Solarize to get rid of weed seeds
julieann_grow
13 years ago
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bpgreen
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoRelated Discussions
cover crops and getting rid of weeds
Comments (2)geez! clover a weed!!?? I've been encouraging the clover at my place for the last 20 years! never could understand why anyone would want to kill it off, but if you're wanting the standard suburban green yard, you'll have a hard time gettin rid of 9000sqft of weeds w/o some chemical solution any chems you use for the broadleaf weeds will kill the clover, but you'd have a hard time getting rid of it otherwise - ripping off the above ground growth won't stop it - tilling it up will spread it around some and slow it down initially but not kill it - the only alternative I can think of is to till the whole yard, to loosen it up and crimp the existing growth, then lay sod of the type of grass you prefer Bill...See MoreQuestion About Weed Mat to get rid of Lawn
Comments (1)Many years ago in the GW soil forum there was a long discussion about the use of plastic in the garden. The general consensus was that there was never a good time to use plastics. The closest use that generated any positive opinion was solarization where the plastic is removed after the underlying stuff is killed. Your instincts about that plastic are correct. It will not stop anything. All it will do is cause a huge headache for you or the next people. Most weeds and grasses can be smothered. Solarizing might work as a start. That involves wetting the grass and soil and covering it with clear or black plastic and sealing the edges from air infiltration. Do that for a month of very sunny days. Hot sunny days are better because they tend to help with the heating. Pull it away when you think the underlying weeds are dead. After that most of the plants underneath should be rotting away. As a further precaution you can continue to smother anything alive with sand and mulch. Most people start with a product like RoundUp to renovate. Spray that once, water daily to sprout all the weed seeds, wait a week, repeat the spray to kill the new weeds, wait another week, and you should be good to go....See MoreCentral Florida- getting rid of weeds where no grass to put mulch/ston
Comments (7)No one can keep "weeds", unwanted plants, from growing mostly because Ma Nature does not like her soil left uncovered and exposed to the ravages of the sun, wind, and rain. "Weed barriers" can stop "weeds" from growing from the soil, but they will not stop newly seeded unwanted plants from germinating and growing and since those seeds come onto your property via birds, the wind, and wild animals you will have a difficult time stopping that process. Mulches, properly applied, can help with unwanted plant control but are not the total means of control some would tell you because mulches may provide a good bed for those plants to germinate and grow in. In a discussion about mulches with someone yesterday I told them that materials such as wood chips are quite dense and would block unwanted plant growth if laid down at 3 to 4 inches rather than the 6 to 8 inched something like straw would require. However this person will be getting many bales of straw, free, so what to use is not in question. An article in an issue of Fine Gardening magazine on the results of a 9 year study of mulches by two researchers at Michigan State University would be worthwhile looking up at your library. kimmq is kimmsr...See Moresolarize weed with seeds (in trash bags)?
Comments (22)We don't use a lot of compost so, while we have a compost area, it is not actively worked. What NHBabs described is similar to what we do - the bin area here is behind the shed. There are two bins - constructed with a couple of wire meshes.... The back wall is the chainlink fence section directly behind the shed, between us and the neighbour behind us. We used panels from an unused portable dog pen to make the intersecting walls, using the metal pins meant to connect the pen panels together to connect the panels to the chainlink fence! We added a couple of other metal posts for additional support. Plant material is added to the bins as things get cut back or weeded out. When DH needs some compost for the soil mix in one of his veggie pots, he dumps the unfinished upper layer into the other bin and uses to remaining finished compost that is at the bottom of the bin he's digging in. We do also get compost from the Town's composting site during the spring compost give-away. That compost is what is added to some of the garden beds. Our own compost is a small quantity and is largely used in the veggie pots on the driveway. I looked for photos but don't have any good ones. The one below is of painting the back of the shed, but you can see the compost bins too. They were pretty empty at this point since we had to empty them to give the guy who built the shed space to work.... There is only about 12-14" between the side of the compost bin and the back of the shed - just enough room for the dogs to run past between the bin and the shed - and for people to sidle by if they turn sideways :-) The ends opposite the center panel are open with a path leading to each so a wheelbarrow can be used to dump stuff in....See Moredottyinduncan
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoKimmsr
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agobeeman_gardener
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agobpgreen
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agobeeman_gardener
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoDrHorticulture_
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojulieann_grow
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agodottyinduncan
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoscardanelli
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agophebe_greenhouse
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoamy_harvestfaire_org
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoms_minnamouse
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agobpgreen
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojolj
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agorhizo_1 (North AL) zone 7
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agojolj
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agonothwehr
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoBelgianpup
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoflora_uk
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoalbert_135 39.17°N 119.76°W 4695ft.
13 years agolast modified: 9 years agoastrohoof
12 years agolast modified: 9 years agou2pia00
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodstack
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agodottyinduncan
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoTXEB
11 years agolast modified: 9 years agoTracy Hall
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agotapla (mid-Michigan, USDA z5b-6a)
8 years agogumby_ct
8 years agoMaryMcP Zone 8b - Phx AZ
8 years ago
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