is there any method that works other than trowel and sweat. I've got them coming up through the landscape fabric and mulch. So far, Round up hasn't helped.
Or am I in for a several long sessions on hands and knees followed by $$$ for cover up mulch.
Thanks Gang!
Cheryl
Local Asian supermarkets in your area might be interested in purchasing your unwanted garlic chives. This could be the start of a new business for you and some quick income.
Not with Roundup on them. Black plastic to block sunlight, and to solarize the area. There is a small field of garlic chives that I drive by when I go to town. I love the smell. The farmer supplies local restaurants.
overplanting with taller plants that have broad leaves. smother them with shade. trim any that are growing as often as you can do it. eventually they run out of energy.
you already have mulch and landscape fabric? i'd take the mulch and landscape fabric out, put down a few layers of cardboard over the area, put new landscape fabric over that. hold it down with some big rocks so the chives can't push back through it and then mulch it good. by the time the cardboard decays the chives should have given up. those that don't should be few enough to keep pulling or chopping off until they give up. don't ever let them go to seed.
songbird
but I don't want them to come back - they're choking out other plants in the beds and making my paths look messy
Humm, wonder why Roundup doesn't work on monocots, its supposed to kill everything/everybody according to the local NG Google expert? Yet, for the sake of argument we will just say it doesn't and that chives are monocots so it does not kill everything... You might try vinegar and soap; A pickling vinegar somewhere in the range of =3D/>7% acetic acid and not the usual 5%. A 1 teaspoon of liquid washing soap to 1 gallon of vinegar is probably good.
Lots of different home remedies to look up/try. Suffice it to say... something to knock the pH range either way down (sulferic acid?) or you may want to go way up. Regardless, try to surgical strikes and not carpet bomb your target.
Cover to smother and apply fresh dressing to your path .
Just remember Vinegar is a strong chemical acid, use sparingly, you might need some with oil for your salad dressing later.
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