Hi all,

I have a problem with nettles and strangleweed (the stuff that breaks off
sticking to your clothes) - it's choking my green beech hedge. I can strim
ok but risk damaging the bark and lower branches on the beech plants
(already tried). Raking doesnt get the nettles. For the long term I have
some matting to put down but before I can do that I need to kill off
whatever's there without damaging the beech. Any suggestions?

Thanks
J

"Jack" wrote in message
. ..
Hi all,

I have a problem with nettles and strangleweed (the stuff that breaks off
sticking to your clothes) - it's choking my green beech hedge. I can
strim
ok but risk damaging the bark and lower branches on the beech plants
(already tried). Raking doesnt get the nettles. For the long term I have
some matting to put down but before I can do that I need to kill off
whatever's there without damaging the beech. Any suggestions?

Thanks
J

You're not gonna like this but the v. best method is to get in there on your
hands and kness and do the job by hand (I had to do mine last weekend -
laborious but satisfying). The 'strangleweed'/'goosegrass'/'sticky willy'
and the tops of the nettles are great fodder for the compost bin, the what's
left of the nettle roots can go off to dusty bin. As long as you get these
before they seed, the job is easy and quite long term.

The other alternative is spraying with glyphosate (like Roundup) but it will
deep root kill all that it touches in the way of greenery so don't get it on
the beech tree leaves. It is apparently inactivated once it reaches soil
level ( I tend to believe this but then I don't live in the soil to know
what it does do!)

HTH
--A

"Jack" wrote in message
. ..
Hi all,

I have a problem with nettles and strangleweed (the stuff that breaks off
sticking to your clothes) - it's choking my green beech hedge. I can
strim
ok but risk damaging the bark and lower branches on the beech plants
(already tried). Raking doesnt get the nettles. For the long term I have
some matting to put down but before I can do that I need to kill off
whatever's there without damaging the beech. Any suggestions?

Thanks
J
use SBK

Jack wrote:
Hi all,

I have a problem with nettles and strangleweed (the stuff that
breaks
off sticking to your clothes) - it's choking my green beech hedge.
I
can strim ok but risk damaging the bark and lower branches on the
beech plants (already tried). Raking doesnt get the nettles. For
the long term I have some matting to put down but before I can do
that I need to kill off whatever's there without damaging the beech.
Any suggestions?

I tend to agree with Alison that the old fashioned labour intensive
way is probably best. Sorry. ;-)
Rooting up nettles by hand can be very satisfying - well, I think so,
and quite effective.
Re the 'sticky willie', that too can be pulled out at ground level but
there usually tends to be a lot of it so cutting it off at ground
level to minimise it's colonisation is probably the best bet. Once you
have most of it out lay your matting and weight it down with gravel or
grass clippings.
The trouble with things like Roundup and SBK is that accidental
splashes on your beech wont do them any good at all.

--
ned

Jack wrote in message ...
Hi all,

I have a problem with nettles and strangleweed (the stuff that breaks off
sticking to your clothes) - it's choking my green beech hedge. I can strim
ok but risk damaging the bark and lower branches on the beech plants
(already tried). Raking doesnt get the nettles. For the long term I have
some matting to put down but before I can do that I need to kill off
whatever's there without damaging the beech. Any suggestions?


1. Mow or strim fairly close to the hedge, staying well clear of
risking any bark damage.
2. Get yourself a grass hook (like a scythe but with a short handle).
Sharpen it. 'Feel' your way in towards the little trunks,
and then swing the grass hook out. You'll get 90% or more of the
remaining nettles & goosegrass.
3. The remaining weeds will be very visible against the hedge, and can be
pulled out by hand.

Repeat twice per season until the hedge is 4ft high, when the weed problem
will reduce considerably- you can then drop to
once per season.

--
Anton

"..... can strimm ok but risk damaging the bark and lower branches on the
beech plants (already tried). ....."

I have used 2 litre pop bottles , cut off top and bottom, then cut up the
length at a slant.
The remains of the bottle coils down like the Tree guards you can get, Gives
young stems protection from strimmer, and will expand as the tree/bush
grows.

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

".....Get yourself a grass hook (like a scythe but with a short handle).
Sharpen it. 'Feel' your way in towards the little trunks,
and then swing the grass hook out. You'll get 90% or more of the remaining
nettles & goosegrass...."

You shouldn't cut to many of them down if you are unused to using a Sickle.
I would pull the weeds by hand and put a 3 or 4inch mulch of grass clippings
, this will smother a lot of the weed, and if we have a wet spell it will
rot of the young shoots trying to grow through.
Then just keep toping up the grass, and pulling anything that does grow
through.
I cleaned up 80 ft of shrubbery this way,

--
David Hill
Abacus nurseries
www.abacus-nurseries.co.uk

"Alison" o.uk wrote
in :


You're not gonna like this but the v. best method is to get in there
on your hands and kness and do the job by hand (I had to do mine last
weekend - laborious but satisfying). The

Well thanks all for the responses, I think I'll just have to do it manually
the first time... I might see if I can get some SBK in a long-arm sprayer
on a non windy day once I've got the weeds down to a few inches high. Once
they've been shrunk I can lay the matting I have and start smothering with
grass clippings!! 120ft of hedge to do though, so may take me some time!

Thanks
J.