“Mind your own business” is the bane of many gardeners, and so deserves to be classified as a “Bad Weed of Lindfield!” Also, known as baby’s tears, or, Soleirolia soleirolii, mind-your-own-business is characterised by its tiny leaves and flowers. It is a pretty little weed and is often deliberately planted in cracks and cervices, particularly in dry stone walls.
Soleirolia thrives in our damp Lindfield soil, and you will see it in borders, lawns and paths. With time, it forms a creeping, dense mat of foliage which other plants find difficult to grow through. Soleirolia is hard to get rid of because it can regrow from the tiniest stem section.
What to do
Borders
- Hoe (a lot and often)
- Mulch with woodchip which will help suppress this tiny weed
- Round-up gel can be carefully applied if you prefer the chemical approach
Lawns
- Remove patches of Soleirolia with a trowel. This is best done in spring or early autumn, as these are good months to re-sow bare patches in your lawn
- If the problem is wide spread, then light scarification of the lawn in spring and early autumn with a lawn rake will help to weaken it. Applying lawn feeds will encourage denser grass growth which in turn, will help suppress any invasions.
- Soleirolia is resistant to all lawn weed killers but you can treat individual patches with Round-up gel
- Or just put up with it in the lawn – at least its green!
Soleirolia being used effectively as a lawn