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London

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    7-day forecast

Our Gardeners' 7-day forecast warns you of changing weather conditions (including frost, high wind and drought) and suggests actions to take to protect your plants.

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Problem solving

Dock

Symptoms

A tatty-looking, coarse-leaved plant that has deep, branching taproots, which will keep regrowing after being hoed out or lightly dug up.

Find it on: all over the garden

Time to act: early spring to autumn

Dock

Dock, Rumex crispus, appears in the garden in large spreading groups, and is characterised by coarse, battered leaves. It spreads via seed produced by tiny brownish-green flowers, which appear in abundance in summer and are loved by seed-eating birds. While gardeners are less fond of this plant, it is useful to soothe the sting of a nettle when rubbled on the skin.

Solution

Organic

Keep digging them out. It isn't an easy job, as you need to get every last bit - any remaining fragments of root will re-sprout. Use a fork to avoid breaking up the root. Regular close mowing will keep most lawn infestations in check, as it prevents them from flowering and setting seed.

Chemical

Use a total weedkiller, such as glyphosate, spraying directly on to the plant. Avoid spraying on a windy day and near other desirable garden plants.

 

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