Sheriberrie,
I am determined to win the battle or at least control monster weeds. Since Katrina, we have seen weeds like never before. I have tried weed barrier, but the weeds although easier to pull just grow right ontop and do penetrate. I have found layered newspaper and old pine mulch about 5 inches deep will control. I use my mantis tiller and chop the weeds add more manure and then newspaper and pine mulch. You have to hand weed around roses. Perenials like Black and Blue Salvia spread quickly, comes back reliably and chokes out the weeds. I recently purchased a lawn and garden vacuum to pull behind my garden tractor. I have alot of live oak trees and st. augustine grass and plan on composting in a big way. I plan on using the compost for weed control as well. I have gotten in the habit of when I weed to paper and mulch immediately or it is futile. Good luck, am anxious to hear other ideas.
Clint

We use big sheets of cardboard in the cemetery. We fight weeds with rhizomes or tubers - Bermuda grass, nut sedge are the worst - and they come right through the newspaper. The cardboard, overlapped at least six inches, does the trick, topped with lots of mulch. I get it donated from a local box company - I've heard of buying rolls of corrugated cardboard from paper companies, but the nearest one is quite a ways from here. After several years of putting cardboard down and mulching, we are finally getting ahead of most of the weeds.

Where we have empty, weedy plots, we are also solarizing - thin clear sheets of plastic on top of weeded, graded, moistened soil - needs to be in place at least 8 weeks, so we do it about the first of June. That's done well on annual weeds, but has even discouraged the Bermuda grass. Can't use it where your roses are already in place, however.
Anita

I put down a couple of layer of newspaper and then mulch on top. Last year I did this over a section of my yard to expand my flower beds and that seamed to do the job. Plus it is a great way to recycle the newspaper.

clbravo,
Finally someone that understands! These weeds, crabgrass, vines don't just come up through the dirt underneath they come from all sides even from the top sometimes. So sometimes it does no good to just lay something down to cover the dirt. I have vines that want to send out there long feelers to hook into anything within a 10 ft. range. I kid you not. I hate to spray. I was think of getting a Cl. Cecile Brunner to smother any vines on my fence behind my row of roses. Do ya think she could do it? I have honeysuckle vines that dominate that fence. So maybe it will come down to fight between the honeysuckle and the Cecile Brunner!

Thank you Anita...

I just went and laid down cardboard in a bed that has crabgrass, some form of sweet pea that is taking over and other assorted weeds.

Just refuse to spray with chemicals. My DH will be pleased to hear of the Solar method. That will be my next big Saturday!

Thanks,

Daun

I've used both newspaper and cardboard---

Old carpeting (if you have a source)does a pretty good job but you have to sweep it every so often or the weeds will grow on top of it.

I've seen rolls of carpeting out for the garbage but can't convince my DH to pick it up.---LOL

Last year my DH just dumped piles of oak leaves out in the garden I call "Elba" (this area used to be DH veggie garden but it got too shady so I use it for roses that should be SP'd that is why I call it "Elba"___lol It has kept the weeds down pretty well.Of course if you have fussy neighbors they might not like that look--

Florence

zeffyrose,
That is funny you mention carpet. I found a big roll at the dumpster the other day and smashed it into the back of my suv. I rolled it out and put some pretty pinebark mulch on top of it for my "secret garden" and then put my wicker furniture over it and all is well. I think I will do the cardboard for the roses. I have been known to use old vinyl flooring too. and shingles. I have not resorted to pouring concrete yet! Although in my driveway were there is concrete I do have some weeds poking through.

I feel your pain.
I use a thick layer of shredded hardwood bark mulch, a giant bottle of RoundUp, and back-breaking-hand-by-hand-weed-pulling.

Best of luck,
Randy

for those of you who use cardboard-i've been thinking of trying some to thwart the wild hens that seem to take a special delight in demolishing my carefully mulched beds. (Really i think they're just looking for dinner but still...) haven't tried it yet because i'm worried the water might have some trouble penetrating the cardboard. Don't want to end up with dry beds! How do you irrigate? does the cardboard seem to be a problem this way?

We irrigate with bubblers next to the roses. The cardboard (and mulch) don't go up right to the base of the rose, so we've had no problem with the water going through. When I first heard about the cardboard, the lecturer stressed that corrugated cardboard lets air flow through, which is better than the anaerobic conditions that thick layers of newspaper can cause. He was a landscaper, and was installing eco-friendly commercial landscapes, so he used the big rolls. That was thinner cardboard (think of the sort of paper that wraps couches or fridges), so they used two layers, laid at right angles.
Anita

We just weed and mulch a whole lot, and when the weeds start to get discouraged we begin to underplant. We can beat down just about everything except bindweed this way. It's a labor-intensive method and we will always have a few weeds, I suppose.
Melissa

I weed throughly then mulch heavily. This year I put down a couple of inches of compost and on top of that, a couple of inches (or more) of wood chip mulch, free courtesy of a local tree trimmer. This works well in areas that have been gardened year after year.

In wilder areas previously uncultivated and infested with every kind of exotic invasive weed, the cardboard idea is useful. I put down cardboard in between the raised beds of our vegetable garden, and covered that with more wood chips. But I didn't do that where I planted the fruit trees. Perhaps I should have. I just used compost topped with wood chip mulch again. I'm hopeful that this combined with lots of hand weeding will do the trick over time.

Rosefolly

No, nothing other then a THICK layer of Mulch. I seldom have any problems with Weeds coming up where I've Mulched. When creating a new bed I till(by hand), weed, add amendments, plant and Mulch. I think many people have problems because they don't put down the original Mulch heavily enough. For first time Beds I go a good 3" layer, maybe 4".

Come early spring I always go around each Bed with a square Shovel and re-cut out the shape of the Bed. I do this because the Grass always grows several inches into the edge of the Bed. It's just a matter of cleaning up the edges. It takes forever but, it's only once each spring.

Usually, but not always, I add a top layer each spring to dress it up a little. It always looks so much better.

So, the trick is a REAL HEAVY first time layer. For me at least. Forgive me if I make it sound so simple but, this is all I have to do here in New Jersey. If you've tried this and it doesn't work, It's possible that the Weeds are tougher in your warmer climate.

Good luck,

Dan

Last year I had a pile of mulch at least 2' left over from a big big pile. After a couple of months there were weeds all in it.
So at least in Texas, mulch isn't enough. I've had great luck in rounding up the area 1st (3 times at least) and then laying cardboard down with mulch on top. You'll still get some bermuda come up, but there is a grass killer that won't kill roses.

I do the same as Dan only since we have Bermuda grass here, I also put landscape fabric down. The mulch eventually packs down and fills with worms. I have found that any weeds that germinate in the mulch pull right out.

The other good thing is that once I have given the new bed a month or two to settle, I typically plant my annuals right in the mulch with a handful or two of potting soil around them and they do great!!

Here are my front beds....well what you can see of the mulch anyway. The annuals and perennials LOVE the mulch and I don't have to water much.

{{gwi:255505}}

Ronda

Your front beds (and home) are lovely, Ronda!

Bermuda grass went right through the landscape fabric that we used. Such nasty stuff! We have used the grass killer - it takes at least two applications, spaced according to the label instructions. It's useless to spray it once, or to spray the second time a month or two weeks later.

From a weed standpoint, sounds like New Jersey is the place to live!
Anita

Dan, I only wish it were that easy down here. I used to live in Michigan and it is super easy dealing with weeds up there. In Louisiana you have to think "Rain Forest" Vines, Jungle, Tarzan.. Ha just kidding. No, but it is really quite a fight.

Anita---I should have mentioned that since Bermuda will eventually penetrate the landscape fabric that I use 2-3 layers of it in each bed.....then the mulch.

I really dislike Bermuda grass but finally have pulled and pulled it and I might be ahead.....maybe......I hope.

:o)

I think you can beat Bermuda grass is you stick with heavy mulch (4") and steady weeding. It may take a few years, but we had Bermuda grass all over the Rose Road, and now there's not much of it. After leaving the weeds untouched for the two months we're in Florida, I come back at the end of summer and find it all over the beds, but a few days of weeding and it's gone. That's not bad for two months of neglect. Now, bindweed is another story.

Melissa