Hi all,

first time posting (and my first garden too!) so hope I have the right section for this query.

I took the garden over from the previous owners of the house and everything looked fine over winter and in early spring.

But over the last few weeks I've had a really pervasive weed take over my beds. I didn't tackle it right away because of the rain, but I've been trying to clear it out for hours today.

It's proving really difficult because it has soft stems and when I pull it up it doesn't bring the root with it 90% of the time. When I do try to get down and pull the roots out, I can normally get a section but it snaps and I'm sure I'm leaving plenty underground even if I'm really diligent. It's also been growing tangled up with plants I'd like to keep.

Picture attached. It's a ground cover plant and grows 10-20cm high to give you an idea of scale. It seems to be spreading by sending out roots laterally, and new leaves and fine roots spring from the nodes every few inches.

What's the best way to deal with it? I have a horrible feeling that it's simply going to grow back from the fragments of root system left in the ground. I'm prepared to nuke it with chemicals if that is what it takes, because there's no way I can spend 8 hours a month dealing with this!

On May 12, 10:46*am, princeofpounds
wrote:
Hi all,

first time posting (and my first garden too!) so hope I have the right
section for this query.

I took the garden over from the previous owners of the house and
everything looked fine over winter and in early spring.

But over the last few weeks I've had a really pervasive weed take over
my beds. I didn't tackle it right away because of the rain, but I've
been trying to clear it out for hours today.

It's proving really difficult because it has soft stems and when I pull
it up it doesn't bring the root with it 90% of the time. When I do try
to get down and pull the roots out, I can normally get a section but it
snaps and I'm sure I'm leaving plenty underground even if I'm really
diligent. It's also been growing tangled up with plants I'd like to
keep.

Picture attached. It's a ground cover plant and grows 10-20cm high to
give you an idea of scale. It seems to be spreading by sending out roots
laterally, and new leaves and fine roots spring from the nodes every few
inches.

What's the best way to deal with it? I have a horrible feeling that it's
simply going to grow back from the fragments of root system left in the
ground. I'm prepared to nuke it with chemicals if that is what it takes,
because there's no way I can spend 8 hours a month dealing with this!

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Filename: Weed.JPG * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
|Download:http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=14985|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

--
princeofpounds

Just 8 hours a month? Welcome to gardening. If you don't enjoy it
weeds and all you are going to be very disapointed. I covered my
gardens with black plastic for the winter thinking that would help me
this season and it has but there is still this nasty grass trying to
take over. It is the nature of the hobby.

On 12/05/2012 15:46, princeofpounds wrote:
Hi all,

first time posting (and my first garden too!) so hope I have the right
section for this query.

I took the garden over from the previous owners of the house and
everything looked fine over winter and in early spring.

But over the last few weeks I've had a really pervasive weed take over
my beds. I didn't tackle it right away because of the rain, but I've
been trying to clear it out for hours today.

It's proving really difficult because it has soft stems and when I pull
it up it doesn't bring the root with it 90% of the time. When I do try
to get down and pull the roots out, I can normally get a section but it
snaps and I'm sure I'm leaving plenty underground even if I'm really
diligent. It's also been growing tangled up with plants I'd like to
keep.

Picture attached. It's a ground cover plant and grows 10-20cm high to
give you an idea of scale. It seems to be spreading by sending out roots
laterally, and new leaves and fine roots spring from the nodes every few
inches.

What's the best way to deal with it? I have a horrible feeling that it's
simply going to grow back from the fragments of root system left in the
ground. I'm prepared to nuke it with chemicals if that is what it takes,
because there's no way I can spend 8 hours a month dealing with this!


+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Filename: Weed.JPG |
|Download: http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=14985|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

It's ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria). See he
http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/...e.aspx?pid=215

--

Jeff

On May 12, 12:37*pm, Jeff Layman wrote:
On 12/05/2012 15:46, princeofpounds wrote:









Hi all,

first time posting (and my first garden too!) so hope I have the right
section for this query.

I took the garden over from the previous owners of the house and
everything looked fine over winter and in early spring.

But over the last few weeks I've had a really pervasive weed take over
my beds. I didn't tackle it right away because of the rain, but I've
been trying to clear it out for hours today.

It's proving really difficult because it has soft stems and when I pull
it up it doesn't bring the root with it 90% of the time. When I do try
to get down and pull the roots out, I can normally get a section but it
snaps and I'm sure I'm leaving plenty underground even if I'm really
diligent. It's also been growing tangled up with plants I'd like to
keep.

Picture attached. It's a ground cover plant and grows 10-20cm high to
give you an idea of scale. It seems to be spreading by sending out roots
laterally, and new leaves and fine roots spring from the nodes every few
inches.

What's the best way to deal with it? I have a horrible feeling that it's
simply going to grow back from the fragments of root system left in the
ground. I'm prepared to nuke it with chemicals if that is what it takes,
because there's no way I can spend 8 hours a month dealing with this!

+-------------------------------------------------------------------+
|Filename: Weed.JPG * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * |
|Download:http://www.gardenbanter.co.uk/attachment.php?attachmentid=14985|
+-------------------------------------------------------------------+

It's ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria). *See hehttp://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/...e.aspx?pid=215

--

Jeff

I wish the term "crusade" hadn't crossed over into daily language.
The Crusades were one of the most horrible episodes in history. I
know it does have a special force of meaning, but I can't bring myself
to use that word.
HB

Thanks so much, that's the one. I'd looked through a guide and wondered about ground elder but the picture didn't looks similar enough - but the pic you link to leaves no doubt.

Googling it, sounds like a real pain. Still, at least I have an idea what I'm facing now...

On 13/05/2012 08:31, princeofpounds wrote:

It's ground elder (Aegopodium podagraria). See he
'Ground elder / Royal Horticultural Society'
(http://tinyurl.com/csq4jtg)

--

Jeff

Thanks so much, that's the one. I'd looked through a guide and wondered
about ground elder but the picture didn't looks similar enough - but the
pic you link to leaves no doubt.

Googling it, sounds like a real pain. Still, at least I have an idea
what I'm facing now...

Just keep hitting it again and again (at 2 - 3 week intervals) with
glyphosate. Don't pull anything up - you want maximum leaf exposure to
the glyphosate. Hopefully that will deal with it, but if it's spreading
from a neighbouring garden I'm afraid it will keep coming back. You can
always try having a word with the neighbour to see if they will let you
spray their plants too.

--

Jeff