How To Get Rid Of Gnarly Weeds (Without Spraying)
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Date: 2022-07-18
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Comments and reviews: 15
Cheryl
There are other, less labor intensive ways to deal with difficult, unwanted plants. One way would be to fence in the area & invite goats to munch there for a day, & if they don't get at the roots, bring in a pig.
But really, since all plants require sunlight to propagate, block the sun. I understand that this is how Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup works. It's horrible stuff to use as it can & does, when used on a large scale, enter the water table. I'd heard it doesn't break down so remains poisonous as it works its way to the sea. I've since heard it does break down after a while, & is not as bad for the environment as I'd read it was, but not sure about that. But since it's a choice whether to use it or not, I'd rather not.
Instead, lay cardboard down & cover it with tarp or good sized rocks to secure the cardboard. You can use small, 5lb. self made sandbags if you can't find enough rocks or branches nearby to keep the tarp & cardboard in place.
After a while, on a non-windy, calm day, remove the tarp & lay down several inches of soil on top of the cardboard, water well, until soaking the cardboard, & plant shallow rooted, annual plants. Then if the weeds persist, there's no need to dig the entire area up again to transplant until the situation is resolved.
Another method would be to buy some 30% acidity Horticultural Vinegar, & a sprayer tank - or a dollar store spray bottle if dealing with small areas, or just to keep the weight of the hand sprayer down, & just continue remixing a new batch as needed.
Be very careful handling this stuff, it'll burn your skin badly. Remove any clothing if you spill it on yourself or get to the emergency room ASAP - so best to be mindful of checkint to be sure the cap & sprayer tops are on tight. Try cutting the vinegar by 2/3, & if that's too diluted, & the plants rebound, try cutting the vinegar by 1/2 with water. Spray the area & saturate the soil they're in to get at the base of the crown & the roots too. By the next day - or sooner, all you'll see those pesky weeds are now a withered, crispy brown.
If you want to use it around good plants, try pulling & digging those, or spread onto leaves using a sponge paint brush. If you want to protect the good plants nearby from overspray, get a big sheet of cardboard to put between the spray zone & the good plant. If you can, put a cardboard box, or old tarp or inexpensive shower curtain liner to lay over the entire plant, & tuck it under to prevent branches from sticking out & spray away. You might need to try focusing the spray, so try by using a funnel to spray into, with the sprayer close to the opening.
Use chemical gloves & cover or avoid eyes, nose & mouth. You don't want to use on a windy day, or to lean over the area to see better, as you might breathe it in, & harm your nasal passages or even your esophagus & lungs.
To prevent weed growth from seeds that blow into freshly opened soil by sprinkling Corn Gluten Meal. I read that this was discovered by a university somewhere. Wish I could remember, but they discovered & Preen uses this as the active ingredient to prevent weed growth in open soil, & that stuff really works.
reply
There are other, less labor intensive ways to deal with difficult, unwanted plants. One way would be to fence in the area & invite goats to munch there for a day, & if they don't get at the roots, bring in a pig.
But really, since all plants require sunlight to propagate, block the sun. I understand that this is how Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup works. It's horrible stuff to use as it can & does, when used on a large scale, enter the water table. I'd heard it doesn't break down so remains poisonous as it works its way to the sea. I've since heard it does break down after a while, & is not as bad for the environment as I'd read it was, but not sure about that. But since it's a choice whether to use it or not, I'd rather not.
Instead, lay cardboard down & cover it with tarp or good sized rocks to secure the cardboard. You can use small, 5lb. self made sandbags if you can't find enough rocks or branches nearby to keep the tarp & cardboard in place.
After a while, on a non-windy, calm day, remove the tarp & lay down several inches of soil on top of the cardboard, water well, until soaking the cardboard, & plant shallow rooted, annual plants. Then if the weeds persist, there's no need to dig the entire area up again to transplant until the situation is resolved.
Another method would be to buy some 30% acidity Horticultural Vinegar, & a sprayer tank - or a dollar store spray bottle if dealing with small areas, or just to keep the weight of the hand sprayer down, & just continue remixing a new batch as needed.
Be very careful handling this stuff, it'll burn your skin badly. Remove any clothing if you spill it on yourself or get to the emergency room ASAP - so best to be mindful of checkint to be sure the cap & sprayer tops are on tight. Try cutting the vinegar by 2/3, & if that's too diluted, & the plants rebound, try cutting the vinegar by 1/2 with water. Spray the area & saturate the soil they're in to get at the base of the crown & the roots too. By the next day - or sooner, all you'll see those pesky weeds are now a withered, crispy brown.
If you want to use it around good plants, try pulling & digging those, or spread onto leaves using a sponge paint brush. If you want to protect the good plants nearby from overspray, get a big sheet of cardboard to put between the spray zone & the good plant. If you can, put a cardboard box, or old tarp or inexpensive shower curtain liner to lay over the entire plant, & tuck it under to prevent branches from sticking out & spray away. You might need to try focusing the spray, so try by using a funnel to spray into, with the sprayer close to the opening.
Use chemical gloves & cover or avoid eyes, nose & mouth. You don't want to use on a windy day, or to lean over the area to see better, as you might breathe it in, & harm your nasal passages or even your esophagus & lungs.
To prevent weed growth from seeds that blow into freshly opened soil by sprinkling Corn Gluten Meal. I read that this was discovered by a university somewhere. Wish I could remember, but they discovered & Preen uses this as the active ingredient to prevent weed growth in open soil, & that stuff really works.
reply
Crystal-Jean
After battling crab grass in our flower bed for 4 years, I dug out the entire bed- (8-12 deep, depending where in the slope it is. I Laid a mid weight cotton fabric (from the fabric store) edge to edge and up the sides of the brickwork in the bed and had fresh soil brought in- then put 4-6 of mulch. This year, Im happy to say that I havent had to pull but a few weeds, and only along back edge did I have to pull 2 small grab grass newbies. Around the front, I have 8 deep bricks where I pour boiling water along them (on the grass side) to keep the crabgrass from creeping back in. In my prior home, the previous owner planted spearmint- I battled that for 14 years, til I finally gave up, covered the entire bed with salt and covered it with black plastic and then mulch and I kept plants in pots on the mulch for a couple years. It worked and the owner now plants directly in the bed without spearmint. Weeds. UGH!
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After battling crab grass in our flower bed for 4 years, I dug out the entire bed- (8-12 deep, depending where in the slope it is. I Laid a mid weight cotton fabric (from the fabric store) edge to edge and up the sides of the brickwork in the bed and had fresh soil brought in- then put 4-6 of mulch. This year, Im happy to say that I havent had to pull but a few weeds, and only along back edge did I have to pull 2 small grab grass newbies. Around the front, I have 8 deep bricks where I pour boiling water along them (on the grass side) to keep the crabgrass from creeping back in. In my prior home, the previous owner planted spearmint- I battled that for 14 years, til I finally gave up, covered the entire bed with salt and covered it with black plastic and then mulch and I kept plants in pots on the mulch for a couple years. It worked and the owner now plants directly in the bed without spearmint. Weeds. UGH!
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Heather
Also, the MINUTE you get some good rain, get out there and start pulling. The lose soil will make it easier to pull out all of the root of it, all of the spreading rhizomes. Also a DEEP border around your gardens. Those steel deep edgings work best. Yes DEEP mulching helps. But you have to choke it out from the sun and pull as much as possible first. If you are starting a new bed, and you know is coming up, then covering it with a tarp or weed barrier several months in advance helps a lot. For my stone raised bed, 25x30, there was no way I was going to be able to dig out that whole side yard of Bermuda turf grass. So i just covered it with a weed barrier, put a layer of 3 stone high border around it, and then dumped literally 2 tons of dirt, then 3 inches of leaf mulch on top of it. I STILL have to pull Bermuda coming up through it. But at least it is a fairly evident plant when it rears its ugly head.
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Also, the MINUTE you get some good rain, get out there and start pulling. The lose soil will make it easier to pull out all of the root of it, all of the spreading rhizomes. Also a DEEP border around your gardens. Those steel deep edgings work best. Yes DEEP mulching helps. But you have to choke it out from the sun and pull as much as possible first. If you are starting a new bed, and you know is coming up, then covering it with a tarp or weed barrier several months in advance helps a lot. For my stone raised bed, 25x30, there was no way I was going to be able to dig out that whole side yard of Bermuda turf grass. So i just covered it with a weed barrier, put a layer of 3 stone high border around it, and then dumped literally 2 tons of dirt, then 3 inches of leaf mulch on top of it. I STILL have to pull Bermuda coming up through it. But at least it is a fairly evident plant when it rears its ugly head.
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vignettemom
To get this out of the way, Im In Utah. My dear, lovely neighbor has ivy. like. crazy coming through the fence that he has no plans of getting rid of on his end. We weeded it out and woke up the next day and there it was again! We cant remove it fast enough, even despite freezing temps and snow. Help me get rid of the ivy, will ya? Its coming from his side and then sprouting in my soil too. Im planning on cardboard lay down and straw mulch once I get it cleared, with an organic weed killer underneath. Is there anything I can do to get rid of it once and for all so my new raspberry and blueberry starts wont get overrun that are in one half of the bed, and I can confidently sow my squash and zucchini next month without worry that their roots will be strangled out?
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To get this out of the way, Im In Utah. My dear, lovely neighbor has ivy. like. crazy coming through the fence that he has no plans of getting rid of on his end. We weeded it out and woke up the next day and there it was again! We cant remove it fast enough, even despite freezing temps and snow. Help me get rid of the ivy, will ya? Its coming from his side and then sprouting in my soil too. Im planning on cardboard lay down and straw mulch once I get it cleared, with an organic weed killer underneath. Is there anything I can do to get rid of it once and for all so my new raspberry and blueberry starts wont get overrun that are in one half of the bed, and I can confidently sow my squash and zucchini next month without worry that their roots will be strangled out?
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graceatbaker
I have goutweed (also called ground elder) thats taking over. It creeps underground via rhizomes and is now popping up outside of the brick edging. I want to cover the flowerbed with black plastic to cook the rhizomes but its in the peony bed, and I dont want to harm these decades old peonies that the previous owners put in. The peonies shoots are just now poking out of the ground and the goutweed has been showing its new leaves for a week. I pinch off the baby leaves in anger but I know its not going to change whats underground. The goutweed leaves are coming up btwn the peony shoots.
Do you have any ideas? Its clay soil here and its either mud or rock hard, so digging the rhizomes out is a non-starter at the rate these spread (faster than I can kill them.
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I have goutweed (also called ground elder) thats taking over. It creeps underground via rhizomes and is now popping up outside of the brick edging. I want to cover the flowerbed with black plastic to cook the rhizomes but its in the peony bed, and I dont want to harm these decades old peonies that the previous owners put in. The peonies shoots are just now poking out of the ground and the goutweed has been showing its new leaves for a week. I pinch off the baby leaves in anger but I know its not going to change whats underground. The goutweed leaves are coming up btwn the peony shoots.
Do you have any ideas? Its clay soil here and its either mud or rock hard, so digging the rhizomes out is a non-starter at the rate these spread (faster than I can kill them.
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Lisa
In the Bay Area (NorCal, our issue is oxalis (aka sour grass. It is a non-native invasive weed that chokes out native plants and spreads in the most insane way. I put down my 15 Birdie beds in our San Francisco backyard last summer with layers of cardboard and mulch at the bottom only to have oxalis start popping up at the surface! I just spent 8 hours sifting the organic soil from one bed to another so I can switch out the 15 Birdies to 30 Birdies. The layers of cardboard are completely intact with just oxalis stems poking through. It is crazy! Am going to try a bunch of different methods as I install these new beds and lay the old 15 ones in new spots. Came here to look for advice. I will lose my mind if oxalis pops up in the 30 beds. Wish me luck!
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In the Bay Area (NorCal, our issue is oxalis (aka sour grass. It is a non-native invasive weed that chokes out native plants and spreads in the most insane way. I put down my 15 Birdie beds in our San Francisco backyard last summer with layers of cardboard and mulch at the bottom only to have oxalis start popping up at the surface! I just spent 8 hours sifting the organic soil from one bed to another so I can switch out the 15 Birdies to 30 Birdies. The layers of cardboard are completely intact with just oxalis stems poking through. It is crazy! Am going to try a bunch of different methods as I install these new beds and lay the old 15 ones in new spots. Came here to look for advice. I will lose my mind if oxalis pops up in the 30 beds. Wish me luck!
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Lily
Currently battling cypress spurge in one of my raised beds. I think a previous homeowner planted it on purpose as an ornamental without knowing just how invasive and noxious it is. The sap it secretes when broken can cause skin irritation/blisters so I have to pull it with skin fully covered. I even read someone saying they had a reaction through their clothes. Not a fun thing to deal with. I'm on round 2 of digging it out. It spreads via rhisomes. I'm almost to the point of digging up everything, getting rid of all of the dirt and starting over. It's made its way in between plants I want to keep. Not sure how many more times I'm going to have to pull it out before the end of the growing season.
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Currently battling cypress spurge in one of my raised beds. I think a previous homeowner planted it on purpose as an ornamental without knowing just how invasive and noxious it is. The sap it secretes when broken can cause skin irritation/blisters so I have to pull it with skin fully covered. I even read someone saying they had a reaction through their clothes. Not a fun thing to deal with. I'm on round 2 of digging it out. It spreads via rhisomes. I'm almost to the point of digging up everything, getting rid of all of the dirt and starting over. It's made its way in between plants I want to keep. Not sure how many more times I'm going to have to pull it out before the end of the growing season.
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SecondComingTwice
Ever consider napalm
and 18 feet of wood-chips over overlapping 3/4 inch stainless steel sheets and an army of genetically engineered tortoises that eat nothing but Bermuda Grass? Don't bother. The weed wins.
When I was digging through hard clay in order to build my first raised bed a couple of decades ago I found a runner as thick as a man's thumb that was about as strong as a hemp rope.
I have a grudging respect for that plant. After the nuclear holocaust, or solar micro-nova there's gonna be cockroaches and Bermuda Grass and whatever is at the bottom of the Marianas Trench and under miles of ice in Antarctica in lakes remaining to keep life on Earth thriving.
reply
Ever consider napalm
and 18 feet of wood-chips over overlapping 3/4 inch stainless steel sheets and an army of genetically engineered tortoises that eat nothing but Bermuda Grass? Don't bother. The weed wins.
When I was digging through hard clay in order to build my first raised bed a couple of decades ago I found a runner as thick as a man's thumb that was about as strong as a hemp rope.
I have a grudging respect for that plant. After the nuclear holocaust, or solar micro-nova there's gonna be cockroaches and Bermuda Grass and whatever is at the bottom of the Marianas Trench and under miles of ice in Antarctica in lakes remaining to keep life on Earth thriving.
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Jen
I put down cardboard, weed mat and mulch and planted my garden bed through this. Now, 6 months later, the garden bed is more weed grass than plants. The grass found it's way through and has overtaken the bed. I don't know what to do. I'm glad I didn't put expensive plants in because I think I have to abandon the whole project and give into the grass. Here in Australia I think it's called couch grass, but it looks like exactly the same thing. I think the only possible solution is to eliminate all the grass in the area, but my lawn is partly this kind of grass, so it's always going to try and invade any garden beds I make.
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I put down cardboard, weed mat and mulch and planted my garden bed through this. Now, 6 months later, the garden bed is more weed grass than plants. The grass found it's way through and has overtaken the bed. I don't know what to do. I'm glad I didn't put expensive plants in because I think I have to abandon the whole project and give into the grass. Here in Australia I think it's called couch grass, but it looks like exactly the same thing. I think the only possible solution is to eliminate all the grass in the area, but my lawn is partly this kind of grass, so it's always going to try and invade any garden beds I make.
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NICK
Bermuda grass has roots that can go 10 feet deep and underneath concrete patios and once you think youre done pulling them, youre not. My take on Bermuda: this is a non-native weed to many warm climates and it completely takes over native areas very easily and should never be planted and should always be eradicated. Remove as much as you can mechanically, and very sparingly use herbicide over time as this will actually kill it from the roots. Using sparse amounts of herbicide in a safe and proper fashion isnt as bad as people think it is. The weed is probably worse than the herbicide in the long run.
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Bermuda grass has roots that can go 10 feet deep and underneath concrete patios and once you think youre done pulling them, youre not. My take on Bermuda: this is a non-native weed to many warm climates and it completely takes over native areas very easily and should never be planted and should always be eradicated. Remove as much as you can mechanically, and very sparingly use herbicide over time as this will actually kill it from the roots. Using sparse amounts of herbicide in a safe and proper fashion isnt as bad as people think it is. The weed is probably worse than the herbicide in the long run.
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Johnnie
We dug up the Bermuda grass in our yard to put in an above ground pool, when we lived in So. California. We put down thick black liner just before setting up the pool with the thickest pool liner they make. Two to three weeks after the pool was filled, my son comes up out of the pool and says, Hey, Mom! Grass is growing through the bottom of the pool!
We had to drain the pool, do more digging, and put down hard black plastic. not sheeting, before buying a new liner and setting the pool up again.
That stuff is Devil grass and almost impossible to keep out of flower beds and unwanted areas.
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We dug up the Bermuda grass in our yard to put in an above ground pool, when we lived in So. California. We put down thick black liner just before setting up the pool with the thickest pool liner they make. Two to three weeks after the pool was filled, my son comes up out of the pool and says, Hey, Mom! Grass is growing through the bottom of the pool!
We had to drain the pool, do more digging, and put down hard black plastic. not sheeting, before buying a new liner and setting the pool up again.
That stuff is Devil grass and almost impossible to keep out of flower beds and unwanted areas.
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joshwand
Worse than bermuda grass: Oxalis (aka bermuda buttercup, yellow woodsorrel, sourgrass, cape oxalis. Spreads via rhizomes and bulbs, delicate little taproots that snap off if you look at them wrong and leave behind invisible bulblets, and it grows tall and thick and smothers out anything else! Impossible to eradicate in the Bay Area. Sheet mulch for 5 years while constantly pulling around the edges, and maybe you'll have a few years of it being controllable. But really the only way to get rid of it is to replace the top 2 feel of soil in your yard AND ALSO your neighbors'!
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Worse than bermuda grass: Oxalis (aka bermuda buttercup, yellow woodsorrel, sourgrass, cape oxalis. Spreads via rhizomes and bulbs, delicate little taproots that snap off if you look at them wrong and leave behind invisible bulblets, and it grows tall and thick and smothers out anything else! Impossible to eradicate in the Bay Area. Sheet mulch for 5 years while constantly pulling around the edges, and maybe you'll have a few years of it being controllable. But really the only way to get rid of it is to replace the top 2 feel of soil in your yard AND ALSO your neighbors'!
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Diane
Putting down over lapping cardboard kills weeds and seeds, even bindweed and Bermuda grass. But you must keep an edge or it will grow under or over the edging material. I also use feed sacks the same way. If I want to plant right away I add soil to the top. You can't dig deep enough or lay mulch to kill the stuff because the roots will eventually grow through. Usually I put the sacks or cardboard down then mulch on top leaving it yntil the next year to be sure nothing comes through. If it does, I lay another piece on top. This insures no weeds in my beds before I plant.
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Putting down over lapping cardboard kills weeds and seeds, even bindweed and Bermuda grass. But you must keep an edge or it will grow under or over the edging material. I also use feed sacks the same way. If I want to plant right away I add soil to the top. You can't dig deep enough or lay mulch to kill the stuff because the roots will eventually grow through. Usually I put the sacks or cardboard down then mulch on top leaving it yntil the next year to be sure nothing comes through. If it does, I lay another piece on top. This insures no weeds in my beds before I plant.
reply
David
I didn't have such a large area to work with, but when I went to remove the Traveling-grass from the flower bed, I just dug it all out and pulled all the glass, grass and garbage out of the dirt before I put it back. South-side of St. Louis, so it was mostly broken glass and shell casings along with the normal amount of rocks and spilled mortar-mix. I 1/2 filled a 5-gallon bucket with just hard materials then composted the grass back into the lawn with the mower. I probably didn't do it right, but I do enjoy getting my hands dirty from time to time.
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I didn't have such a large area to work with, but when I went to remove the Traveling-grass from the flower bed, I just dug it all out and pulled all the glass, grass and garbage out of the dirt before I put it back. South-side of St. Louis, so it was mostly broken glass and shell casings along with the normal amount of rocks and spilled mortar-mix. I 1/2 filled a 5-gallon bucket with just hard materials then composted the grass back into the lawn with the mower. I probably didn't do it right, but I do enjoy getting my hands dirty from time to time.
reply
SchitzoVreni
cardboards on the floor 2 layers maybe more and when it starts to grow thru a nother layer. only brown cardboard. end of the season it will be rotten away. easy to manage if u wanna have a bed just start in early spring layerit down 3 layers ore more and u will have the same result like ur wood 4x4 weak gras that is easy to remove. u can also use cardboards under ur fresh bed as a weed stopper. no not stopper perhabs a delayer. i do this since 10 years with less effort i have my garden ready ( 25mx10m.
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cardboards on the floor 2 layers maybe more and when it starts to grow thru a nother layer. only brown cardboard. end of the season it will be rotten away. easy to manage if u wanna have a bed just start in early spring layerit down 3 layers ore more and u will have the same result like ur wood 4x4 weak gras that is easy to remove. u can also use cardboards under ur fresh bed as a weed stopper. no not stopper perhabs a delayer. i do this since 10 years with less effort i have my garden ready ( 25mx10m.
reply
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