The many paths in the garden

[Ridgerunner]

I tried something similar Cat. I piled a bunch of organic stuff up then covered it with scrap roofing metal I had when a wind blew a building roof off, then left it for a year. When I took it off to plant the strawberries, everything under had rotted but the Bermuda had runners all through that. It wasn’t that hard to turn it and pick the Bermuda roots and runners out, but that stuff keeps coming in from the sides. Plus seeds blow in and sprout. Plus when I mow, bits of Bermuda stems get thrown in and sprout. Mulch makes it easier to get the seeds that sprout and the cuttings that root out, but I need to figure out a good barrier to stop those runners from coming in from the outside, maybe burying that metal a foot or more deep? Bermuda, Centipede, St. Augustine, or quack grass, they are all evil.


There are chemicals out there that target grass only and I may try some this year in my Iris. I don’t even want to talk about iris and Bermuda grass, but I don’t eat iris. I eat strawberries, blueberries and asparagus. That makes a big difference to me.

 

[thistlebloom]

Ridge, I use the grass killer on perennial beds of customers. It does the job well.

 

[Ridgerunner]

Thistle, which one would you recommend for Iris? Also a different bed that has juniper, lilies, and boxwood?

 

[thistlebloom]

I have used two different brands and not noticed much difference between the two. One is an Ortho rtu product called Grass-B-Gone, and the other is a concentrate made by Greenlight (?) which is more cost effective.
I'd have to go out to the shed to get the name of the second one for certain...

You generally have to use it about a week apart between treatments, but two treatments usually does the job.
Of course, I haven't had to deal with Bermuda grass, so your results may be different.

 

[Ridgerunner]

They are both Scotts products. The Green Light products I found online were pre-emergence herbicides. That's not what I'm after. Maybe you have a different Green Light product? I'll have to look at the label of Grass-B-Gone to see what plants are safe with it, my main concerns being iris and the boxwood, but it looks like it has real possibilities. Thanks.

 

[digitS']

[quote="Ridgerunner]. . . I don’t even want to talk about iris and Bermuda grass, but I don’t eat iris. I eat strawberries, blueberries and asparagus. That makes a big difference to me.[/quote]

Well, about those iris. .

People sometimes question my interest in annuals and avoidance of perennials. Oh yes, I have perennials - more than we can take care of well. I say we because it is DW who likes them so much. Me? I'd almost rather replace all of them with annuals.

Iris can be pulled and replanted just about every year in July and still make flowers - I think. I am in those beds every other year or 3 just so I can get the quack grass out of them. I wish all of the perennials could be treated that way!

This is a fairly short season area but taking things down to bare ground and either leaving it that way or, if done early enough in the growing season, sowing a cover crop helps. A lot! I wish I could grow strawberries like that - DW's perennials, too.

I don't grow asparagus but have mentioned this before: growing "blanched" asparagus might really help with the weed problem. You could essentially have the ground completely covered with a mulch 7 or more months each year.

Steve

 

[thistlebloom]

They are both Scotts products. The Green Light products I found online were pre-emergence herbicides. That's not what I'm after. Maybe you have a different Green Light product? I'll have to look at the label of Grass-B-Gone to see what plants are safe with it, my main concerns being iris and the boxwood, but it looks like it has real possibilities. Thanks.

Sorry Ridge, I was just guessing on the brand, I'll get out there today and look at it and get back to you. It wasn't a pre-emergent, I'm sure of that.

 

[Smart Red]

(Teacher time) Many people do not understand how weed and grass killers work. This is an overly simplified explanation of what I've read.

Most weeds are dicots -- or seeds with two parts. Weed killers are formatted to get rid of only dicots. That is why most weed killers do not work on undesirable grasses and why desirable plants can be in danger from weed killer over spray. The chemicals, of course, don't know a weed from a flower.

Any plant that is a monocot -- or one part seed -- such as grasses, will be damaged by the over spray of grass killers. Since most garden veggies (like most ornamentals) are dicots, using a grass killer won't affect most veggies. Of course, corn is a monocot so killing grass in that part of the garden would damage the corn as well.

Whether you want the chemicals used on your property or in you garden is another issue. (class dismissed)

 

[thistlebloom]

(Teacher time) Many people do not understand how weed and grass killers work. This is an overly simplified explanation of what I've read.

Most weeds are dicots -- or seeds with two parts. Weed killers are formatted to get rid of only dicots. That is why most weed killers do not work on undesirable grasses and why desirable plants can be in danger from weed killer over spray. The chemicals, of course, don't know a weed from a flower.

Any plant that is a monocot -- or one part seed -- such as grasses, will be damaged by the over spray of grass killers. Since most garden veggies (like most ornamentals) are dicots, using a grass killer won't affect most veggies. Of course, corn is a monocot so killing grass in that part of the garden would damage the corn as well.

Whether you want the chemicals used on your property or in you garden is another issue. (class dismissed)

Ridge was wanting grass removed from non edible perennial beds.

 

[thistlebloom]

@Ridgerunner, geez, I wasn't even close on the brand! That's what happens when I rely on my memory.

It's a Hi-Yield product, "grass killer"
It controls "bermudagrass, crabgrass, foxtails, quackgrass and other weedy grasses". I think it works better than the
Grass-B-Gone, in that it takes fewer applications.