My "Nearly Wild" rose bushes are filled with grass growing in between the stems.A lot of grass--- Admittedly, I should have attacked it last season, and didn't Last week I tried digging it out and did not have much success. It looks terrible. I read the label on the Ortho grass killer and it states don't spray near plants, etc. so I assume I can't use the Ortho. Is there anything I can put on the grass? Or, other methods? Thanks Liz Zone 7
Water deeply or wait for a serious rain. Wait a day. Pull grass by hand.
Sorry, I should have mentioned that when I tried pulling and digging we had recently had lots of rain. Still won't come out and almost impossible to get my hands in among the stems without tearing gloves. Might mention to anyone else, that we live in Atlanta area where ground even when very moist is still like clay. Thanks Liz
If you insist on using some sort of chemical, I'd get a recommendation from a local garden center. Definition of local garden center:
- Not Home Depot
- Not Lowe's
- Not Wal Mart
- Real garden center, but if you speak to a teenage clerk who accompanies you to the chemical shelf and reads the fine print on the labels, walk away fast. You want someone who knows what to use without having to standing there looking at the labels.
Why local? If they say "It won't harm the rose bushes", and it does harm them, you want to be able to get your hands around a real person's neck. Or, get free rose bushes.
Can't you just smother it out with that stuff they put down to block weeds from growing up into garden beds?
I have grass growing in my spreading juniper groundcover and I've decided to just start over. It's all coming out after 20+ years. I have been able to carefully roundup the grass, but it just keeps coming.
For best results and better roses the soil around roses should be rich and loose. After removing the grass (I recommend pulling it out by hand) spread a layer of gypsum over the area and work it into the soil. Then spread a 1" layer of composted cow manure over the area. I use "Black Kow" which works well. This will help loosen the soil and feed your roses.
Cover the ground area with several layers of newspaper and weigh it down with dirt clumps or rocks. The grass should be dead in 4-8 weeks.
Hi,
Here in Aus we can buy at least a couple of weedkillers that kill grass only so they can be sprayed around most garden plants without harming them. One is called Fusilade and the other is Sertain, both are fairly expensive but well worth the price. I have been using Fusilade for years to kill couch and other weed grasses withut ever harming a wanted plant. Google is your friend.
Cheers Col
Given the constraints, I'd probably use a wiped application of glyphosate (Roundup or similar). Wrap each rosebush in newspaper, or drop a cardboard box over it. Apply glyphosate according to label instructions to just the plants you want to kill -- it works best when your weeds are actively growing, so water or wait for enough heat to start growth if you have to. When the glyphosate is dry, remove the protection from the roses.
If you get glyphosate on a plant you want to keep, apply a slurry of soil and water. Remember that glyphosate is applied to green tissues, not to the soil or roots.
After you've gotten the current crop of weeds, use mulch to suppress the growth of more weeds, or vow to hoe weekly.
Remember, read and follow label directions precisely... too strong a concentration, applying at the wrong time of growth, at the wrong temp, or just before a rain will probably result in poor control. Because you're using a wiped application, it's necessary to wear proper protective gear, including gloves.
I wouldn't put that ******* on anything! Glad you didn't.
My recommendation would be to soak the area well, so the grass will pull out easier. Long sleeves, thorn-proof gloves, and a lot of patience. There is a tool with a split tip that can be used to lever out grass that won't come out even from soaked ground. Don't know its name, but it's useful.
I am going through the same thing in an area that is tangled with Cape Jasmine roots and running stems.
Persephone
On Sun, 28 Jan 2007 22:09:33 +0000 (UTC), FragileWarrior from growing up into garden beds?
I put that cloth down in one of my rose paths, even though my gardener said it doesn't work. He was right. In a few months, the weeds were back full force. They just grow on top of the cloth, in the dirt that is deposited thereon in the natural course of things. Had it pulled up. Never again.
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