How to deal with weeds?

Question

I'm very new to gardening and I've finally decided to tackle my back garden which is reminiscent of a jungle. I've got these monstrous weeds in the only soil patch in the garden which I intend to eradicate by smothering them with an old carpet, and I've also got these weeds like dandelion, poppy and nettle. These are dotted here and there in the garden and so I can't reasonably smother them. I want to use a weed killer but aren't they harmful to the environment? Is there an alternative?

Answer 1

Hello------I am a Certified Master Gardener.

You can use a chemical herbicide such as RoundUp, etc. or you can dig them out by the root.
Nettle is irritating to the skin, it can cause blistering and redness, so don't handle nettle.
Man-made chemicals are harmful to the environment. These chemicals, over time, alter the ph of the soil, get in the groundwater table, poisoning it, and are toxic as runoff into the ocean. Also toxic to fish, pets, beneficial insects such as bees, other plants and humans.

"way to go . . . Monsanto."

To pull them out by the root is best.
Also, putting black plastic over them will kill them, but may not entirely get the root.
Water to soften the soil, then go at them with tools.
If the root is not gotten out, they will just come back anyway.
Pull them out before they form seedpods.

I sincerely hope this helps.

PAMELA J.

Answer 2

Most effective way I've found is to dig the weeds out. Wet the soil first or start the project just after a light rain. Use a pitch fork to loosen the soil around the weed (s) making sure you get all the root. Dispose the weeds into compost or garbage. Do not leave weeds lying on the ground because the slightest rainfall will stimulate the plant to re root and / or their little seeds will sprout and create more weeds. If you must leave the weeds on the ground do it when you are sure there are minimum 3 days of hot dry weather - scorch those roots.
Which brings me to my other method ... apply a few boiling hot water treatments. Yes, pour boiling hot water on the plant! (especially effective when the plant is thirsty)
Works especially well for those weeds that grow in the cracks of the sidewalk or driveway etc. You may have to repeat the hot water treatments couple times during the season.

Answer 3

The carpet method is fantastic and gives great results but weeds with deep tap roots such as dandelion and dock will not give up that easily and it is almost impossible to dig them out.

There is a product called Touch Weed (in the UK), the best way to describe it is to say that it looks like a deodorant stick. It is easy to use and the weedkiller is applied directly to the individual weed. Using this avoids broadcast spraying of weedkillers.

You may kind that the nettles reappear after the carpet treatment, providing there are not too many of them they are not difficult to hand weed. They have yellow roots so are quite easy to distinguish when weeding them out from other plants.

Answer 4

Easy peasy....you get a sickle and cut down all the weeds,then you get a garden fork and dig up all the roots then you pile all the weeds in a big heap. You get the fork again and dig the garden again and keep going for 30 minutes then have 5 minutes rest and a cup of tea....then dig some more of the soil for another 30 minutes then have another 5 minutes rest. Get the fork again and dig for another 30 minutes then have 5 minutes rest...then do some more digging for 30 minutes. You will have a nice back ache so rub some ointment on it and have a rest and think of the next day because you will have to do it all over again.

Answer 5

Give yourself a chance! Use Roundup which will kill all perennial weeds. The product breaks down in the soil.

Once you have done this, you can go totally organic. No need to use any chemicals. Double dig the soil incorporating plenty of compost or manure. Keep the soil weed-free by constantly hand-weeding. Don't allow dandelions to flower!

Answer 6

Instead of using a weed killer, pull or dig up the weeds, by hand. Weed killer is not a good thing to use in a garden plot.
Buy a decent hoe and hoe your garden on a regular basis. This will remove any new growth and supress the weeds.

Answer 7

They're still your parents, so you may want to rethink bringing in the police. But, you need to get out of that house, NOW. Find your own place and get away from their business, and their theiving. Once you are out, warn your parents that you are not comfortable with their little side business and not to expect you to visit while they're selling weed. After a while, they'll probably lie about it to get you to come over. Do give them the benefit of the doubt, but if you catch the lie, then break off relations completely. Good luck.

Answer 8

Smothering is a good way but it takes time. Hand weeding is very hard work. systemic weed killers are perhaps easiest
and harmless to the soil.

Answer 9

If you aren't in a hurry, you can dump garden soil on them, it will smother the weeds and if any more pop up... you can handle it.

Answer 10

Add rock salt + sea salt at the root of the weed (quite a lot) and on top if it's a flat weed, preferably make an incision at the root (will go faster).