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The Irish Sun
21-07-2025
- General
- The Irish Sun
Bamboo was taking over my garden & had me fearing for my house – until a cheap buy from The Range got rid of it for good
A FED-UP gardener has revealed how she finally managed to wipe out a monster bamboo infestation using a budget buy from The Range. Posting in the Gardening on a Budget Official Facebook group, one frustrated woman explained how her partner's garden had been completely Advertisement 2 A gardener turned to Facebook after having their garden overun by bamboo Credit: Facebook/ Gardening on a budget official 2 People recommended The Range's Roundup Tree Stump and Rootkiller Credit: The range She described it as 'solid' ground and saying 'there's so much of it' they didn't know where to start. But thankfully, green-fingered Brits rallied around to offer tried-and-tested advice and one product kept cropping up as the Gardeners recommended the Roundup Tree Stump and Root Killer, which retails at £18.99 from The powerful weedkiller is specially designed to target tough, woody plants and it seems bamboo doesn't stand a chance. Advertisement Read more on gardening tips One user swore by the stuff, commenting: 'I used this on mine. It took a few months, but it's gone and never came back.' Another backed it up, adding: 'It's brilliant stuff. The Roundup kills it – best time is when it stops growing in October or November.' The product's official description says it's a 'non-selective, translocated weedkiller' that travels throughout the plant and root system. It tackles everything from tree stumps to nettles, ivy and invasive bamboo. Advertisement Most read in Fabulous It's absorbed by leaves or freshly cut surfaces and works both above and below ground. Once it hits the soil, microbes break it down, meaning it's safe to replant in treated areas. 6 Reasons Bamboo May Not Be Ideal for Your British Garden And for gardeners dealing with full-blown One poor user shared: 'I get invaded by my Advertisement "My garden is tiered because of sloping, and the roots even disturbed and knocked off the boards on the bottom tier.' She revealed the stubborn plant caused 'numerous shoots coming up on my lawn', adding: 'It took weeks. I still get the odd shoot popping up and as soon as I see it, I'm on it.' Others chimed in with more boiling water over shoots to kill them off, though most agreed that Roundup offered a long-term fix with minimal fuss. With its ability to take down even notorious intruders like Advertisement So if bamboo is creeping into your space and boiling water just won't cut it, this £18.99 could be the price of peace and quiet in your garden. As one user put it: 'It's the only thing that worked and trust me, I tried everything.' How to prevent bamboo from taking over your garden For those that are still tempted to add bamboo to their garden, there is a way that you can Rather than simply planting a smaller patch, green-fingered influencer Advertisement In a recent Instagram reel, he advised his followers: 'Basically, you dig a trench [and] you put this [the bamboo barrier], leave it sticking out a little bit.' According to the gardening whizz, this will stop any shoots and rhizomes from spreading through the soil. If you already have a bamboo plant in your garden, you can also use the same method by placing the plastic barrier around your existing patch. How to get rid of invasive bamboo IF you have a bamboo that has got out of hand, you may wish to eradicate it completely. Cultural control Non-chemical methods involve digging out clumps of bamboo and restricting the size. This can be difficult with very large plants, or on heavy soil. Use a sharp spade to dig up the entire clump or to remove sections from the edge of the clump that have grown beyond the limits. Sever rhizomes as you go, lifting and removing them with a fork or trowel. Weedkiller control When invasive plants are a threat to biodiversity and gardeners struggle to control them with cultural methods, targeted use of regulated weedkillers may be an option. Garden centres and large retailers selling weedkillers have trained staff who can advise on suitable products for your needs.
Scottish Sun
17-07-2025
- General
- Scottish Sun
Parents call for summer holidays to be slashed to FOUR WEEKS to help ease costly pressure of keeping kids off school
Some 62 percent of teachers are on board with trimming the holiday GIVE ME A BREAK Parents call for summer holidays to be slashed to FOUR WEEKS to help ease costly pressure of keeping kids off school Click to share on X/Twitter (Opens in new window) Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window) FED-UP parents are begging for summer holiday to be slashed to four weeks to lighten the load of childcare over summer. More than half of parents would back a shorter break, a poll by charity Parentkind has revealed. Sign up for Scottish Sun newsletter Sign up 3 Parents are demanding a shorter summer holiday for kids Credit: Getty 3 The price and pressure of finding childcare for six weeks has led to families to complain about the long break Credit: Getty 3 A poll found over 50 per cent of parents want a shorter summer holiday Credit: Getty The call to cut the holiday comes just as state schools in England prepare to break up, leaving parents bracing for six weeks with the kids at home. Chief executive of the charity Jason Elsom said: 'The long summer break is a challenge for some parents. "Most want to knock two weeks off to give teachers and children a month off instead.' Parents say the long summer causes serious headaches and that they struggle with trying to finding cover at work and attempting to keep children entertained. Elsom added: 'A shorter summer holiday would help with costs and childcare, which would be particularly welcome at a time when some families are struggling to keep their heads above water.' Parentkind's survey found 53 per cent of parents support cutting the break to four weeks, while just 33 per cent are against it. Among parents of kids on free school meals, the support jumps to 47 per cent, showing a strong link between holiday length and financial pressure in the household. Parentkind says some low-income families have told them they've even skipped meals during term time to cover school costs. Many families said they'd prefer longer Christmas breaks or two-week half-terms instead of the long summer slog. Teachers are also on board, with 62 per cent saying they'd accept a shorter summer. Nearly a quarter of teachers back a straight four-week summer, while 38 per cent favour trimming it to five. There's going to be uproar at my kids' school thanks to new mobile phone rule - they'll no longer be safe, I'm outraged Only a third still want to keep the traditional six-week break. Private schools already have a longer break, with pupils getting from eight to nine weeks form early July to early September. Some even stretch to up to 10 weeks, depending on the school. In Ireland, students also get long summer holidays the length of summer holidays varies slightly between primary and secondary schools. Irish primary schools typically have nine weeks of summer holidays whereas secondary schools enjoy a whopping 12 weeks. Across the Chanel, France has an average school summer holiday of eight weeks, siimilar to the UK. However Italy veers closer to Ireland, giving students 11 to 12 weeks off school from early June–mid September. In Germany it varies state by state, but on average pupils have a six week break. However childcare costs in the UK in summer are almost three times higher than after-school clubs, now averaging £179 per child per week, according to charity Coram. Experts have also raised concerns that children regress academically over long holidays, especially those from disadvantaged backgrounds. Elsom warned that for struggling households, a six-week break can feel 'more like survival than a holiday'. The government is under pressure to rethink the school calendar, with Parentkind calling for a full national debate on how holidays are spread through the year. The idea of two-week half-terms is gaining traction among both schools and parents. Some UK schools have already trialled shorter summers and longer mid-term breaks, with mixed responses. In Wales, a plan to shorten the summer holiday by a week and expand the October half-term was put forward in 2022. It was shelved after consultation responses were sharply split among teachers, parents and unions. However childcare prices rising and many parents at breaking point, pressure is mounting for England to rethink the six-week summer. The Sun has reached out to the Department of Education for a comment.
