Huge weeds on the side of my house, year after year...
#1
03-30-04, 08:35 AM
Huge weeds on the side of my house, year after year...
Hi all,
Every year, the side of my house has humongous weeds that Round-UP cannot even take care of. I spray them down with it, the weeds die, and new ones sprout.
The side of my house has a bunch of decorative rocks with small evergreen plants in them. In the middle of those little pebbles grows the weeds. I am thinking that having those pebbles is a bad thing but it will be a huge undertaking to remove/replace them, and even if I did... I wouldn't know what to replace them with.
I appreciate any help to help me out here.
Every year, the side of my house has humongous weeds that Round-UP cannot even take care of. I spray them down with it, the weeds die, and new ones sprout.
The side of my house has a bunch of decorative rocks with small evergreen plants in them. In the middle of those little pebbles grows the weeds. I am thinking that having those pebbles is a bad thing but it will be a huge undertaking to remove/replace them, and even if I did... I wouldn't know what to replace them with.
I appreciate any help to help me out here.
#2
03-30-04, 12:28 PM
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Right now attack it with round up. At the begining of next year use a pre emergent. This will keep those nasty weeds from growing again. What do you guys think?
#4
03-30-04, 01:21 PM
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Pre-emergent is a herbicide...
Pre-emergent herbicides represent an easier and more economical approach to weed control versus post-emergent approaches. Controlling weeds before they appear eliminates the negative aesthetic of dead grass and weeds treated later in the year.
Pre-emergent herbicides represent an easier and more economical approach to weed control versus post-emergent approaches. Controlling weeds before they appear eliminates the negative aesthetic of dead grass and weeds treated later in the year.
#5
03-30-04, 01:42 PM
Originally posted by Terminator20
Pre-emergent is a herbicide...
Pre-emergent herbicides represent an easier and more economical approach to weed control versus post-emergent approaches. Controlling weeds before they appear eliminates the negative aesthetic of dead grass and weeds treated later in the year.
Pre-emergent is a herbicide...
Pre-emergent herbicides represent an easier and more economical approach to weed control versus post-emergent approaches. Controlling weeds before they appear eliminates the negative aesthetic of dead grass and weeds treated later in the year.
#7
03-30-04, 02:10 PM
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Hello Diabolus
A pre-emergent will only work if the weed is growing from seed. From your description, I'd guess that you have some sort of perennial weed. If you can make a positive identification of the weed, you'll be better able to fight it.
Round Up (Glyphosate) is a non-selective herbicide, but it does have it's limitations. If 'your' weed is on the list (on the packaging label), it will be controlled (sometimes it'll take multiple applications). If you've already discarded the container, here's a link that might help. http://gardening.roundup.com/index.c...unchWeedFinder
BTW, this is a commercial website and Ortho is pushing their product (which comes awfully close to breaking the advertizing rules of DoItYourself.com), but if you can see your way past the adverts, this site may give you a better idea of what you have and/or if it can be controlled by Glyphosate (the active ingredient)
Re: Your second question about the stones and pebbles. Over time, leaves and soil will collect in them and give seeds a place to start. Do you know if there is plastic sheeting or landscape fabric under them? Plastic was the way landscapers used to separate the subsoil with the mulch (pebbles are essentially mulch, they just don't break down like woodchips do...). Landscape fabric is better because it will not break down as readily under freeze/thaw and UV light. Seeds that have taken a foothold in areas where this separation is present will usually not be able to penetrate to the subsoil, so will have very shallow root systems and be relatively easy to pull out.
If you are looking for something to do
you could remove a small section of the pebbles/rocks and see how deep a layer you have and if there is some sort of barrier. Then if you're really feeling like doing more work, you could remove all the stone, put down landscape fabric and then re-install the stone...
I'm not being much help here, am I...
But on a more serious note, If you can describe the weed in as much detail as possible, maybe someone here can identify it and then we'd be able to give you a coarse to follow to iradicate it.
BTW, I'm moving this thread over to the Garden forum - there are a lot of good people over there who may be able to identify your pesky weed if you provide a description.
Howie
A pre-emergent will only work if the weed is growing from seed. From your description, I'd guess that you have some sort of perennial weed. If you can make a positive identification of the weed, you'll be better able to fight it.
Round Up (Glyphosate) is a non-selective herbicide, but it does have it's limitations. If 'your' weed is on the list (on the packaging label), it will be controlled (sometimes it'll take multiple applications). If you've already discarded the container, here's a link that might help. http://gardening.roundup.com/index.c...unchWeedFinder
BTW, this is a commercial website and Ortho is pushing their product (which comes awfully close to breaking the advertizing rules of DoItYourself.com), but if you can see your way past the adverts, this site may give you a better idea of what you have and/or if it can be controlled by Glyphosate (the active ingredient)
Re: Your second question about the stones and pebbles. Over time, leaves and soil will collect in them and give seeds a place to start. Do you know if there is plastic sheeting or landscape fabric under them? Plastic was the way landscapers used to separate the subsoil with the mulch (pebbles are essentially mulch, they just don't break down like woodchips do...). Landscape fabric is better because it will not break down as readily under freeze/thaw and UV light. Seeds that have taken a foothold in areas where this separation is present will usually not be able to penetrate to the subsoil, so will have very shallow root systems and be relatively easy to pull out.
If you are looking for something to do
you could remove a small section of the pebbles/rocks and see how deep a layer you have and if there is some sort of barrier. Then if you're really feeling like doing more work, you could remove all the stone, put down landscape fabric and then re-install the stone...I'm not being much help here, am I...
But on a more serious note, If you can describe the weed in as much detail as possible, maybe someone here can identify it and then we'd be able to give you a coarse to follow to iradicate it.
BTW, I'm moving this thread over to the Garden forum - there are a lot of good people over there who may be able to identify your pesky weed if you provide a description.
Howie
#8
03-30-04, 02:21 PM
Hehe, give me a few weeks and I'll have pictures 
At this point, all I can say is that it looks like crabgrass for some areas... but it's really tough to pull out. Some of them have bulbs at the root and grow like teeeny corn stalks, and quite high at that. I often take my weedwacker to them just so they don't LOOK as bad as they do.
Thanks!
At this point, all I can say is that it looks like crabgrass for some areas... but it's really tough to pull out. Some of them have bulbs at the root and grow like teeeny corn stalks, and quite high at that. I often take my weedwacker to them just so they don't LOOK as bad as they do.
Thanks!
#9
03-30-04, 02:27 PM
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Ummm....
Forgot to ask... where are you?
Your geographic location or planting zone will give us more to work with - we may be able to eliminate some weeds that don't grow in your area
Howie
Forgot to ask... where are you?
Your geographic location or planting zone will give us more to work with - we may be able to eliminate some weeds that don't grow in your area
Howie
#10
03-30-04, 02:39 PM
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OOPS...
Forgot you posted that in Lawns - New Jersey, right?
I believe there are some sedges that have tubers at the tipe of some rhisomes - they look grasslike and do grow fairly high. Triangular stems instead of round like grasses.
I'll have to look up and see if Glyphosite controls them, but my gut feeling is that it doesn't because of the waxy coating on the aboveground parts of the plant that makes absorption tough...
Howie
Forgot you posted that in Lawns - New Jersey, right?
I believe there are some sedges that have tubers at the tipe of some rhisomes - they look grasslike and do grow fairly high. Triangular stems instead of round like grasses.
I'll have to look up and see if Glyphosite controls them, but my gut feeling is that it doesn't because of the waxy coating on the aboveground parts of the plant that makes absorption tough...
Howie
#11
03-30-04, 07:14 PM
This is akin to killing dallisgrass. Repeated treatments with Round-up will eventually win the war against the tubers. If you have a good place for seeds to sprout in leaves and mulm, you will have to treat this area annually.
#12
03-31-04, 10:07 AM
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Keep them down under
Hi Diabolus
_________________________
I am thinking that having those pebbles is a bad thing but it will be a huge undertaking to remove/replace them, and even if I did... I wouldn't know what to replace them with.
__________________________
That's exactly what I would do. Remove all the stone rinse & keep it clean. You will see before & after you remove your weed barrier cloth, where the big weeds are comming through the barrier.
If you go after the roots and remove as many roots as you can, then lay a tripple thickness of comercial landscaping cloth & cover it with the stone you removed. Or the cover of your choice.
Sometimes when the job cost's to much, or when only you know what has to be done, & it must be done right, you must do it yourself. 2-4-D & Agent Orange ( 1960s & 1970s ) were a class of Herbacide that killed everything. Thank God they are gone in the US, they just kept killing & so we came up with root busters & Round-up is one of those, only they are not doing to kill everything.
Even though I use some Viniger to keep the gravel drive & walks clean of the pop up weeds. I always dig them out, cover them with cloth & cover the cloth with Popular chunks or white Limestone from the quary. This I do for the Flower beds, the Vegetables beds & around the Fruit trees. No weeds looks nice & the limestone keeps the soil sweet, A lot of work to get it that way. However what I look for, is how little weeding I will have for the long run.
It is hard work & we do get sore for a few days, but when it's done & all covered up we can just sit back and enjoy those Gardens for many years without weeds.
When I get tired & want to grab & 500,000 BTU torch & burn the weeds up. I try and imagine what it must have been like to clear trees to Farm in 1850. No Chainsaws, Horses hooked to chains pulling those Monster stumps out.
For some reason I gain strength in thinking about the real DIYers of many years ago, just doing it because it needed done. Just look at all the tools we have today, it boggles the mind.
_________________________
I am thinking that having those pebbles is a bad thing but it will be a huge undertaking to remove/replace them, and even if I did... I wouldn't know what to replace them with.
__________________________
That's exactly what I would do. Remove all the stone rinse & keep it clean. You will see before & after you remove your weed barrier cloth, where the big weeds are comming through the barrier.
If you go after the roots and remove as many roots as you can, then lay a tripple thickness of comercial landscaping cloth & cover it with the stone you removed. Or the cover of your choice.
Sometimes when the job cost's to much, or when only you know what has to be done, & it must be done right, you must do it yourself. 2-4-D & Agent Orange ( 1960s & 1970s ) were a class of Herbacide that killed everything. Thank God they are gone in the US, they just kept killing & so we came up with root busters & Round-up is one of those, only they are not doing to kill everything.
Even though I use some Viniger to keep the gravel drive & walks clean of the pop up weeds. I always dig them out, cover them with cloth & cover the cloth with Popular chunks or white Limestone from the quary. This I do for the Flower beds, the Vegetables beds & around the Fruit trees. No weeds looks nice & the limestone keeps the soil sweet, A lot of work to get it that way. However what I look for, is how little weeding I will have for the long run.
It is hard work & we do get sore for a few days, but when it's done & all covered up we can just sit back and enjoy those Gardens for many years without weeds.
When I get tired & want to grab & 500,000 BTU torch & burn the weeds up. I try and imagine what it must have been like to clear trees to Farm in 1850. No Chainsaws, Horses hooked to chains pulling those Monster stumps out.
For some reason I gain strength in thinking about the real DIYers of many years ago, just doing it because it needed done. Just look at all the tools we have today, it boggles the mind.
#13
03-31-04, 10:54 AM
Unless the ban has been imposed recently, 2-4-D is still a viable weed control and still available to consumers.
It was the one herbicide that was covered extensively in my Master Gardener class last year. Great care should be used when using it near food crops but other than that it is highly recommended (along with Image) for things like wild onion/garlic here in the South.
It was the one herbicide that was covered extensively in my Master Gardener class last year. Great care should be used when using it near food crops but other than that it is highly recommended (along with Image) for things like wild onion/garlic here in the South.
#14
03-31-04, 11:47 AM
Originally posted by tea3803
Unless the ban has been imposed recently, 2-4-D is still a viable weed control and still available to consumers.
It was the one herbicide that was covered extensively in my Master Gardener class last year. Great care should be used when using it near food crops but other than that it is highly recommended (along with Image) for things like wild onion/garlic here in the South.
Unless the ban has been imposed recently, 2-4-D is still a viable weed control and still available to consumers.
It was the one herbicide that was covered extensively in my Master Gardener class last year. Great care should be used when using it near food crops but other than that it is highly recommended (along with Image) for things like wild onion/garlic here in the South.
#15
03-31-04, 01:26 PM
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That one was banned in 1995
According to this document :
http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/publ...Herbicides.pdf
2-4-D was banned in 1995.
_________________________
Study well this killer of plants & ask yourself. Do I believe that these very toxic long lasting plant killers, will spare us and the Animals from toxins in water & air?
Would the Chemical Companys lie? You mean like the Medical Community helped lie last year, about the dangers of a Flu that never quite made it over here. Got to make back our money even if they don't need the vaccine, so scare them ( The Public ) into buying up all this vaccine
I did my Son a great favor when he was very young. I believe that many of the things that man uses to make life easier has a pay back. Pull weeds = sore muscles while a spray may = Cancer. At 27 he told me that he had seen that to be true over & over, so he does it the hard way & can already see that way lasts longer & seldom makes you sick.
Because so many want the easy way out, it is up to others to get these Man made Toxin's out of their hands. Today since the non Organic Farmers have decided it's time to grow Organic for (More $$ ) They have an arsanal of super hard working Organic products at their disposal. Up until then I believed we were on the cutting edge of Organics. Not even close, it's like we were contacted by a race of Aliens from outer Space.
The same Chemical Companies who brought us some very bad pesticides have released more well designed Organic Pesticides etc in the last 2 years, than in the last 30 years.
I am saying that mankind has had the means to produce real effective Pesticides, Moluskicides, Herbacides, & fungacides. Why then were these products available to me an Organic Farmer for over 2.5 Decades?
It was the consumer not reason that drove the Government to cut orders for the Mega Chemical Companies, to open the vault & provide the New organic Farmers a cheap source of organic products, that really worked. All to help them sastisify the new better informed consumer of food, who as always wanted a cheap source of food.
My .02 cents I'm out of here
http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/publ...Herbicides.pdf
2-4-D was banned in 1995.
_________________________
Study well this killer of plants & ask yourself. Do I believe that these very toxic long lasting plant killers, will spare us and the Animals from toxins in water & air?
Would the Chemical Companys lie? You mean like the Medical Community helped lie last year, about the dangers of a Flu that never quite made it over here. Got to make back our money even if they don't need the vaccine, so scare them ( The Public ) into buying up all this vaccine
I did my Son a great favor when he was very young. I believe that many of the things that man uses to make life easier has a pay back. Pull weeds = sore muscles while a spray may = Cancer. At 27 he told me that he had seen that to be true over & over, so he does it the hard way & can already see that way lasts longer & seldom makes you sick.
Because so many want the easy way out, it is up to others to get these Man made Toxin's out of their hands. Today since the non Organic Farmers have decided it's time to grow Organic for (More $$ ) They have an arsanal of super hard working Organic products at their disposal. Up until then I believed we were on the cutting edge of Organics. Not even close, it's like we were contacted by a race of Aliens from outer Space.
The same Chemical Companies who brought us some very bad pesticides have released more well designed Organic Pesticides etc in the last 2 years, than in the last 30 years.
I am saying that mankind has had the means to produce real effective Pesticides, Moluskicides, Herbacides, & fungacides. Why then were these products available to me an Organic Farmer for over 2.5 Decades?
It was the consumer not reason that drove the Government to cut orders for the Mega Chemical Companies, to open the vault & provide the New organic Farmers a cheap source of organic products, that really worked. All to help them sastisify the new better informed consumer of food, who as always wanted a cheap source of food.
My .02 cents I'm out of here
#16
03-31-04, 05:30 PM
Re: That one was banned in 1995
Originally posted by marturo
According to this document :
http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/publ...Herbicides.pdf
2-4-D was banned in 1995.
_________________________
According to this document :
http://www.govlink.org/hazwaste/publ...Herbicides.pdf
2-4-D was banned in 1995.
_________________________
#17
03-31-04, 07:49 PM
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Missed by a Country mile.
I'm glad you caught that, tea3803 knowledge must always be tempered by true facts.
Now back to the one question that matters on this thread.
Diabolus asked:
The side of my house has a bunch of decorative rocks with small evergreen plants in them. In the middle of those little pebbles grows the weeds.
________________________________________________
tea3803 would you mind researching the 2-4-D for Diabolus? He is ready to buy it now, & believes the 2-4-D to be just what he needs for this job. I'm confident the Master Gardener class tought you how to determine the right chemical to use, & how to impress safety when using these chemicals. Thank you for your help tea3803, we learn from each other here.
The only time I would reccomend any Garden Chemical, is when I know it's the right choice, & I'm sorry to say, I have not used 2-4-D so my only suggestion would have to be contact your County Agent. That is unless you ( tea3803 ) have worked with 2-4-D & find & have him copy the White Sheet. I would get more info on the large weeds also, what they are & is he using a Fabric under his pebbles.
For our members safety it very important that someone give's the URL for the White Sheet & the user follow all safety mesures to protect themselves & any plants, Humans & Animals that may be hurt by over spray drift.
This thread is yet another example of why the Garden Forum works so well for our members. Moderators don't have all the answers, but just maybe member Joe or Jill, will have just what member Gail needs.
I have not used a single substance that was not approved Organic, since 1974 & when it comes to Comercial Toxics, I may need another members help. In fact if I understand how DIY works, I need all of the members help each & everyday. We are a team helping each other to enjoy gardening more each season.
As a type of people it is Gardeners, I get along with best. They are a special kind of people, who love nature & care for the Earth.
Now back to the one question that matters on this thread.
Diabolus asked:
The side of my house has a bunch of decorative rocks with small evergreen plants in them. In the middle of those little pebbles grows the weeds.
________________________________________________
tea3803 would you mind researching the 2-4-D for Diabolus? He is ready to buy it now, & believes the 2-4-D to be just what he needs for this job. I'm confident the Master Gardener class tought you how to determine the right chemical to use, & how to impress safety when using these chemicals. Thank you for your help tea3803, we learn from each other here.
The only time I would reccomend any Garden Chemical, is when I know it's the right choice, & I'm sorry to say, I have not used 2-4-D so my only suggestion would have to be contact your County Agent. That is unless you ( tea3803 ) have worked with 2-4-D & find & have him copy the White Sheet. I would get more info on the large weeds also, what they are & is he using a Fabric under his pebbles.
For our members safety it very important that someone give's the URL for the White Sheet & the user follow all safety mesures to protect themselves & any plants, Humans & Animals that may be hurt by over spray drift.
This thread is yet another example of why the Garden Forum works so well for our members. Moderators don't have all the answers, but just maybe member Joe or Jill, will have just what member Gail needs.
I have not used a single substance that was not approved Organic, since 1974 & when it comes to Comercial Toxics, I may need another members help. In fact if I understand how DIY works, I need all of the members help each & everyday. We are a team helping each other to enjoy gardening more each season.
As a type of people it is Gardeners, I get along with best. They are a special kind of people, who love nature & care for the Earth.
