Daily gardening tip · Southern hemisphere · Wednesday 23 September 2026 · early spring
Check Paths for Tiny Weed Seedlings
As spring warmth arrives, weed seeds dormant in your gravel and paved paths will quickly begin to sprout.
10 minuteseasyweeds
Walk along your garden paths, patio areas, and gravel driveways.
Look closely at the ground for patches of tiny, newly germinated green seedlings.
Use a garden hoe, a weeding knife, or even a stiff-bristled broom to scrape the surface layer.
Slice the weeds off just below the soil or gravel surface while they are still small.
Leave the severed seedlings on top of the path to dry out and die in the sun.
Why it works
Tiny seedlings have very shallow, weak root systems. Scraping them away at this stage easily detaches them from their moisture source, causing them to dry out and die in hours without the need for deep digging or harsh chemicals.
A wild rose species native to Europe, distinguished by its soft, greyish-green hairy leaves and deep pink flowers. It produces dark red, globose hips that are often bristly.
Protecting existing forests protects climate better than planting new ones
A major study in the Amazon found that protecting standing forests from fires and logging is the most effective way to save biodiversity. Preserving existing trees keeps locked-up carbon secure at a much lower cost than planting new forests.
Felling of the historic Mingo Oak in West Virginia
On 23 September 1938, loggers felled the fabled Mingo Oak after it died from toxic industrial fumes. Estimated to be nearly six hundred years old, the white oak was considered the largest of its species in the world.
