Weeding is one of those jobs that never really feels done, like ever. Especially through the spring and summer months, when everything is growing at a pace, including things you don’t want in your borders or lawn.
Just as you clear one patch, another seems to pop up, making the whole task feel relentless if you try to tackle it all in one go. Spoiler alert: it’s impossible to do that… Believe me, I’ve tried.
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1. Use boiling water to target them
One of the fastest, most satisfying fixes is to pour freshly boiled water directly onto weeds growing in cracks in paving. It kills the plant almost instantly by destroying the cell structure, resulting in dehydration, explains Lucie Bradley, owner of Easy Garden Irrigation, with just a few minutes needed for small weeds to start to wither and then die completely within a few hours.
‘It’s best used on isolated weeds in paths, drives and patios as it’s not selective and will damage any plants with which it comes in contact,’ explains Lucie. ‘When using boiling water, you need to be careful with applying it so you can be precise, pouring it precisely at the weed’s base and not hurt yourself.’
2. Use a cultivator tool for a quick sweep
Using an electric cultivator to get rid of weeds has been a bit of a game-changer for me. I used the Ryobi cordless cultivator, £144.95 from ManoMano, to run the soil and remove weeds from my beds and borders, and it made what would usually be a longer job feel incredibly quick and manageable.
A light pass over the soil lifts shallow-rooted weeds, breaks up compacted soil and preps beds for planting. But do use it on dry days, so any uprooted weeds dry out on the surface rather than re-rooting.
Other weed-busting tools
Root Slayer
Radius Garden Shovel – Green Thumb Award for Most Innovative Garden Tool
My mum swears by a root slayer, and I now do too. It’s perfect for digging out trickier weeds with particularly stubborn roots, and it makes sure you get the whole weed in one go.
This weeding tool’s long handle lets you uproot the weeds without having to bend over or kneel down, and the handy foot pedal gives you enough purchase to penetrate soil and grab weeds right by the root.
Workpro
Weed Remover Tool 2-Piece With Wood Handle
Ryobi
cordless handheld cultivator
This lightweight cordless cultivator is a lightweight, battery-powered garden tool with rotating tines that quickly break up the surface and dislodge shallow-rooted weeds, helping clear areas fast while improving soil structure for healthier planting.
Crocus
Rhs Burgon and Ball Weeding Trowel
Simply the best tool Lucie Bradley has when working in the garden is her weeding trowel, as it lets her dig down and extract the long tap roots of weeds like dandelions without causing disturbance to other plants in her garden border. She can easily manoeuvre it into tight spaces, whilst its handle gives her a secure grip to push down deep into the soil.
Lucie found the most comfortable and efficient way to pull weeds from amongst the grass blades of her lawn is to use this long-handled weeding tool, using a twisting motion to loosen and extract it from the ground. The built-in eject mechanism lets her deposit it straight into a bag, no bending required.
3. Hand pull them after rain
If you’ve had a downpour, that’s your cue to get out there and pull some weeds. Weeds come out so much easier when the ground’s soft, explains Liam Clearly, horticultural expert at Old Railway Line Garden Centre. ‘You’re not tugging and snapping roots; they just lift out cleanly,’ he explains.
This is the time to get rid of dandelions in a lawn, chickweed and shallow-rooted invaders as they will be the easiest to pull out, roots and all, in minutes.
4. Deadhead weeds before they spread
If you’re really short on time, instead of focusing on getting rid of weeds, you can try to limit their spread by regularly deadheading flowering weeds, like dandelions, suggests Richard Barker, horticulture expert at LBS Horticulture.
‘Deadheading for a few minutes every day will prevent the weeds from going to seed, and this can have more of an impact than you think, given how many seeds a single dandelion flower can produce,’ explains Richard. ‘However, do not compost any of the plant material removed from weeds, as this can risk spreading them further.’
5. Vinegar spot treatment
A quick spray of white vinegar works well on young weeds, especially in patio cracks, path edges, and fence lines, where you can treat weeds in isolation, explains Lucie. However, just be very careful to target weeds to avoid also killing nearby plants.
She tends to use either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar, which works effectively as when the acetic acid it contains comes into contact with the plant’s surface, it ruptures the plant cells, so moisture leaks out, causing them to dry out and die.
6. Pull, then mulch straight after
If you’ve got time to do one extra thing, a bit of mulch really helps, advises Liam. ‘It just slows everything down, so you’re not constantly chasing new weeds popping up.’
Using a good quality mulch, like RocketGro’s Magic Mulch, £18.98 from Amazon, helps block sunlight, prevents new weeds from germinating and keeps soil moisture in, so think of it as future-proofing your weed-busting efforts.
RocketGro
Organic Magic Mulch, 50l
7. The little and often sweep
Instead of viewing your garden as a whole, Richard advises breaking it down into smaller sections so it is more manageable.
‘For example, spend a few minutes weeding your lawn or patio, as removing a dozen weeds every so often can help you to keep on top of things,’ he suggests. Look for tiny new shoots, zone in on the edges of your lawn and around planters.
And Liam agrees. ‘I’m a big fan of doing it in bits rather than saving it all for one big session. Five minutes here and there is far more manageable, and you never get that moment where you look at the garden and think, ‘that’s a full day gone.’
So there you have it! If you’ve been wondering how to get rid of weeds fast, it’s not about one big clear-out, as sadly, they just keep on coming back!
It’s more about quick, repeatable jobs that fit into everyday life. Five minutes here and there genuinely does help more than you’d think, and it’ll help keep your garden looking tidy, healthy and far less overwhelming to manage.
And if you want a few more weed-busting ideas to add to your arsenal, using creeping phlox and other ground cover plants can stop weeds in their tracks, as well as this old newspaper trick. Happy weeding!
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