds are in a race against time to flower and produce seed to inhabit our gardens next year. It is hard to argue against the effectiveness of weed killers to help manage the explosion of weed growth across our gardens but with the ever increasing body of evidence to suggest weed killers have the potential to pose risks to gardeners and have negative effects on biodiversity, what are gardeners to do? 
Glyphosate-based weed killers are effective in controlling pernicious weeds such as bindweed, ground elder and couch grass. If applied on a sunny, still day and sprayed close to weed the spray drift can be minimal. Gardeners should be aware that any systemic herbicide that encounters their much-loved garden plants will have the same effect as it does on weeds, often killing annuals and perennials and weakening shrubs and trees.
Contact herbicides tend to work very quickly and their effect can be seen within a couple of days on stems and leaves that encounter the chemical, systemic herbicides can take a little longer to show signs of effectiveness, depending on the rate in which a plant photosynthesises; warmer and brighter days where photosynthesis is more rapid will accelerate the yellowing and deterioration of the weeds.
I have discovered that there is no silver bullet to control weeds that replaces chemicals. It is a multifaceted approach that requires lots of different treatments that are less harmful to the environment and us. Spraying chemicals is a very quick method and can last for months but alternatives require persistence and more regular applications, but the overwhelming feeling of being much safer and kinder to the environment when applying these alternatives far outweighs for me, the quick fix of splashing some herbicide around.
Rather than looking at chemical solutions, some physical methods, although more labour intensive, can be incredibly effective. 
The old adage: one year’s weed is seven years’ of seeds is very true. Common groundsel has the ability to produce around 2000 seeds per plant, that’s a lot of weeding. The increased level of soil moisture this summer has meant that the usual explosion of weeds in May and June has continued through the entirety of the summer, making weed populations harder to manage due to their prolific and relentless growth. Autumn is a good time to clear your garden of weeds before they have chance to set seed. 
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A glyphosate-based weed killer is the most effective control of perennial weed in a border as it’s very difficult to access the roots and remove them. The danger comes when you spray a systemic herbicide that has the potential to damage all the plants around the weeds. 
Annual weeds can be simply hoed off, removed and composted. There’s a lovely saying that you shouldn’t let weeds see a Sunday to prevent them getting out of hand in your garden. In a mixed border persistence with perennial weeds will keep them at a level which almost makes them tolerable.
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In a driveway where there is very little other vegetation, annual weeds can be controlled with a contact herbicide, or for mixtures of perennial and annual weeds, a glyphosate-based weed killer will work. Do be aware of spray drift that may contaminate your garden plants, so apply chemicals on a very still day with the nozzle of your applicator close to the ground.
Physically removing your weeds with a wire brush and preventing any soil build up between the paving will help to prevent weed regrowth. If there are no tree roots or other plants that can be compromised, 200 grams of salt dissolved into one litre of water can be mixed up and applied to the weeds on your driveway to burn them off. This will need to be carried out a few times during the summer and we should be targeted rather than spraying the entire driveway. This will work for gravel driveways too.
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Weed and feed products applied to your lawn in the spring and autumn will help to control broad-leaved weeds within your turf. Different products can be applied at different times of year depending on the type of growth that’s required; more vigorous growth in the spring, and nutrients that will promote root growth in the autumn. 
Scarifying your lawn and regular mowing, particularly close mowing will encourage a much finer group of grasses to colonise your lawn. Broad-leaved weeds such as dandelions will struggle to cope with that regular cutting and the closeness of that cut. 
Regular cultivation in a veg patch often makes it one of the least likely places that you’ll find perennial weed. If you do have perennial weed in your allotment or veg patch, a modest amount of a glyphosate-based weed killer, applied in the spring when a reasonable amount of growth is visible and before many of your vegetables are in the ground will help to curtail growth.
The way in which we plant, dig up and move plants around our allotments and vegetable patches means that it’s one of the most cultivated parts of the garden. To that end, on a regular basis, weeds are disturbed then killed off and not allowed to manifest into a big problem. Keep removing the top growth of any perennial weed and pop it into a black bin bag and send it to landfill, annual weeds can be simply held off on a nice dry and sunny day.
For weeds such as bindweed, untangle the growth or grow the bindweed up some bamboo canes separately, then gather the foliage and place it in a carrier bag, keeping it attached to the root system below. Spray your weed killer within the carrier bag onto the bindweed foliage so it doesn’t encounter any of the foliage of the plants around it. Tie the plastic bag and place a stone on the bag to prevent it blowing away, the bindweed can then absorb the chemical. You will have to do this on several occasions as bindweed roots are particularly persistent.
For infested borders remove the plants from the border and do not replant them somewhere else as they will often have perennial weed roots amongst their own root balls. Create an area of lawn where the border was and mow the grass once a week for the next couple of years. Eventually the weeds will become weakened and will not re-emerge. Once the area has been clear of weeds and there are no signs for about six months, you’ll be safe to replant that border again.