Help - recurring weeds in flower beds

T-Maxx

Hi, first post here so please bear with me.:o

I've a problem with recurring weeds in my flower beds. I've spent hours and hours weeding them out by hand, but within days they're back with a vengeance. All the weedkillers I've looked at seem to kill off everything it gets in contact with - the likes of Roundup, Weedall, etc.

Can anyone help me out with some advice here please? Are there any selective weedkillers available?

greenfingers

what flowers/shrubs have you planted in the beds?

sofia11

plenty bark mulch and that special breathable garden membrane underneath it. I think it might be expensive so maybe a few inches of bark mulch (medium size) might do the trick. Not an expert but go easy on the weedkiller it might just get to your other plants.

T-Maxx

It's an established bed and I'm not going to take any plants out, so the Terram option is a non-runner. Do you reckon the bark mulch itself will kill the weeds off?

greenfingers

Ya could try Caseron G before it goes off the market. You should still be able to pick it up if you hurry.

luckat

You're better hoeing than hand-weeding - in nicely amended soil (soil with plenty of compost added), the hoe should glide through, and it's so much faster than pulling individual weeds out by hand.

Good news - your soil is in good order if the weeds are so happy in it.

Sonnenblumen

greenfingers wrote: »

Ya could try Caseron G before it goes off the market. You should still be able to pick it up if you hurry.

Although it is a very effective weedkiller, one needs to be careful with Caseron G. Normally applied during Oct-April, wet or dry conditions, however it will kill all non deep rooted plant stock and remains active within top 4"/100mm of soil for up to 12 months. Applied after April it can heat up and the released gases can affect the underside of shrubs causing burning.

Roundup would be better, so long as you are very careful with the spray, alternatively mix it with a washing up liquid and apply with brush to targetted weeds. Or try using a very small spray even an old container for window cleaning. With spraying you just need to be careful with drift. Another + for Roundup is that it biodegrades on contact with soil and will not cause any subsequent harm. Areas treated with Casoron G cannot be replanted for several months after application, normally used within established beds/borders where no new planting is planned in near term.

Discodog

I have been commercially gardening & weeding for nearly 20 years. Invest in a Wolf Push Pull weeder. This is a horizontal double edged hoe. It comes in two widths & attaches to a Wolf handle - get the longest one.

First clear the weeds then if you use this every 14 days without fail you will not have weeds. You will also get very quick at using it. I have clients with large borders that take little time to hoe.

Incidentially I have just had to replace a Wolf weeder that was worn out - after 12 years ! & I do more weeding in a week than most do in a year.

artieanna

Could you stick up a picture of the weeds in question. We might be able to help you more if we know what weeds are causing the problem..

T-Maxx

Here you go:

Sonnenblumen

Usual suspects, you can easily brush the broadleaf types with a roundup paste.

artieanna

As you have other plants nearby its a bit dodgy using weedkiller.

The first one is cleaverwort or galium aparine it is an annual so pull it before it seeds, to get on top of it.

Anyone know what the second one is (it looks a bit like a dandeline but I'm not sure if it is)?

third one dandelions, I have found with the dandelines that you simply have to dig them out one by one, their root is the problem...then you could apply a mulch of bark chips.

In the last one there is a few weeds red dead nettle (little pink flowers)

On the whole I would advise weed the whole area, dispose of the weeds, apply mulch and that should make a big difference to stopping weed growth...

Irish Gardener

artieanna wrote: »

Anyone know what the second one is (it looks a bit like a dandeline but I'm not sure if it is)?

Cats ear, related to the dandelion.