Taming the Weed Monster

[Kat]

We have a crazy amount of weeds in our yard. They sprout up through the cracks in our sidewalk and in our flower beds (which have weed barrier and mulch in them). Our "grass" is mostly clover. Nothing I do seems to help, and I am so over weeding twice a week (yes, they grow that fast).

I've tried natural methods like vinegar and boiling water, and while it does kill the existing weeds, it does nothing to stop more from coming.

Any advice at how to get this under control? I am not against chemical products if someone knows of one that will work. I just don't want to kill my plants when I kill the weeds...

[Juds]

I prefer Roundup, using a small spray bottle or a paintbrush to put the product on the green, growing parts of the weeds. There is the occasional overflow to grass, something with which I can live, but I am very careful when using it in the garden areas. We have a problem with thistles and this is the only way that I can knock them out.

It has an amazingly short life and safely degrades into the environment. I do know about the concerns of some people regarding the inert ingredients, but this product works for me. I have a couple of disabling physical issues that preclude me from being an active and faithful weed-puller.

It is time to go and buy a new container, and I think that I might get the one that kills the weeds, but leaves the grass alone, as I am so much less careful when doing the lawn, which, by the way and totally off topic, I wish we did not have. I would rather dedicate that real estate to vegetable and flower gardens or ornamental plants.

I kind of like clover as a lawn.>8)

[danna]

Kat
I bought the clover this week and will be adding it....clover is a good thing.
Our city and I believe most of the province has a ban on chemical weed killers and that is a good thing. Surprise, surprise almost as soon as they did the ban, a product came out that is suppose to be okay to use.
It is called "Weed Begone" and is an iron base. You can only use it to spray on each weed but it does work. The down side is that it works on the make up of the plant so it does not see some plants as weeds but will kill some that we think are okay. (but that has not been a problem) also it says it can stain brick, wood etc but I have not noticed that either. It is suppose to be safe it use.

[Kat]

Thanks, guys for your responses. I'll check in to the products you mentioned. I just don't want to spend an hour a week or more weeding!

[iris lily]

Agreed with several, there are worse things than clover.

If you have weeds in sidewalk cracks and similar places, that is just Mother Nature, there's little you can do to permanently control that other than getting rid of the weeds before they go to seed. But every little seed will look for a protected place to grow, and that's what sidewalk cracks are.

[iris lily]

I prefer Roundup, using a small spray bottle or a paintbrush to put the product on the green, growing parts of the weeds. There is the occasional overflow to grass, something with which I can live, but I am very careful when using it in the garden areas. We have a problem with thistles and this is the only way that I can knock them out.
...)

hey Juds, I was in the enviable position of getting free Roundup straight from the lab the past two summers. OMG that was heaven! My friend was a chief chemist at Monsanto's Roundup lab and he would bring home some of the test batches they ran. Anyway, he's not working there anymore :(:(:(:(

[Kat]

Thanks for your response, Iris. In a way, it makes me feel better to know there isn't much I can do about the cracks. It was making me crazy, wondering what I have done wrong year after year! I guess it's a hard spot to manage; I just need to stay on top of it better and hope for the best!

[iris lily]

Thanks for your response, Iris. In a way, it makes me feel better to know there isn't much I can do about the cracks. It was making me crazy, wondering what I have done wrong year after year! I guess it's a hard spot to manage; I just need to stay on top of it better and hope for the best!

All of our sidewalks at all of our city properties are brick. So you can imagine the number of "cracks" in those sidewalks, there is 'crack" surrounding each brick. 1 brick x 4 sides=4. 4 X a gazillion bricks = a bezillion cracks.

Roundup--brick sidewalk management tool.

[Zigzagman]

I just don't want to spend an hour a week or more weeding!

That just cracks me up!! :laff:

An hour a week? Wouldn't want to cut into your procrastination time! !Splat!

IMO, Roundup is an excellent edger but if you don't want weeds - dig'em up. Otherwise they will usually seed before you get around to spraying them and guess what - more weeds.

Peace

[Kat]

Thanks for your response, Zigzagman. I'm not sure I understand your comment about procrastination time, but the not wanting to weed by hand has more to do with being 7 months pregnant than anything else. It is hard for me to kneel down and bend over for more than a few minutes at a time. My back starts to go and then it is hard to get back up again without losing my balance. ;-) Othwerwise, I rather enjoy spending time working in the garden.

I'll look into Roundup when I go grocery shopping this week, and maybe DH can help me dig up some of the weeds that seem to already have hefty root systems!

[Zigzagman]

I hope you didn't take my comment negatively - but the idea of weeding for an hour a week just seems crazy. If you have a garden (veggie or flower) at all you can expect to weed. Otherwise why bother having one?

As far as being in your "condition" - I would recommend that you get a small stool to move around with you as you meditate and think about life and the future. After all that is what gardening is all about - your Zen time - not a chore, not a burden, just time to think and enjoy quiet and mother nature.

Chemicals are cool for things that are so persistent that they cause you grief but other than that I would recommend digging in the dirt - it is so therapeutic.

Not trying to be confrontational - maybe just my nature?

Peace and Love

[Kat]

I appreciate the clarification, Zigzagman. I agree with what you are saying about spending time in the garden. If you have one, you need to be willing to put in the work to care for it properly. That includes weeding! I don't think spending an hour a week weeding in a vegetable or flower garden is unreasonable. Just part of what it entails, and, as you point, out, it can be very rewarding to use that time for reflection and the appreciation of beauty and new life. What I do find unreasonable is spending that much time on the weeds that pop up in the very short sidewalk leading to my house and the small flower bed (for potted plants) near the entrance (which already has two layers of weed barrier and a ton of mulch). It seems like no matter what I do, I can't control the weeds that crop up there. That is why I posted on this topic. I thought maybe I was doing something wrong, and, as it is getting hot and I am starting to feel rather uncomfortable, I don't want to do it the hard way if there is a simpler solution (and maybe in this case, there just isn't).

I am with you on digging in the dirt. There is something about it that feels really great! These particular weeds are kind of hard to just dig up, though. The ones in the cracks just break off (the cracks are so small I can't really get a tool in there), and the ones in the flower bed mean digging up 2-3 layers of brick edging and pulling up the weed barrier each time. Which I don't mind doing once in awhile--just don't want to do it all the time.

I really do appreciate the suggestions you and others have given. I'll look into the products mentioned and maybe see if I can find any other tips on the net. Otherwise, I might just hire a neighborhood kid to weed for me until the baby comes. ;-)

[danna]

Kat
Not sure if this was mentioned, but I have taken anything sharp that fits in the sidewalk crack and just scrap it back and forth this seems to kill the roots a little. Of course I don't think I have ever had a sidewalk that was perfect mostly these steps are like your saying to keep ahead of them.

[Kat]

Thanks, danna! Yeah, I actually broke a butter knife trying to do what you mentioned. LOL It did seem to help some until I broke it. Maybe I can find a stronger knife or something similar at the thrift store the next time I go. I spotted a piece of metal in the scrap pile from the home remodel project and thought it would be perfect. But while it seems to be very strong and very thin, it is also very sharp on all sides. I decided not to mess with it--not safe.

[redfox]

Mulch Mulch Mulch!!!!!

[rosarugosa]

I have mixed feelings about Roundup. When it first came out, it was supposed to be as benign as mothers' milk, but in the past few years, I've been reading that it's not so benign. So everyone has to make his/her own decisions I suppose. With that said, if you are OK with using Roundup products, they have a relatively new one called Roundup Extended Control. It kills existing weeds and prevents new weeds from emerging for up to four months. We used it last year on a mulched strip that surrounds our yard, about 8' deep and 160 feet long. I had been weeding it by hand, and that was pure hell; there was really nothing zenlike about it. We have no sidewalks in our neighborhood, and we've replaced most of our lawn with shrubs and perennial beds, but we've avoided planting this area in case the town decides to do sidewalks. The Extended Control delivered as promised, and we'll be using it again this year, but I do feel a little bit guilty about it, since we were otherwise PMO (pretty much organic).
Kat, you might have even greater concerns about chemicals due to your pregnancy. Another good product I found is Perfectly Natural Weed & Grass Killer, which claims to be "100% organic and family safe." I found this to be a very effective spot killer of existing weeds. I had to order it online; I was never able to find a local source for it.
We mulch our garden beds pretty heavily, and that allows me to keep weeds under control in most areas by handpulling with a minimal amount of effort (but I'm not 7 months pregnant, and New England isn't one of the warmest of regions).

[Kat]

@ redfox--I do have mulch and weedbarrier down, but the weeds seem to sprout up right through it. The mulch is fairly deep, but maybe I need to add amore?

@rosa--thanks for the advice. I do have concerns about using chemicals while pregnant (any kind of chemical--not just for weeding). I also feel badly about spraying things that are toxic to animals in our yard as we have lots of bunnies, squirrels, birds, and neighborhood cats roaming around. I do not want to hurt them. Heck, I feel bad enough killing the weeds! ;-) I'm going to google the natural stuff you mentioned and check it out. If I do end up with something like roundup, I'll ask DH to spray it and warn my neighbors to keep their cats inside. We can also empty the bird and squirrel feeders a day or two prior to discourage them from coming in our yard. I know it isn't a perfect solution, but it seems as though what I need is a weed preventer.

[Rosemary]

We don't use any chemicals in our yard. I think chemicals are worse than weeds!
I overseeded our lawn with white clover this spring and it did very well in our very wet weather, so I hope it will continue to spread.
I don't even mind creeping charlie - the bees like it, it blooms early for them, and it is drought-tolerant.

If the purpose of grass is to prevent erosion, weeds do as good a job as anything.
If the purpose of grass is to be green, most weeds do that too.
If the purpose of grass is to grow a non-native monoculture in a variety of microclimates in the yard, then one can expect to invest substantial time, money, and chemicals.

[SRP]

There's an old saying that goes something like "Nature abhors a vaccuum." And I add on: That's what weeds are for! Basically, what we think of as weeds are colonizers, coming in to fill that bare spot. They're tough plants with deep root systems that can handle all sorts of adversity. What I like to do in my flowerbeds is to pack them FULL of plants that I love. Then the weeds don't have any nice, bare dirt to get started. Sure, I still have the occasional weed, but nothing major.

Sidewalks are another thing. I just accept the inevitable and weed those weeds.

Out in the yard... I've got problems with that. There's this nasty stickery stuff that is taking over my yard. I've tried the "Weed and Feed" approach. Oh, it works all right. It kills off the weeds, and eventually as the summer progresses, grass moves in. But then the weeds come back again the next year, and somehow it seems that they take up even more of my yard and I have to apply more weed killer. Oddly enough, the field adjacent to my yard has plenty of grass. So it got me to wondering if mowing the lawn actually encourages weeds. My thought is that maybe I'm mowing it too short, so the grass burns up in the summer and leaves more territory for the weeds. So I'm going to try raising my mower up and see what happens. This Weed and Feed stuff is getting too darned expensive.

[benhyr]

If the purpose of grass is to prevent erosion, weeds do as good a job as anything.
If the purpose of grass is to be green, most weeds do that too.
If the purpose of grass is to grow a non-native monoculture in a variety of microclimates in the yard, then one can expect to invest substantial time, money, and chemicals.

I like this line of thinking... but in our little subdivision the last guy that had the nerve to plant clover still has stories told about him. I'm still taking over parts of the yard with red and white clover, wild carrot and dill. Shhhh, don't tell anyone but the bees :|(

[Gardenarian]

I do not use chemical weed killers, as I keep an organic garden. I especially would not use Roundup (though I have heard many people exclaim about how well it works) because it is made by Monsanto. Monsanto is the leading corporation creating genetically modified foods, and I could not stomache supporting them.

Here is a link to Millions against Monsanto:http://organicconsumers.org/monsanto/index.cfm

[Tenngal]

I use Roundup or other grass and weed killers with a pump-type sprayer. I set the spray to really just hit the leaves of the weeds. Also spray a border around the house and flower beds so we can use the mower to do most of the cutting.

[dado potato]

A few Chinese geese (you can get them delivered to your post office by a hatchery) will eat your weeds and fertilize your garden more-or-less simultaneously. You'd need a fence and a secure place for them to sleep at night. Toward the end of the season, fatten them up with grain and have them humanely processed for the table. Check with boro/township/HOA to see if restrictions apply.

[Zigzagman]

I thought I would update this thread after reading this news (http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/06/07/roundup-birth-defects-herbicide-regulators_n_872862.html) today. I wonder what this will mean to us as consumers? I personally think that it will probably mean that in the long term it will be taken off of the market for consumers and put on the long list of "herbicide license required" products. I also wonder about those genetically modified food sources (Roundup Ready crops).

WASHINGTON -- Industry regulators have known for years that Roundup, the world's best-selling herbicide produced by U.S. company Monsanto, causes birth defects, according to a new report (http://www.scribd.com/doc/57277946/RoundupandBirthDefectsv5) released Tuesday.

The report, "Roundup and birth defects: Is the public being kept in the dark?" found regulators knew as long ago as 1980 that glyphosate, the chemical on which Roundup is based, can cause birth defects in laboratory animals.
But despite such warnings, and although the European Commission has known that glyphosate causes malformations since at least 2002, the information was not made public.

"Our examination of the evidence leads us to the conclusion that the current approval of glyphosate and Roundup is deeply flawed and unreliable," wrote the report authors in their conclusion. "What is more, we have learned from experts familiar with pesticide assessments and approvals that the case of glyphosate is not unusual.
"They say that the approvals of numerous pesticides rest on data and risk assessments that are just as scientifically flawed, if not more so," the authors added. "This is all the more reason why the Commission must urgently review glyphosate and other pesticides according to the most rigorous and up-to-date standards."

Peace

[Kat]

Oh, gosh! I am in my third trimester of pregnancy and am so glad I have just been pulling weeds and not spraying this stuff! Scary!

Thanks for posting, Zigzagman!

[puglogic]

Roundup is simply dreadful. We steer as clear as we can from chemical weedkillers. Of course, that's not always easy:
http://www.motherearthnews.com/organic-gardening/killer-compost-zmgz11zrog.aspx