hi

picture the scene, i have a front garden comprising rectangular lawn surrounded by 4 x borders, within which i've planted various (mainly everygreen) shrubs. within the centre of the lawn there is a circular area of soil with no plants/shurbs in it.

the borders and circular area suffer badly from what i think is 'sheeps sorrel' and, after reading online and being advised on here, i now realise the best way to tackle this weed isn't to turn the soil and pick out what you can but rather to use a suitable weedkiller on the leaves without disturbing the soil, right?

i tried this approach towards the end of last summer in the circular area (really good dose of weedkiller, haven't turned the soil since) and whilst i can see a few bits of the weed reappear it's nothing to worry about. the easy thing about the circular area was no plants/shrubs to worry about, i only had to ensure the grass surrounding the soil wasn't touched by the spray.

my challenge with the borders is all the shrubs, i need to protect them and the grass. someone advised i brush the weedkiller on by hand but i'd rather spray. based on this will the following work and, most importantly, will my shrubs survive?

1. cover all shrubs in plastic sheet tied at base i.e. all leaves protected.
2. cover edge of lawn with plastic sheet.
3. this leaves me to liberally spray all exposed areas of soil in the borders.

my hope is the weedkiller will be absorbed by the leaves of the weed and kill the weed by killing the root system ... however if the roots of the weed are entwined with my shrub roots is there a risk my shrubs will be affected, or will they be okay due to their leaves being covered during spraying?

bear in mind i'm intending to give the soil quite a good dose to try and eliminate what is quite an unsightly weed which spreads like mad!

On Sun, 22 Jan 2012 17:15:28 +0000, cheeky chappie
wrote:


hi

picture the scene, i have a front garden comprising rectangular lawn
surrounded by 4 x borders, within which i've planted various (mainly
everygreen) shrubs. within the centre of the lawn there is a circular
area of soil with no plants/shurbs in it.

the borders and circular area suffer badly from what i think is 'sheeps
sorrel' and, after reading online and being advised on here, i now
realise the best way to tackle this weed isn't to turn the soil and pick
out what you can but rather to use a suitable weedkiller on the leaves
without disturbing the soil, right?

i tried this approach towards the end of last summer in the circular
area (really good dose of weedkiller, haven't turned the soil since) and
whilst i can see a few bits of the weed reappear it's nothing to worry
about. the easy thing about the circular area was no plants/shrubs to
worry about, i only had to ensure the grass surrounding the soil wasn't
touched by the spray.

my challenge with the borders is all the shrubs, i need to protect them
and the grass. someone advised i brush the weedkiller on by hand but
i'd rather spray. based on this will the following work and, most
importantly, will my shrubs survive?

1. cover all shrubs in plastic sheet tied at base i.e. all leaves
protected.
2. cover edge of lawn with plastic sheet.
3. this leaves me to liberally spray all exposed areas of soil in the
borders.

my hope is the weedkiller will be absorbed by the leaves of the weed and
kill the weed by killing the root system ... however if the roots of the
weed are entwined with my shrub roots is there a risk my shrubs will be
affected, or will they be okay due to their leaves being covered during
spraying?

bear in mind i'm intending to give the soil quite a good dose to try and
eliminate what is quite an unsightly weed which spreads like mad!

What weedkiller are you planning to use? There are systemic ones like
glyphosate or there are the soil-deadly ones (often sold as path
clearing products). The former are absorbed above ground and become
inactive when they hit the soil whilst the latter can stop anything
growing in the soil for an amount of time as they leave residues in
it. If you use the latter type then it will soak into the soil and
attack the roots of your shrubs and kill them.

If you are resolved on the weedkiller approach then look for a
glyphosate-based product (or preferably get pure glyphosate
concentrate). Protect whatever you don't want to kill and then spray
the rest - spray the foliage, NOT the soil. You don't need to drench
everything, just give it a good wet. Persistent weeds may require a
second spraying not less than 6 weeks later. Dilute as per
instructions. Don't be tempted to make the solution stronger - it
will have the opposite effect to that which you desire.

Probably a bit early to do this now. I'd wait until late March/early
April.

Once the area is dry, it's safe for pets and children.

Just remember that glyphosate kills everything it touches so protect
well the stuff you want to keep. It may take time to work so don't be
tempted to dig anything up before it's dead - allow time for the
weedkiller to work its way down to the roots.

Cheers, Jake
=======================================
Urgling happily from the dryer end of Swansea Bay where
the four seasons are salt,pepper,mustard and vinegar.

cheeky chappie wrote:
hi

picture the scene, i have a front garden comprising rectangular lawn
surrounded by 4 x borders, within which i've planted various (mainly
everygreen) shrubs. within the centre of the lawn there is a circular
area of soil with no plants/shurbs in it.

the borders and circular area suffer badly from what i think is 'sheeps
sorrel' and, after reading online and being advised on here, i now
realise the best way to tackle this weed isn't to turn the soil and pick
out what you can but rather to use a suitable weedkiller on the leaves
without disturbing the soil, right?

It would help a lot if you showed a picture of the plant that you think
is 'sheeps sorrel' and explained why it has become a noxious weed.

I would have expected in the UK that liming the grass and regular
cutting would do for it in the lawn and judicious application of
glyphosate would zap it in the borders. Maybe with a bit of digging out
a few weeks later. Chemical and physical attack is the best way and
perhaps a couple of cycles of this through the season.

i tried this approach towards the end of last summer in the circular
area (really good dose of weedkiller, haven't turned the soil since) and
whilst i can see a few bits of the weed reappear it's nothing to worry
about. the easy thing about the circular area was no plants/shrubs to
worry about, i only had to ensure the grass surrounding the soil wasn't
touched by the spray.

You haven't said which weedkiller you used. They are *very* different.
And they only work when the plant is in active growth. In grass you can
use a broadleaf specific weedkiller to zap things - amongst shrubs you
want a contact weedkiller that is specific against green plants.
Glyphosate is the canonical choice for this sort of spot weeding.

my challenge with the borders is all the shrubs, i need to protect them
and the grass. someone advised i brush the weedkiller on by hand but
i'd rather spray. based on this will the following work and, most
importantly, will my shrubs survive?

1. cover all shrubs in plastic sheet tied at base i.e. all leaves
protected.
2. cover edge of lawn with plastic sheet.
3. this leaves me to liberally spray all exposed areas of soil in the
borders.

You should be able to direct the spray accurately enough not to need to
cover the other shrubs unless you are exceptionally cack handed. The
thing you must watch out for with glyphosate is not to get any spray
drift in the wind or spray onto your boots or you will leave outline
footprints across your lawn. Grass is exquisitely sensitive to it.

my hope is the weedkiller will be absorbed by the leaves of the weed and
kill the weed by killing the root system ... however if the roots of the
weed are entwined with my shrub roots is there a risk my shrubs will be
affected, or will they be okay due to their leaves being covered during
spraying?

Depends what you spray them with - some weedkillers are translocating,
pesistent and damaging to the soil and some like glyphosate will only
kill plants where they have touched the green parts.

bear in mind i'm intending to give the soil quite a good dose to try and
eliminate what is quite an unsightly weed which spreads like mad!

You seem to have failed to grasp the fundamentals of modern weedkillers.
You hit the *PLANT* that you want to kill - all the best weedkillers are
*deactivated* on contact with a clay soil by adsorption. Spraying the
soil with it is just burning your money to no good end.

Regards,
Martin Brown

You seem to have failed to grasp the fundamentals of modern weedkillers.
You hit the *PLANT* that you want to kill - all the best weedkillers are
*deactivated* on contact with a clay soil by adsorption. Spraying the
soil with it is just burning your money to no good end.

Regards,
Martin Brown


If you are going to spray, then
Use the correct rate,
Spray in the evening, don't spray if there is any wind or breeze,
Use a low presure so that there is less chance of spray drift.
You could use a drip or two of wqashing up liquid as a wetter to help
it stick to the foliage.

hello all and thanks for replies.

please see pic taken last year, this is roughly how things are at present:

http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2752/garden1z.th.jpg

as you can see the weed is close to the shrubs, if anything even more so now, so it's not a case of being cack handed, i'm pretty sure spraying that close without protecting the shrubs will damage them?

also by default i'll be spraying the soil due to the weed being extremely low lying so can't really avoid that.

the weedkiller i've bought is a systemic weedkiller concentrate containing glyphosate, it's a 250ml bottle and the box says:

151.4g/l (13.4%w/w) glyphosate as a soluble concentrate.

do you reckon this'll do the trick?

sorry didn't realise the thumbnail wouldn't be clickable, here's the full size pic:

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/1364/garden1td.jpg

cheeky chappie wrote:
hello all and thanks for replies.

please see pic taken last year, this is roughly how things are at
present:

'[image: http://img717.imageshack.us/img717/2752/garden1z.th.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/8aapenq)

as you can see the weed is close to the shrubs, if anything even more so
now, so it's not a case of being cack handed, i'm pretty sure spraying
that close without protecting the shrubs will damage them?

Not if you do it on a still day and use glyphosate. It has to hit green
leaf or green stem to do damage. Using a coarse spray setting and a wand
lets you go in very close. I do it to get rid of couch grass in my
gooseberry bushes every other year. And you can always cut bits off if
you think you might have caused collateral damage.

also by default i'll be spraying the soil due to the weed being
extremely low lying so can't really avoid that.

You waste any that hits the soil so concentrate your firepower on the
green parts of the weed itself. I remain mystified why this weed is
causing you so much trouble if you are in the UK.

the weedkiller i've bought is a systemic weedkiller concentrate
containing glyphosate, it's a 250ml bottle and the box says:

151.4g/l (13.4%w/w) glyphosate as a soluble concentrate.

do you reckon this'll do the trick?

The piece of land you showed is small and would take an hour or so to
weed by hand. The detail is insufficient to identify the weed.
Glyphosate will kill anything green it touches iff it is in active
growth. I would wait until late March to spray.

It should also take a couple of weeks to take effect if used correctly.
Then when the weeds are looking pretty unwell dig most of it out. I am
assuming here that you actually have a pernicious weed with rhizomes.

Once a month hit any survivors again with glyphosate (or any other
weedkiller you happen to be using).

Regards,
Martin Brown