1. Clearing Weed-Infested Ground
Tuesday 27th April 2010
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture

2. RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture
Cutting Down
Cutting down will prevent seeding and spreading.
Repeated cutting can be used to clear persistent perennial weeds however this may take a period of years
Cut down perennial weeds just as the flower buds are beginning to show
Tuesday 27th April 2010
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture

3. Digging or Forking Over
Forking or digging over ground can be used to remove weeds and deep and spreading roots
This can however physically challenging
Digging over infested ground should be carried out when the ground is soft and the weeds have died down (late autumn to early spring)
Keep the ground covered to avoid the soil becoming waterlogged and always work of scaffold boards
Tuesday 27th April 2010
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture

4. Mechanical Cultivation
A mechanical cultivator (rotavator) can be used when clearing ground of annual weeds but not ground where perennial weeds are present
Cultivate in late spring or early summer when the soil is dry and weeds are growing well
Leave the ground until it is greening up with weed re-growth, then cultivate again
Use a light weight cultivator for between crop rows
Tuesday 27th April 2010
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture

5. Clearing ground Without Digging
Lay a light excluding mulch membrane over the surface in spring and it will be clear by the autumn
Persistent perennial weeds may take a number of years to die depending upon the weed
Tuesday 27th April 2010
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture

6. RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture
Grassing Down
Where there is a severe perennial weed problem with ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria), horse or mare’s tail (Equisetum arvense) put the ground down to grass!
Regular mowing for two or three years should solve the problem
Tuesday 27th April 2010
RHS Level 2 Certificate in Horticulture