A GARDENING expert has revealed a 49p hack for killing pesky patio weeds - and it can get rid of slugs and snails too.
Patio weeds can be a real problem in the summer, when the hot weather causes them to grow faster.
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They can look incredibly unsightly, so if you have big plans for a BBQ or garden party this weekend, here's how you can easily get rid of them, to keep your garden looking it's best.
Many of us have fridge shelves full of fizzy drinks bottles that we're never going to use as they've gone flat.
However, Neil Mckenzie, a home andgardenexpert atHalton Stairlifts, explained that you can actually use the dregs of these drinks as weed killer, instead of throwing them out.
You can pick up own brand fizzy drinks from Tesco and Sainsbury's, so this is still a super cheap method to use if you don't already have any in the house.
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Weed Killer
Before using the fizzy drinks on your plants, be sure to dilute them with water to avoid sugar build-up that can attract pests.
Regular fizzy drinks work best, as diet drinks lack sugar and can contain dyes that stain.
Neil revealed that when if you pour the diluted mixture onto your patio weeds, the sugar will attract microorganisms that produce waste and which can kill the plants.
Slug Trap
Slugs and snails are attracted to the sugar in fizzy drinks.
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Therefore, Neil revealed that if you pour some in a shallow dish and put it in the garden "pests will be drawn to it" and will drown.
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Bug Spray
Neil explained that you can also make a natural insect spray by mixing fizzy drinks with washing up liquid.
How to get rid of weeds
If you spray the mixture onto your plants, this will keep aphids and other pests away.
Fertiliser
Another use for old fizzy drinks is fertiliser.
Neil said: "Use fizzy drinks to give plants a sugar boost, especially houseplants or acid-loving plants like azaleas and blueberries.
"The sugar content can help promote microbial activity in the soil."
Why you shouldn't use fizzy drinks as a weed killer
THE internet is full of gardening hacks - some incredibly useful, and others just downright stupid.
Fabulous' Associate Editor and gardening enthusiast, Rebecca Miller, has shared her thoughts.
"The latest suggestion is to use fizzy drinks as a weed killer - but this will cause more harm than good.
Fizzy drinks contain acidic ingredients which, yes, will effectively kill weeds - but also any other plant it touches.
More importantly, it will impact your soil quality because of the artificial sugar content.
While this may not seem like a bad thing because plants need sugar to survive, the issue is, the sugar in fizzy drinks, is the wrong type of sugar plants need, and it cannot be absorbed by them.
Instead, the plant which has been covered in soda will pull water from the roots of surrounding plants, causing them all to become hydrated.
So yes, you might kill a weed or two, but you’ll also see a lot of your other plants and flowers dying.
To add to this, the microbes and underground critters that like the sugars found in fizzy drinks, are often not good for plants - and some of them can be actively harmful.
If you have pesky weeds, the old fashioned way is the best. Get a kitchen knife, a weed puller or brush and remove them by hand.
But remember - a weed is just a plant growing in a location you don’t want it to."
Compost Accelerator
You can also use fizzy drinks to speed up the decomposition process of your compost.
Neil revealed that all you need to do is pour leftover drinks onto your compost and the sugar will feed microorganisms, helping them to break down organic matter more quickly.
Improve Lawn Health
Another helpful use for fizzy drinks is that you can spray them on the lawn to promote growth.
Neil said: "The sugar feeds beneficial microbes in the soil."
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Enhance Soil Acidity
Neil said: "Use fizzy drinks on acid-loving plants to lower the pH of the soil slightly.
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"This is beneficial for plants like hydrangeas, gardenias, and rhododendrons."
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