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Post by Chuckles on Jun 16, 2009 11:11:43 GMT
Has anyone tackled an area of garden that has been absolutely taken over by ground elder ? My neighbour has a plot of garden that is away from the house and it has been covered for years and years by the stuff and if you try and dig the ground it's more root than soil. There are also loads of brambles too and nettles which I've been using for nettle tea  It's not possible to spray it as it would cost a fortune in spray. I've been mowing it down once a fortnight or so in the hope that it will out do itself and also chopping the brambles to the ground, to a degree this seems to be working but I can't see as it will ever totally get rid of it. We have dug a small area and tried to removed as much as possible just for her to be able to have a small area for veg. It's obviously got to be tackled in small chunks and I'd thought of putting down some opened up compost bags black side up and holding them down with a few bricks. Any other suggestions or ideas much appreciated |
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Post by Barbara on Jun 16, 2009 11:20:11 GMT
Could You could get some old carpet chuckles, and lay that on, then you could perhaps put a couple of raised beds or boxes on it, to plant in until the weeds die off.
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Post by Rosefriend on Jun 16, 2009 12:41:43 GMT
The bain of my life - I have been fighting it for donkey's years here and at FIL's.
Nothing gets rid of it totally except digging and weeding and digging and weeding and on and on and on.....
However thick cardboard and mulch do help, carpet does help, black bags do help, and thick mulching as it brings the roots to the surface and it is easier to dig out in the end. Mowing over it does help I have seen if it is in a lawn but in a bed it just seems to break the roots up even more and it is harder to get out then as there are smaller bits.
I threw about 20 plants away totally from one section of the garden years ago - even a couple of roses and started from scratch and went over and over that bed and the tiniest bit that came through afterwards was pulled out. I put 50cm slabs down the sides between the neighbour and myself and up to now I have only had a couple of pieces come through and after very carefully pulling it out I got it all in one go. There is nothing more frustrating than to start pulling and it suddenly break off.
At FIL's we used cardboard and very thick mulch - I managed throughout the years to reduce it enormously through adding to the mulch each year. There is still some there but the amount is acceptable as against what it once was.
As you say it can only be done in small bits and perhaps then you can spray it.
Sorry Chuckles, I don't envy you - it is awful stuff.
RF
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Post by bagpuss on Jun 16, 2009 13:13:22 GMT
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Post by Jasmine on Jun 16, 2009 13:32:25 GMT
Down one side of our house was over run with the stuff when we moved in and I just dug and weeded until it was all gone. What helped was that there was nothing planted there so the digging and weeding didn't have to be done carefully. Ground elder, brambles and nettles are the bain of my gardening life  |
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Post by Dr Bill on Jun 16, 2009 20:39:31 GMT
Oh it's a nightmare isn't it. My garden is full of the stuff. It really is a case of just keep digging it out. But you have to keep at it - leave it for a few months and you are over-run with it again. Spraying is useless.
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Post by nightowl on Jun 18, 2009 8:38:03 GMT
You have to be so careful digging it out as it regrows from the teeniest scrap of root  I had it before in a previous garden, and did eventually clear it. Roundup works on the new young shoots if you really drench them and keep on top of them (well, it worked for me, eventually) Good luck  PS - I knew someone who tried to clear it by rotovator!!!!!  |
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Post by andy on Jun 18, 2009 11:19:58 GMT
Roundup should work if you use it at a stronger solution. Not many people know that you can use roundup to kill tree stumps at a dilution rate of 1 part round up : 2 parts water. I killed ground elder off (and brambles, couch and vinca) with reletive ease using the above rate....i know it's expensive but it works but i can't kill marestail.....ive been spraying it for 10 years now and it still comes up.
It doesn't have to be roundup you use...any glyphosate based chemical will be fine at the higher doses. We use something called Hi-activ and it works a treat.
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Post by Chuckles on Jun 23, 2009 22:30:35 GMT
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It's not possible to spray it as it would cost a fortune in spray. I've been mowing it down once a fortnight or so in the hope that it will out do itself and also chopping the brambles to the ground, to a degree this seems to be working but I can't see as it will ever totally get rid of it. We have dug a small area and tried to removed as much as possible just for her to be able to have a small area for veg. It's obviously got to be tackled in small chunks and I'd thought of putting down some opened up compost bags black side up and holding them down with a few bricks. 
