On Thu, 07 Apr 2011 12:11:13 -0700, Billy wrote:

In article ,
General Schvantzkoph wrote:

On Thu, 07 Apr 2011 08:49:00 -0700, Billy wrote:

In article ,
The Cook wrote:

On 6 Apr 2011 20:25:11 GMT, General Schvantzkoph
wrote:

Has anyone used Preen? It claims to stop weeds, does it work?


Yes, but make sure you follow the instructions. Don't put it
anywhere you are going to plant seeds. Wait until after they have
sprouted. I am thinking about putting it down pretty soon where my
tomato plants are going.

Why not use newsprint and mulch to suppress weeds? It works well for
me, and keeps the worms happy.



"The best fertilizer is the gardener's shadow." - Anon

The mulch distributor suggested Preen when I told him that the horse
bedding mulch that I bought from him last year was full of pokeweed
seeds.

The mulch distributor told you that the mulch was full of pokeweed
seeds? And this year, what's his prognostication on the pokeweed
content? I suspect that newsprint is cheaper than Preen oil. Worst case
scenario is that you add young pokeweed leaves to your salads, along
with the dandelions, or serve them like spinach.
http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Phytolacca%20americana
http://www.holisticonline.com/Herbal-Med/_Herbs/h284.htm

I told him that it was full of pokeweed. Here is a description of what I
used last year for the website of the distributor,

"It's base ingredient is horse bedding (wood shavings) from local horse
farms. Other ingredients included in the product are manure, hay, grain,
grasses, leaves, other organic material."

I had incredible yields last year, the first year that I used the stuff,
but I also had a lot a pokeweed that I had to pull. Pokeweed is poisonous
to humans unless you boil it several times, but I think horses like it
which would explain how the seeds got into the mulch.