The former Head Gardener to King Charles for over 20 years, Jack Stooks, has shared his method of dealing with annoying weeds without using any pesticides or sprays
A picture of a woman gardening (Image: Getty Images)
If you ask someone what the worst part about gardening is, they will likely say trying to get rid of pesky weeds.
It sometimes feels like for every weed you pull up, five more will sprout somewhere else in the garden.
But it is a universal struggle that all gardeners have to face, even those who take care of the Royal grounds. We asked the former Head Gardener to King Charles for over 20 years, Jack Stooks, how best, in his opinion, to deal with those annoying weeds.
“The best way to deal with them is to get on top of them early and just keep at it. Since working at Highgrove, I don’t use pesticides or sprays at all. It’s more about managing them – keeping them out of the areas where you don’t want them. That means digging them out again and again before they get the chance to take over a border,” he explained to RSVP Live.
“The key really is timing. Start early in the season and tackle weeds while they’re still young. If you remove them at that stage, they don’t get the chance to flower or set seed, and that makes a huge difference. So it’s all about staying on top of them from the very beginning of their growth.
“In a grassy area, it’s slightly different. If you’ve got a small lawn and a few weeds popping up that you don’t like, I tend to use a simple garden knife – just a long, sharp blade, nothing fancy. I push it down as far as it’ll go to cut through the root, then pull the plant up. If the weeds haven’t gone to seed, I’ll often just leave them on the lawn to dry out in the sun, then mow over them. Once the roots are properly dried, they won’t regrow, and they can go into the compost.”
But if you’re trying to remove them from your borders, it can be trickier as the weeds are often tougher. Jack says it is all about ‘persistence’, as you have to keep going back to tackle them – especially if you have knotweed or birdweed in your garden.
“Some of the tougher weeds will stick around for a long time, so you’ve got to be consistent. Things like Japanese knotweed are a different level altogether. That’s one you have to deal with very carefully – dig it up, bag it, and leave it to break down properly in a sealed black bag. You can’t compost it, and you can’t assume it’ll just die off on its own. It’s one of those plants you really don’t want spreading.
“Bindweed is another really tricky one. Its roots go right down into the ground, and even the smallest piece left behind will regrow. So with bindweed, it really is a case of persistence – digging and digging at it over time to weaken it. Ground elder is another one. That’s more shallow-rooted, but it spreads quickly, so again, it’s about staying on top of it and repeatedly removing it rather than relying on sprays or pesticides.” He said on behalf of BetVictor Casino.
We also asked him if he had any tricks for keeping the soil as healthy as possible while he worked for King Charles.
“Keeping soil in good condition in your borders really comes down to regularly working it – digging it over, lifting bits out, and adding in plenty of well-rotted manure or compost. It’s about continually putting goodness back into the soil. When you’ve got lots of plants growing, they’re naturally taking nutrients out, so you’ve got to replace what’s being used. Keeping plants fed is part of that, and it all helps maintain healthy soil. The main things: keep adding organic matter, keep it turned over, and make sure nutrients are being replaced. That’s what keeps it healthy.”
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