NO MORE WILDFLOWER MIX EVER--need weed strategy
ilovecucumbers Zone 6b, NE PA
8 years ago
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ilovecucumbers Zone 6b, NE PA
8 years agoRelated Discussions
Your Favorite Strategies, Tips & Tools to Deal with WEEDS
Comments (33)Sounds like some form of landscape fabric to me and as others have stated, been there, done that, and wouldn't do it again. In a blackberry plot I might do it because of their growth nature, but in a perennial bed no. There is a belief that landscape fabric will permanently prevent weeds from spreading, but a couple of years ago at my parent's place we removed a whole section - about 30 feet in diameter. It was the most difficult thing a few workers and I had ever done. She had unknowingly planted a suckering shrub which started coming up through the fabric after few years. When we removed the fabric we saw the extent of the root system of this monster under the fabric and needed a backhoe to get it out! In essence, the fabric hid the growing problem underneath for about 10 years... If the fabric had not been there, the problem would have been noted much earlier and would have been dealt with much easier. My practice of mulching with organics to feed the soil which in turns feeds the plants was confirmed as being a good practice. :O) In the gardens, I mulch with mostly a combo of shredded leaves and UCGs - Used Coffee Grounds... For paths, I use sheets of newspaper topped with wood chips from a sawmill up the road. You can see one path behind the raised gardens it in the following photo....See MoreRoundup Strategies
Comments (40)Just a few comments on the many topics in this thread. I have really good results from using Escar-go or Sluggo. Both are iron phosphate, the same ingredient. I think the best control is found if, like Vera said, you start applying as soon as the soil warms to 40 degrees. They're both kind of expensive, but will work well even if sprinkled sparingly. It doesn't take much product to do the trick. From what I have heard and read about the disappearing honey bees, I've heard that it is pesticide use, not herbicide use, that is being blamed. Regarding the soy-cancer link: Several gynecologists have told me that it is high soy ingestion that can cause endometrial cancer. Therefore it is a risk to women who have a uterus. Some endometrial cancers are "fed" by estrogen, and soy resembles estrogen structurally. That is why it is often used as a food supplement by menopausal women. If you are a woman who has a uterus, it is worth discussing with your doctor. Well, now that I think about it, it might also be not-so-hot in terms of breast cancer, because some but not all of those are also increased by estrogen. (the breast cancer thing just fell out of my own brain, never really heard that from a doctor ).All are worth doctor consults, I think. In men, especially pubescent boys, soy can cause feminine traits, like gynecomastia. Speaking of poison, watch out for those food supplements. They are not FDA controlled. Many people believe them to be safe, but many can cause serious, even life-threatening side effects. Karen...See MoreWildflowers or Weeds
Comments (32)The picture that's shown there is a variety that i have as a houseplant. I put it outside in a container every year and it's lovely there. The stuff in the garden has larger leaves and they're red underneath. They get yellow flowers. I've been digging and pulling this stuff out ever since i noticed that it was starting to spread, but this year it's here with a vengeance. I'll take some pictures later....See MoreNeed an overall 'natives' strategy (Michigan)
Comments (9)MaryLiz: Sounds like an exciting project - you sound like you have a lot of great information already, and a plan of action. Here are some thoughts and suggestions based on my limited experience on a very small plot in eastern Mass. (1) I used John Diekelmann's Natural Landscaping: Designing with Native Plant Communities as my guide. Although some of it was over my head, I found dozens of useful points, plus lists of plants in the back, categorized by type of community (oak-hickory forest, mesic grassland, savanna, etc.). But I also took the advice of the book (and folks at GardenWeb) and learned about the native plants that actually live in my area now. I did this by using field guides and by exploring natural areas (state parks, etc.) to identify what was living in sites similar to mine. (2) As for your book's philosophy that non-invasive aliens are 'bad' too, I feel like that's a matter of semantics. The irises in my front yard non-native garden aren't actively 'bad' for the environment, but they don't do much good either (although you'd be surprised how many native insects and birds enjoy feasting on non-native plants). But for me the more important question is, what plants and animals have evolved together over thousands of years to form a community? These species have slowly pieced together a multi-faceted mosaic with countless connections and interrelationships. There are no places in the mosaic to fit non-native plants and animals - they fit into other mosaics, other communities, where they have evolved, usually far away from here. So one way of native plant gardening (and it is only one of many ways - your way is another) is to plant only those species that are part of the community that you've identified as native to your area and your site conditions. Then, the frustrating part is finding places that sell the plants you identified. (3) As for 'select aliens', I would ask around in the various GardenWeb forums covering your desired landscape type. Woodlands and Meadows & Prairies are two good ones. Folks there will probably steer you to natives, but you'll probably be able to get some advice about aliens/exotics that will behave themselves in among the natives. I've never heard of an invasive hosta, for example (watch someone prove me wrong!). Best of luck, wd...See Morekimmq
8 years agoilovecucumbers Zone 6b, NE PA
8 years agoSherry8aNorthAL
8 years agolast modified: 8 years agoTiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
8 years agoilovecucumbers Zone 6b, NE PA thanked Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, ALilovecucumbers Zone 6b, NE PA
8 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years agoilovecucumbers Zone 6b, NE PA
8 years agofloral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
8 years agoilovecucumbers Zone 6b, NE PA
8 years agokimmq
8 years ago
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