Types of weed control

Non-chemical control

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  Suppress unwanted weeds by planting with groundcover plants. Choose species such as Euonymus, Ballota, Pachysandra, Vinca, Bergenia, Waldsternia. More plant suggestions
• Fork or dig out perennial weeds and hoe off annual weeds
• Hoe when the weather is dry so exposed roots will dry out quickly
• For weeds growing within plant stems and roots lift the plant and divide it, so you can clear out weed roots and underground weed stems.
• Further information on non-chemical weed control

Chemical control - weedkillers

Contact weedkiller

• Kills the part of plant which is touched by it
• Fast acting
• Suitable for annual weeds
• Less suitable for perennial weeds

Systemic weedkiller

• Moves within the sap stream so kills the whole plant: roots, leaves and stems
• Suitable for annual and perennial weeds
• Apply using a ready-to-use spray gun, or stick, containing glyphosate, which allows careful control of application.

Residual weedkiller

• Enters plants through the roots
• Kills weeds below ground as they germinate
• Suitable for treating weeds in paths

More information

• Weeds in lawns
• Download our advice on Weedkillers for Home Gardeners (240kB pdf)