I'm a gardening expert – my nine weeding hacks can save you money and time

GARDENING can oftentimes be a very peaceful and fulfilling hobby for many people, one that requires a lot of work and patience.

However, the one thing that plagues all gardeners no matter their expertise is weeds, but there might be a few useful hacks to get rid of them.

Keeping weeds out of your garden is an important part of maintaining a healthy and beautiful yard, but the constant upkeep can be a bit frustrating.

Here, we have nine useful hacks that will help save time and effort in order to keep your garden looking its best.

DIY WEED KILLER

Buying herbicides at the store can sometimes break the bank, especially if you have to constantly keep restocking.

One way to offset the cost is to make your own herbicide with household ingredients.

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Making your own weed killer is easy as you only need two ingredients: dish soap and white vinegar.

NEWSPAPERS

A sure-fire way to reduce weeds in your garden is to create a "newspaper lasagna."

To do this, layer newspapers into the soil. This creates a barrier against the weeds.

This also, and most importantly, allows moisture in the soil to reach the roots of your plants.

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DIY SPRAY COLLAR

One quick and easy way to get rid of weeds is by using weed spray, however, it can be a bit of a hassle trying to avoid spraying your plants.

The sprays can do damage to your actual plants if they are hit with the weed spray.

It's a good thing that another DIY project you can create is a spray collar to avoid over spraying your plants.

All you need is a small bucket or a small can. Cut off the bottom of the bucket to create an open-ended cylinder.

Now you can use the weed spray all over the weed inside the collar and it won't hurt your other plants.

MULCH

Mulch is an essential part of any garden as it can help reduce the number of weeds in your yard.

Gardeners use this quite often. Just adding organic items such as wood chips, grass clippings or bark can create mulch.

It helps by blocking sunlight, which reduces the weeds' ability to grow. It also keeps the ground moist and can act as a natural fertilizer for your plants.

REMOVING ROOTS

It is important that you completely remove the roots from the weeds in order to stop them from growing again.

Grab the weed firmly at the base and pull it straight out of the soil.

If the soil isn't too hard, you should be able to remove all or most of the roots using this method.

REMOVING WEED HEAD

Weeds carry seeds in their heads, meaning you don't have to stress too much about removing the roots if you can't get to them.

Be sure to remove the weed head in order to stop reseeding.

This should hinder the weed's ability to spread even more in most instances.

WEED AFTER IT RAINS

Hard soil is not ideal for weeding. You'll have a much easier time if you weed when the ground is wet.

Wet soil is very flexible and it's much easier to pull weeds out of the soil from the roots.

It makes for a messier job but you'll get better results this way.

GROW OUT YOUR GRASS LONGER

Cutting your grass too often and too short makes it easier for weeds to grow.

Keep the grass longer but cutting it less frequently. This will make the grass need more nutrients from the soil, meaning there will not be enough for weeds to grow.

Keep your grass between two to three inches high and it will naturally quell out the weeds

USE A HAND SCRUB AFTER WEEDING

It's important to properly clean your hands after weeding since it's a generally messy job.

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A garden scrub will help wash away any dirt or grime from your fingernails and hands.

This will help keep your hands soft and fresh after a hard day's work.

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