News
It’s time to clean up the garden
By Debby Looney, gardening expert
This weekend was a happy time for many gardeners – I certainly heard a lot of lawnmowers on my walk!Many lawns might be damaged, so it is a good time to take the opportunity to rake out thatch, apply mosskiller or lime and tidy up the edges. There are many feed and weed products available but if your moss is not a huge problem, I always advise going with a product which does not contain any iron (feric sulphate). This will cause your soil to become acidic, which in the long run promotes moss growth. However, if you have a thick layer of moss, using sulphate of iron will kill it - however it will turn black and it needs to be raked out.
Make a newspaper pot
Applying a good quantity of lime afterwards will counteract the acidity and prevent regrowth.
Glasshouses and polytunnels should be disinfected, and any pots and seedtrays cleaned and disinfected also, if not done yet! If you are wondering what to do on a wet afternoon with the kids you could make a stack of newspaper pots. These are simple to make, just cut the top off a 500ml plastic bottle. Take a sheet of newspaper, fold it in half, wrap it around the bottle and tuck the ends into the open end. Then you can slip it off the bottle and hey presto, a pot! Free and very handy! Ideal for sowing peas, sweet peas, beans, lupins and a host of other large seeds. The pots decompose so there is no transplanting involved, keeping the roots undisturbed.
If there are any water features in your garden, it is an ideal time to drain them and clean them. Ponds can also be cleaned out. I notice that a lot of my water plants and aerators died during the cold spell, so they do need to be taken out of the pond to avoid problems later on. When you remove them, just leave them at the side of the pond for a few hours, so any water creatures can crawl out and return to the water! You can use it directly as a mulch then, as it will be fairly rotten anyway. All pond plants can be cut back and tidied up, and water lillies can be repotted if necessary. Always use special pond baskets for pond plants and aquatic soil. Cover the top of the pot with gravel and lower gradually into the water to avoid everything drifting up and out.
I notice quite a lot of frogspawn already, so take care not to disturb it too much! Wait until the weather is warmer, around 12 to 15 degrees before replacing the aerator. Also, check pumps and clean out the filters, as they may have clogged up over the winter.
KWD Recycling shortlisted for national environmental awards
Killarney-based KWD Recycling has been announced as a finalist in the 2026 Repak Resource Awards, securing a spot on the national shortlist for environmental achievement.
The local waste management company has been nominated in the Best Recovery Operator Innovation category, sponsored by DNV, for its state-of-the-art residual waste recovery system.
The Killarney facility utilizes optical sorting, screening, and mechanical processing to extract recyclable plastics and organic material from municipal waste. In its first year of operation, the technology recovered more than 10 per cent of plastic packaging from residual waste for recycling and diverted almost 50 per cent of organic material toward composting.
KWD Recycling will compete alongside Dublin operators Panda and Thorntons Recycling for the category title.
Repak CEO Zoe Kavanagh commended the Kerry firm for demonstrating environmental leadership and bringing local ambition to the national awards.
Category winners will be announced at a black-tie ceremony at the Mansion House in Dublin on Friday, October 23, where each winner will also compete for the Overall Repak Resource Award.
Local businesses have a strong track record at the national event, with Killarney town venue The Killarney Park and The Ross previously taking home the overall title in 2023.
Drivers warned as deer rutting season begins
Motorists in Killarney are being urged to exercise extreme caution as the annual deer rutting season gets underway, causing animals to stray far beyond their usual habitats inside Killarney National Park.
The autumn mating season sees deer becoming highly active and unpredictable, leading to increased sightings and collisions on local roads outside traditional park boundaries.
Two separate incidents highlighted the growing hazard on local routes this week. A reader contacted the Killarney Advertiser to warn drivers after spotting a deer roaming near Tiernaboul towards the school on Sunday afternoon around 7.30pm.
Later that same night, in the early hours of Monday morning, a local driver collided with a deer near Kerry Airport around 1am while returning home from an event.
Despite attempting evasive action, the motorist struck the animal, which died at the scene and temporarily blocked the road before local Gardaí were alerted to clear the obstruction.
The driver sustained substantial vehicle damage, requiring repairs to the bumper, headlamp, and internal components, leaving her facing significant garage costs and time off the road.
Gardaí and road safety advocates advise motorists travelLing during early morning and late evening and remain vigilant along tree-lined routes.
KWD Recycling shortlisted for national environmental awards
KWD Recycling shortlisted for national environmental awards Killarney-based KWD Recycling has been announced as a finalist in the 2026 Repak...
Drivers warned as deer rutting season begins
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