Weed problem

Macker

Anyone know what this weed is and how to control it ,its invaded my wildflower patch and although it's very shallow rooted and easy to pull out it will cost me most of my wild flowers if I do ,I'm tempted to just hoe the whole patch and plant some pollinators and start again next year.
I'll add a pic in a few minutes

Jim_Hodge

Curious to see the pic. I've never heard of weeds in a wildflower area - a weed is a wildflower really.:)

Macker

Macker wrote: »

Anyone know what this weed is and how to control it ,its invaded my wildflower patch and although it's very shallow rooted and easy to pull out it will cost me most of my wild flowers if I do ,I'm tempted to just hoe the whole patch and plant some pollinators and start again next year.
I'll add a pic in a few minutes

Here's the pic

Macker

Jim_Hodge wrote: »

Curious to see the pic. I've never heard of weeds in a wildflower area - a weed is a wildflower really.:)

its smothering everything

Water John

Would it be Wild Mint?
If you were to practise regenerative farming, there are no weeds, they would be called forbs.

Macker

Water John wrote: »

Would it be Wild Mint?
If you were to practise regenerative farming, there are no weeds, they would be called forbs.

No smell of mint off it

Ubbquittious

I thought this thread would be about someone having problems trying to grow weed

Macker

Ubbquittious wrote: »

I thought this thread would be about someone having problems trying to grow weed

That's my next thread

Water John

Once you disturb soil, many seeds that have been dormant, decide the conditions for growing are ideal and germinate and will outcompete what you plant. The best technique is to, create a false seed bed:
https://orgprints.org/id/eprint/31022/25/PA_007_False-seedbed_final_QR.pdf

They say leave them a few weeks, but you can also break their growth much younger after they germinate, by raking, a few times. They have used their stored energy to sprout and this disrupts them getting nutrients via their new roots.

Macker

Water John wrote: »

Once you disturb soil, many seeds that have been dormant, decide the conditions for growing are ideal and germinate and will outcompete what you plant. The best technique is to, create a false seed bed:
https://orgprints.org/id/eprint/31022/25/PA_007_False-seedbed_final_QR.pdf

They say leave them a few weeks, but you can also break their growth much younger after they germinate, by raking, a few times. They have used their stored energy to sprout and this disrupts them getting nutrients via their new roots.

thata very helpful ,thanks ,I'll give it a light rake every day or two and hope the flowers take over

Jim_Hodge

Those will pull out easily enough by hand, with very little damage to the plants you want to keep.

Hocus Focus

Water John wrote: »

Once you disturb soil, many seeds that have been dormant, decide the conditions for growing are ideal and germinate and will outcompete what you plant. The best technique is to, create a false seed bed:
https://orgprints.org/id/eprint/31022/25/PA_007_False-seedbed_final_QR.pdf

They say leave them a few weeks, but you can also break their growth much younger after they germinate, by raking, a few times. They have used their stored energy to sprout and this disrupts them getting nutrients via their new roots.

I use this technique in my raised beds. Needless to say, I don't need to use any kind of harrow, powered either by friction or PTO

looksee

But if you have some just germinated wildflowers you will damage those too. What kind of wildflower seeds were they? If they were the packets with the multicoloured flower pics that you pick up in hardware type shops it may well be that you sowed them!

ec_pc

It looks like ground elder to me but I'm not an expert! My mother in law says its a nightmare to control and spreads like wildfire! I recently pulled a huge amount by hand from a new large raised bed before digging, laying weed control fabric and topping with mulch about 3 weeks ago. I notice today it is appearing around the edges again. I used roundup on more of it in a but of rough ground out in the back garden, its just starting to brown I think I will have to go at it again before digging.

However golden rule is to keep am eye out and pull it as it appears (assuming you have nothing else to do of course.....)


https://gardening.which.co.uk/hc/en-gb/articles/360000358265-How-to-kill-ground-elder

Nigzcurran

I get this a lot all over the garden, lawn and flower beds but it’s really easy to pull and one of the least annoying weeds I’ve ever dealt with to be honest

The Continental Op

Seriously looks like Himalayan balsam to me?

..... goes off to check up in that.

Edit: .... nah probably not

spookwoman

Annual Mercury maybe
https://www.irishwildflowers.ie/pages/608a.html

PeadarOBriain

Macker wrote: »

Anyone know what this weed is and how to control it ,its invaded my wildflower patch and although it's very shallow rooted and easy to pull out it will cost me most of my wild flowers if I do ,I'm tempted to just hoe the whole patch and plant some pollinators and start again next year.
I'll add a pic in a few minutes

Looks like it could be Annual Mercury. There is a great list of wild flower on Tegasc website.