I’m a gardening whizz – my £1.99 hack gets rid of weeds using a cupboard essential & it works brilliantly on a sunny day
A GARDENING enthusiast has revealed how a common cupboard essential will get rid of weeds with almost no effort.
Weather it’s creeping up in the driveway or taking over your lawn, it seems that weeds will always find a way to appear.
However, if the idea of spending long hours on your knees trying to pull them out doesn’t sound too appealing, a savvy man has come to rescue with an easy solution.
The green-fingered gardening enthusiast, only known as @im_no_gardener, took to TikTok to reveal how he tackles stubborn weeds outside his home.
According to the whizz, who’s won more than 4,000 followers on the platform, the answer is simple – and you most likely already have it in your kitchen.
Rather than heading to the shops to snap up pricey products, the gardening fanatic explained how bicarbonate soda – also known as baking soda – can banish the pesky weeds.
Sharing the game-changer of a hack on the social media platform, the green-fingered man noted that shoppers can find huge 25kg bags of the cupboard essential on Amazon, where they retail for around £30 to £35.
The secret trick here, he showed in the video, was to scatter the baking soda around the driveway on a hot sunny day when there is very little wind.
”What will then happen is the plants will absorb it, as they get damp when it starts to rain because they’re thirsty – because it’s been sunny.
”That’s nature’s way of killing it.”
The bicarbonate soda will the pesky weeds the moment it rains – and as the roots will stay intact, this will, in turn, prevent anything else from growing through the gaps of your driveway.
The best part? Not only is this a cost-effective solution, the gardening pro was also raving about how environmentally-friendly and safe for the wildlife the hack was.
”It’s safe for your pets – and it’s safe for your children.”
However, the green-fingered man also reminded to avoid walking onto the baking soda, as this will lead to a mess, both in your home, as well as the flower beds.
Since being shared on the platform, the video has gone viral, racking up a whopping 1.2million views in less than a week.
Hundreds of fellow gardening super fans flocked to comments to share their thoughts and thank the whizz.
One had seen the clip a little too late, writing: ”I’ve just spent 3 hours on my knees weeding the brick paving in one area.
May gardening jobs
The Sun's Gardening Editor, Veronica Lorraine, has shared the tasks you need to crack on with in May.
GARDEN growth can go from nought to ninety in May, depending on the weather. The last UK frosts are generally seen at the beginning of the month, so all of a sudden there’s so much more to do and grow.
Plant out dahlia tubers
It’s a joy to finally plant out your dahlia tubers. Remember how big they can get – and space accordingly – anything up to half a metre apart.
It’s a good idea to put your support stakes in now instead of trying to work around them.
And make sure you include lots of well rotted manure or decent compost to feed it and then mulch to keep it moist and suppress weeds. They generally start blooming in July.
Final feed to Spring flowers
You can give a cheeky feed to all your remaining tulips and daffodils.
Although the majority of bulbs aren’t guaranteed to come back year after year any more, as long as you’ve left them to die back naturally there’s a good chance they’ll have stored enough energy to come back again. Tomato feed is fine.
Tie up climbers
Your clematis, honeysuckle and rambling roses should be well on their way by now – try to use plastic free string to tie them back into their support, or tuck them round each other to make sure they don’t sprout off in crazy directions.
Feed the lawn
It’s not too late to give your lawn a good feed.
Whether you use granular or liquid, it can give it a good boost to see it through the harsher summer months.
While mowing, don’t go too low with your cut length yet and never take more than a third off the grass height.
Get creative
It’s also time to get creative with hanging baskets and pots.
Trailing pelargoniums, which a lot of people call geraniums, and Begonias are a good, low cost way of getting lovely returning blooms throughout the summer in your baskets.
And pots can be planted with spring bulbs.
Don’t forget the greenhouse!
Give your greenhouse a good tidy and clean the glass inside and out.
The improved light will help plants grow quicker inside and tidying is good for the soul.
You can just use a household white wine vinegar and water solution – or even neat if you’re feeling spendy – which gives a really good shine.
”Might have to try this for another section. I could curse the previous owner for putting brick paving down.”
Another was also a big fan of the purse-friendly cupboard staple, writing: ”Bicard is the answer for everything.”
Some, meanwhile, raced to reveal how they tackle the pesky weeds, with one solution costing zero.
”I just use boiling water have done for years, no problems.”
Someone else chimed in: ”Salt also works and it’s cheaper.”
”White vinegar and salt does the job,” another insisted.
Don’t have baking soda? You can find this kitchen essential at most supermarkets, including ASDA where it sells for a mere 65p – however, for best results, you will need more than 200g, depending on the size of your driveway.