Clearing out a big area of weeds.
K. Kelp
18 years ago
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pitimpinai
18 years agoRelated Discussions
How do a clear out these weeds and small trees
Comments (11)Underbrush: Cut it down to the base, drill anything with a stump with a few holes about an inch deep. Fill with Rosie's greenlight killer as directed, cover with some tin foil so the wildlife doesn't drink from the stump. Sometimes the tree of heaven takes a few go-arounds. You can do more drilling and filling in a month or so, or even the end of august to be sure it's gone. The mimosa is pretty easy to take care of. Pull what you can if you can do it without damaging the ties or the vegetation you want to keep. The key is to use as little weed killer as possible to get the job done. No use in overdoing it, it really just wastes your $$$. I like Fertilome's total kill too as a vegetation killer only when necessary. I use these on kudzu, some kind of weedy cherry, hackberry (I think that's what it is), wisteria, tree of heaven, privit and mulberry stumps and they do quite well with very little product needed....See MoreCleared out formerly woodsy area right for vegies or fruit trees?
Comments (6)I live in a rural area where it's pretty common for people to cut down trees. It might have been big pines. Last year a tree company went thru town taking down large pines. I don't know what the deal was but looked like a big mistake to me. I think you can get a quick start on vegetables if you do some simple raised beds or lasagna type beds. Well, you don't have the time for the lasagna beds to decompose this year but they would be ready for next year which is what I did when we moved June 1, 2007. You might check out permaculture ideas. Google Hugelkultur beds which look like they are built on piles of brush. I'm not experienced with these but you might find somebody in your area who is experimenting with them. Check out local permaculture groups on meetup.com We don't have rabbits but we do have deer. So far since I originally used deer repellant after they lunched on hosta, we have not had a problem. One possibility is there is plenty for them to eat in our area. We have about 4 that graze nearby. They did get some late fall cabbages last year but didn't touch the garden all summer. I've had good luck getting free or low cost (small fee for loading our utility trailer) aged manure. You could get some large tomato plants right now and grow in large pots to have something this summer. Ditto on growing some lettuce and simple things. At least in our area the plants are on sale right now but will probably be tossed in another week or two. There's still time to plant summer squash and cucumbers and beans. I think I would concentrate on doing a small project well and prepping for next year. You might be able to put raised beds over stumps. Since they are not sprouting makes me think they are pine or hemlock. It depends on what your budget can handle for stump removal. My husband was able to de-stump a field with borrowed equipment and had time to do so. Since I use the lasagna method, I don't need a tiller but I built on thick sod not stumps. Good luck!...See MoreClear heavy weed area around fence.
Comments (3)I hope many seasoned organic gardeners will jump in here and correct me where necessary. I've learned three tricks on this web site to avoid using inorganic methods. But before I continue, I'll say here that I've learned that the difference between organic and non-organic methods is greatly one of perspective. Organic gardeners work with nature and believe it is often unrealistic to expect complete and permanent eradication of an undesirable plant. Non-organic gardeners often seem to have the attitude that a few applications of a really effective chemical will "solve" the problem once and for all. So, the first nature friendly method is to mechanically remove. Dig roots out where possible, but where not possible, and EXCLUDING POISON IVY INFESTATIONS, keep everything cut to ground level, with a string trimmer, brush cutter, walk behind mower, goats, whatever. The idea behind keeping the area cut is at first growth may be stimulated, but over time, if roots don't ever have the chance to photosynthesize, they will give up. Obviously this approach won't work for plants that have long horizontal root systems. I am going to try string trimming poision ivy only if I am wearing a bio-hazard suit. :) The second nature friendly method is to get to know your soil where the weeds are the worst. Then, amend that soil to become much more acid or alkaline, or for a different mineral balance. I've had great luck dealing with weeds that grow in grassy areas by heavily mulching. The decomposition process uses up most of the nitrogen under the mulch, and whatever survives is easily pulled out because the root systems' soil becomes so much less compacted. You say you have violets and poison ivy. These broad leafed plants prefer acidic soil, I believe, so maybe in your case some horticultural lime would help. The third method, maybe not as nature friendly because you might lose beneficial soil organisms, is called solarizing. Covering the area not only to shade out all light but also to "cook" sprouts can be done with sheets of black plastic. It could get too hot for your earthworms, though. I'm dealing with a fenceline a bit like yours. As an organic gardener, I am not in a hurry, nor do I expect a perfect urban yard appearance. if I didn't have some plants around I want to keep, I'd just get the goats. :) This post was edited by pontyrogof on Sat, Jun 14, 14 at 12:51...See MoreBest way to clear out a neglected wooded area?
Comments (4)Thanks for the reply. I neglected to mention that the ground right now is a lumpy mess of pine needles and cones from all the fir trees (which I don't mind) covering all sorts of debris that has been tossed back there over the decades. My husband and the previous owners used the wooded area as a place to toss old christmas trees or grass clippings, dead shrubs, you get the picture... It's also lumpy from clumps of clay that were dug up from other areas of our property and dumped back there. In my clearing, I've discovered a pair of pants, leftover lumber from the construstruction of our subdivision, dozens of beer bottles and cans, several cinder blocks, plastic tubing that went on for yards and yards (finally threw that in the trash!)... I guess that's more of what I was looking for in help with clearing out the area. It would be so nice to have a natural looking yard without the fear of tripping over an invisible stump or getting caught on a prickly vine. All of the fallen trees will remain along with as much of the pine needles and leaves. I'm just flustered over the number of invasive weeds that require constant spraying to keep down. Sorry for the awfully long posts....See Moreloneranger
18 years agoelgrillo
18 years agoKathy Johnson
18 years agomeldy_nva
18 years agodaybreaker
18 years ago
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