I’m a gardening expert – 3 ways to banish grass from your flower beds & see your plants flourish | The Sun

LUSH, green grass is a thrill when it's spread out on your lawn.

But when grass finds its way into your flowerbeds, it can do more harm than good, choking your perennials and spreading through the space.

It may seem impossible to banish grass from your flower beds once it's infiltrated, but one plant expert provided three methods to get rid of it for good.

Tim Johnson, the senior director of horticulture at the Chicago Botanic Garden, shared his tactics in the Chicago Tribune.

"Grass is difficult to eradicate once it gets established in the crowns of perennials and in beds of groundcovers," Johnson explained.

One method, which is time-intensive but effective, is to start pulling up grass as soon as you see it.

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Beginning this process earlier in the season is better, Johnson wrote, because it keeps grass from putting down deep roots and spreading all over your garden.

But if you start later in the season, you'll have better luck if you work while the soil is moist.

Pulling up grass after a rain shower will make it easier to dislodge the roots, Johnson said.

"In time, the grass should weaken and eventually disappear," he added.

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You can use your hands, or grab the same tools you'd use to eliminate weeds from the garden.

"A weeder with a forked end or a trowel is a good tool to help get the roots out," Johnson recommended.

If your perennials are crowded by grass, you can try another solution.

Gently lift the perennials out of the bed, and remove the grass infestation from their root balls.

Before you re-plant them, dig out the remaining grass.

You'll need to keep an eye out for new grass growth in the days and weeks after you do this.

Try and do this before the weather gets too warm, Johnson warned.

"You can also wait until the weather is cooler in early September or next spring before using this technique to reduce stress on the plants," he wrote.

"If you decide to wait, then pull the grass as best you can and do not allow it to go to seed."

Johnson also recommended selective herbicides like Ornamec, which can be applied broadly over some plants to kill off grass.

The label should indicate if a selective herbicide is safe for your garden.

If you're extremely careful, you can also use a non-selective herbicide to patch-treat.

"To treat the grass growing close to the garden plants, put on rubber gloves first and then a cheap cotton glove second," Johnson instructed.

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"Using two fingers on the cotton glove, dip into the herbicide and carefully wipe the blades of grass, avoiding any drips on adjacent garden plants."

If you wait until the dead of summer, it will be hard to kill off grass with herbicides: the products work best when grass is actively growing and might lose efficacy in the heat.

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