I have a yard and some flower beds that are getting over taken by weeds. I live in Northern Michigan and have to be honest and say that I have neglected my yard the past few summers. Well know I really want to clean it up so my family can enjoy it, however I really have no idea how to do it? I have tried some week killer's like RoundUp and tried spraying a more concentrated week killer with no success. I have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?
Lots of weeds are killed easily and quickly with the armstrong method... grab and pull. Or hoe. There are some perennial weeds that are difficult to control with this method (e.g., quackgrass, equisetum, canada thistle), and for those, a wiped application of something like Roundup *applied at the right time, in the right way, in the right manner* can greatly aid the project. Read and follow the label directions for all pesticides if you're going to use them.
Then you need to consider a better method of weed control. You can hoe or cultivate once a week or so, or use mulch (my preference), or grow things so crowded that there's no bare soil between plants.
I'm lazy. I vote for mulch. Helps on watering, too.
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TheRegit wrote in news:1179453872.852494.76530 @l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:
Digging up the flowers AND weeds only give more room for the weeds to grow. They grow quick and fast because they have to -- that's how they survive.
What flowers do you have in the garden? Are they perennials? If so, it will probably cost you lots of money to replace them in kind.
Weeding is not the worst thing in the world. Honestly. Go out, sit down and do a section. Move over, do another section. Take out a radio or a fav CD with you. Or even a book on tape. Devote a day -- or a half a day or even a few hours -- to it. You'd be surprised how much you can get done when you just sit down and do it. In fact, you may find it becomes an addiction after awhile. You'll find yourself bending over and plucking weeds out of other people's gardens when you see them. (Warning: don't do this in gardens of people who grow herbs.)
Just remember that when pulling weeds you need to get the entire root -- especially on dandelions. Arm yourself with the right hand tools. You only need two, really: a spade and one of those long, pokey things with the forked end on it for the long-tubered weeds like dandelions.
It's best to weed after a rain but you can always soak the garden the day before you schedule your weeding and that will work well, too.
|On 17 May 2007 19:04:32 -0700, TheRegit wrote: |> have even tried weed killing fertilizer.
How did you apply it, and to what? I put about a half teaspoonful of dry ammonium sulphate on dandelions and they are gone in a few days. Works on buttercups too but they're harder to "spot treat." I don't know if it would do for the more thuggish grasses though.
Second the motion. Also need to check on lawns of friends where your children visit. Many parents are still clueless about toxics on lawn. Need to be tactful, but definite that your child will not be allowed to play on chemical lawn.
It's beyond clueless. It's assault, and it's intentional. Why? Because it's easy for people to be informed about these things. Failure to be informed is intentional.
Information on the Web is mostly free and delves deeply into the problems of herbicides and pesticides. Perhaps some people are overwhelmed about the quantity of info about so many related and unrelated topics. There is also skepticism, as there should be, about the veracity and intent of many publications. For the skeptical, you may start by reading the label of Roundup, which is also posted on the website.
We may be living in a society that takes drugs and chemicals as an essential part of life. How do we come clean of chemicals that we directly ingest and that we spray in and out of our homes to attack our pests? Some people say all chems are bad. In a way, what these people are saying is that we should never take for granted that we need these chemicals simply because some of our roses and tomatoes have a few spots. A few spots on the plants and tomatoes and a few spots in our lungs.
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