Weeds Question?

[thabeezer]

I had my yard re-done completely in March..Is there anything you can put in the flower beds that won't kill the plants that can prevent weeds??? I'm tired of spending an hour picking the darn things..It seems they have gotten worse lately...

[HydraSports]

Use a spray weed killer like Roundup on a calm day. Just spray the weeds. There are weed "mats" but they are marginally effective. IMO. Also, good heavy bark mulch will help keep the weeds down.

[thabeezer]

Roundup won't wash down into the roots of the plants?? The mulch I have is pretty good maybe I could add some more

[CoastalOutfitters]

mix up some roundup to specs in a jar and get one of those cheap sponge brushes at the paint store and dab it on, if you are careful you will be fine.

for bigger jobs put a small plastic funnel on your sprayer( bell pointed down) and tape it to the spray wand , also don't pump up the sprayer as much

[seawings]

A lot of extra work, however, seems to be effective. 1. Weed (I know that' the part I hate most) then spread newspapers (yes newspapers), several layers, 2. then mulch. So far seem to be really working...much better than the landscape cloth (which seems to let weed grow underneath and pop out around the edges. Happy gardening.

[V-Bottom]

Although mulch looks fine as an overlay, I was told that even treated mulch will gradually loose its effectiveness over time. Therefore, termites will begin its infestation into the wood. Wood is next to the house? Guess what...

People going to TC getting this mulch, 2x4's..trees etc.. they grind up at the Biosphere!!...full of termites and their eggs. Only thing good their is the compost "they make". During the winter and after Christmas, they grind up Christmas trees, cedar etc., and pile it separately. This mulch is good on "some" things that like acid soil and bugs do not like this wood.

[huntinguy]

roundup won't wash down and harm the roots

[yazoomike]

If you have the room between plants get one of these.

http://www.echo-usa.com/images/products/Tillers/TC210/small/TC210sm.jpg (http://www.echo-usa.com/product.asp?Model=TC-210&Category=TILLER)

[rvj]

If you have a low maintanance flower bed you may consider a fabric barrier. It also depends on what type of weeds you have. If the problem is nut-grass, or nutsedge, round up will not be very effective. There is a producted called IMAGE nutsedge killer that will work very well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_rotundus

http://georgiafaces.caes.uga.edu/getstory.cfm?storyid=1321

[Gilbert]

If you have a low maintanance flower bed you may consider a fabric barrier. It also depends on what type of weeds you have. If the problem is nut-grass, or nutsedge, round up will not be very effective. There is a producted called IMAGE nutsedge killer that will work very well.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cyperus_rotundus

http://georgiafaces.caes.uga.edu/getstory.cfm?storyid=1321


man, you just made my day! Thanks for this info!!!

[TRIPLE L]

The active ingriedient in Round up is glyphosate, When glyphosate comes into contact with the soil it can be rapidly bound to soil particles and be inactivated
(U.S. EPA ReRegistration Decision Fact Sheet for Glyphosate (EPA-738-F-93-011) 1993) so it can be sprayed on the nut grass folige and not and not damage the other plants as long as you do not spray on the ornamental plant's foliage. Also nut grass takes several applications of round up to work. You apply Round-up as directed once and the nut grass will die down and when you see foliage reappear you apply again most cases 3 applications will be enough.

[TRIPLE L]

Oh one more thing, if you till nut grass you are just going to spread it and really have an issue.

[huntinguy]

Triple L is right, yellow nutsedge will require sequential applications. Glyphosate(roundup) isn't great on yellow nutsedge and is almost totally ineffective on purple.....tillage won't rid you of it.

[boat_money]

a layer of hay works well in my parents garden. no weeds at all...

[rvj]

You can buy the IMAGE nutsedge killer at Home Depot, or Lowes... Here is some info. http://www.ranchoutlet.com/Image-Nutsedge-Killer-Herbicide.htm

Be very carefull with the Hay. Most hay is filled with seeds. Some years ago I used Hay to mulch my garden. Biggest mistake I've ever made in my garden......

[Rusty S]

XL2G, also called Surflan, use it as a granular in flowerbeds. Do not think glyphosate won't travel, in the last 5 years I have bought over a Million dollars worth, I saw a salesman drink the stuff 15 years ago--idiot. PM me and I will hook you up with a supplier. rs

[Rusty S]

RVJ is right on, Image works on nutsedge and hay is a weed starter. rs

[BigTim]

XL2G, also called Surflan, use it as a granular in flowerbeds. Do not think glyphosate won't travel, in the last 5 years I have bought over a Million dollars worth, I saw a salesman drink the stuff 15 years ago--idiot. PM me and I will hook you up with a supplier. rs

What a coincidence, I saw a salesman drink the stuff about 25 years ago at a COOP meeting.

They make pre-emergance herbicides but it think they have to be applied in certain steps at certain times of the year. They will prevent seeds from greminating. It might work if you are only placing set-plants in your bed. I'm really not that up to date on the subject anymore, some research may be helpful.

[Wolf6151]

Roundup is your friend. Mix up a couple gallons and spray on a calm morning but keep the nozzle very close to the ground so you don't get any overspray. This is how I control the weeds in our flowerbeds about once a month. It only takes a few minutes.

[Rusty S]

What a coincidence, I saw a salesman drink the stuff about 25 years ago at a COOP meeting.
.
I wonder if he is still alive or just glowing a bit.:biggrin: rs

[MarkD]

Long term control requires a lot of mulch. I spread it 4" to 6" twice a year and have no weeds.

[Ally Gator]

Things I have tried to cut down the week control:

Landscape fabric with mulch on top: The mulch turns to dirt, making a very nice place for weeds to grow on top of the fabric. Also grasses will work their roots into the fabric from the top making it harder to get rid of them. Also it makes it inconvenient to plant any additional things in the flower bed. You have to cut holes in the fabric. We put it down several years ago, and now I really wish we had not. I think the flower bed could benefit from the dirt that is made by the mulch, which it can't because it sits on top of the fabric.

Mulch 6 inches or more: Weeds still will grow through the mulch.

Roundup: Works the best I found that if I put boxes around my plants, it protects the plants from the roundup. On the bigger plants, I put cardboard up against the plant to protect it when being sprayed.