Grrr. I've got it everywhere. I was told wherever the soil has been
turned it comes up (we're in a new house just built - everything was
previously turned/excavated.) We sowed lawn seed all over the front area
after levelling the saved topsoil from our excavations (close to an
acre) and whilst the lawn seed sprouted more Cape Weed than grass came
up. I gave up lifting them out after about an hour when I saw I had
many hours to go.

We have a large quantity of "Weed & Feed" but it says on the containers
not to use it on new lawns less than 3 months old. It's been in only
about 6 weeks. (A friend who works at a nursery said they use Weed &
Feed there very successfully and got us some at a cheap price so we
bought it.)

Someone here mentioned a little while ago about dabbing kero on the cut
off centre of a plant they wanted to be rid of (lillies I think it was.)
Does anybody think that would work on this weed? We need to give the
area its first mow and wonder if I should do that after the tops are cut
off them.

L

G'day Linda

I know how frustrating it can be starting such a big lawn area from
scratch....been there myself.

Kero would work if dabbed on each plant but I'm just wondering if you
have a Roundup Wand or can borrow one because that would work too. The
wand attaches directly to a small bottle of roundup and has a large wick
(approx 20-25mm). If you don't have a wand maybe you could rig
something similar?

Hope this helps? I'd be hesitant to spray anything unless it's a very
calm day with absolutely NO wind, but that probably depends more on your
location.

Bronwyn ;-)

Linda H wrote:

Grrr. I've got it everywhere. I was told wherever the soil has been
turned it comes up (we're in a new house just built - everything was
previously turned/excavated.) We sowed lawn seed all over the front area
after levelling the saved topsoil from our excavations (close to an
acre) and whilst the lawn seed sprouted more Cape Weed than grass came
up. I gave up lifting them out after about an hour when I saw I had
many hours to go.

We have a large quantity of "Weed & Feed" but it says on the containers
not to use it on new lawns less than 3 months old. It's been in only
about 6 weeks. (A friend who works at a nursery said they use Weed &
Feed there very successfully and got us some at a cheap price so we
bought it.)

Someone here mentioned a little while ago about dabbing kero on the cut
off centre of a plant they wanted to be rid of (lillies I think it was.)
Does anybody think that would work on this weed? We need to give the
area its first mow and wonder if I should do that after the tops are cut
off them.

L

HC wrote:
G'day Linda

I know how frustrating it can be starting such a big lawn area from
scratch....been there myself.

Kero would work if dabbed on each plant but I'm just wondering if you
have a Roundup Wand or can borrow one because that would work too.
The wand attaches directly to a small bottle of roundup and has a
large wick (approx 20-25mm). If you don't have a wand maybe you could
rig something similar?

Hope this helps? I'd be hesitant to spray anything unless it's a very
calm day with absolutely NO wind, but that probably depends more on
your location.

Bronwyn ;-)

Linda H wrote:

Grrr. I've got it everywhere. I was told wherever the soil has been
turned it comes up (we're in a new house just built - everything was
previously turned/excavated.) We sowed lawn seed all over the front
area after levelling the saved topsoil from our excavations (close to
an acre) and whilst the lawn seed sprouted more Cape Weed than grass
came up. I gave up lifting them out after about an hour when I saw I
had many hours to go.

We have a large quantity of "Weed & Feed" but it says on the
containers not to use it on new lawns less than 3 months old. It's
been in only about 6 weeks. (A friend who works at a nursery said
they use Weed & Feed there very successfully and got us some at a
cheap price so we bought it.)

Someone here mentioned a little while ago about dabbing kero on the
cut off centre of a plant they wanted to be rid of (lillies I think
it was.) Does anybody think that would work on this weed? We need to
give the area its first mow and wonder if I should do that after the
tops are cut off them.

L
A commercial contractor could be hired to spray it safely for you. Ger a
guarantee of him as well in writing...

Hi Linda, Look the good news is you can just disregard it. The grass will soon crowd it out and it's going to die off anyway when it goes out of season. I wouldn't do weed and feed at all.

the important thing at this stage is not to cut too low, and be absolutely sure that the young grass is sturdy enough and wont be pulled out. Cape weed thrives in areas where theres not much nitrogen so good lawn maintenance of regular feeding and mowing will eliminate it. and at this stage it's probably doing more good than harm, though unsightly i know. But it's stabilizing and shading your young grass. use the time for something more productive, or restful.

In article ,
Linda H wrote:

Someone here mentioned a little while ago about dabbing kero on the cut
off centre of a plant they wanted to be rid of (lillies I think it was.)
Does anybody think that would work on this weed? We need to give the
area its first mow and wonder if I should do that after the tops are cut
off them.

I would imagine kero would be even worse for a new lawn than weed & feed --
kero poisons your soil, and iit sounds like you have a lot of it.

Just Googled an image -- I'd never heard of it -- looks very pretty! I have
seen it growing, but not at pest levels. It tends to die off over summer, so
if you can keep your lawn watered your grass should keep growing to cover the
bare patches then. I think Roundup/Zero applied via a wand or squirt bottle
would be your best bet.

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

"Chookie" wrote in message
...
In article ,
Linda H wrote:

Someone here mentioned a little while ago about dabbing kero on the cut
off centre of a plant they wanted to be rid of (lillies I think it was.)
Does anybody think that would work on this weed? We need to give the
area its first mow and wonder if I should do that after the tops are cut
off them.

I would imagine kero would be even worse for a new lawn than weed &
feed --
kero poisons your soil, and iit sounds like you have a lot of it.

Just Googled an image -- I'd never heard of it (snip)

me too - and discovered it's the flower we called wet-the-bed when i was a
kid! (although i understand everyone seems to have a plant they called
wet-the-bed - & they're all different ;-)
kylie

Thanks to all of you who replied re this. It's been very helpful info
thanks.

We just need to make sure (I'm guessing here) that we need to not let it
get high enough so that it gets to a re-seeding point because the
neighbouring property owners apparently worked hard to (mostly) rid
their places of it. We don't want it to spread to theirs (which was
indicated subtly by one of them.)

Thank you all very much.

L.

godwin wrote:


Cape weed thrives in areas where theres not much nitrogen
so good lawn maintenance of regular feeding and mowing will eliminate
it.


Hmm, that brings up another point I've wondered about, Godwin. How does
one test their soil? Is there something like a pool ph testing kit
available?

L.

Yes there is Linda but only for ph , that's not a lot of help really as soil PH is not static and soil has a big buffering capacity , usually. Basically, if you have a sandy soil you have very little available nutrient, if it's gravelly/clay it will hold nutrient a little better but probably doesn't have much. if you have a dark loam (plant chocolate) alluvial soil, your lucky but you still have to keep levels up. Not many garden plants die from over watering and even less from the over feeding, but there's plenty of dead and dying from lack. It's best to just get to know your own soil, space, it's not a lab out there, there's more variables than you can point a stick at :-)
_godwin

"Linda H" wrote in message
Grrr. I've got it everywhere. I was told wherever the soil has
been
turned it comes up (we're in a new house just built - everything was
previously turned/excavated.) We sowed lawn seed all over the front
area
after levelling the saved topsoil from our excavations (close to an
acre) and whilst the lawn seed sprouted more Cape Weed than grass
came
up. I gave up lifting them out after about an hour when I saw I had
many hours to go.

We have a large quantity of "Weed & Feed" but it says on the
containers
not to use it on new lawns less than 3 months old. It's been in
only
about 6 weeks. (A friend who works at a nursery said they use Weed
&
Feed there very successfully and got us some at a cheap price so we
bought it.)

Someone here mentioned a little while ago about dabbing kero on the
cut
off centre of a plant they wanted to be rid of (lillies I think it
was.)
Does anybody think that would work on this weed? We need to give
the
area its first mow and wonder if I should do that after the tops are
cut
off them.

Do nothing till Spring then spray with MCPA and do it again and again
till it dies.

godwin wrote:


if you have a dark loam (plant
chocolate) alluvial soil,


Um yep, it's that one. We're in the Kinglake Ranges (Vic.) Deep
reddish chocolate loam and I recall seeing the word 'alluvial' on the
pre-construction soil tests. I think those sort of tests are purely for
building/stability purposes aren't they (?) because maybe there's more
info on the test sheet. I know we've got it somewhere. It smells
incredibly lovely when wet (I'm sure that's not an indication as to the
soil but I just really like the smell and can't get enough of it.

We retained all the top soil from the excavations (massive amounts
heaped up the back of our place - a few people came to ask for some
which is good because we had way too much - about 80+ huge tip truck
loads) because I knew I'd want a lot for raised beds etc.

This area is semi-rural and known for its berry farms and potato
growers. Slightly further down the mountain are the Yarra Valley
vineyards but I think that soil's slightly greyer/different. It's
similar to the soil from around Silvan (Vic.), known for market gardens,
orchards etc. Some say you can grow a table leg in this stuff. I'm yet
to muck around with it.

As for watering and not being on mains water, fortunately we opted for
the biggest tank we could afford (98,000 litres) when we built. It has
been overflowing a lot lately so watering isn't going to be a problem
and soon when we build a shed that'll have another tank.


It's
best to just get to know your own soil, space, it's not a lab out
there, there's more variables than you can point a stick at :-)
_godwin



I guess I just gotta experiment, huh?

Maybe I should ask one of the spud or brocolli farmers up the road
because I'm yet to learn how to keep the soil good & rich (the levels
you mention.) I don't know what the levels should be.

Thanks heaps for your help, Godwin.

L.


your lucky but you still have to keep levels
up. Not many garden plants die from over watering and even less from
the over feeding, but there's plenty of dead and dying from lack.

Farm1 wrote:



Do nothing till Spring then spray with MCPA and do it again and again
till it dies.


MCPA? Can you please tell me if this is a) safe to animals and b)
readily available? Do I simply ask for "MCPA?" (Sorry but I'm really a
learner when it comes to weed stuff.)

Thanks!

L.

In article ,
"0tterbot" wrote:

me too - and discovered it's the flower we called wet-the-bed when i was a
kid! (although i understand everyone seems to have a plant they called
wet-the-bed - & they're all different ;-)

Wet-the-bed, correctly, is the dandelion. From wikipedia:

The name dandelion is a derivation of the Old French, dent-de-lion, literally
"lion's tooth" on account of the sharply lobed leaves of the plant. In modern
French the plant is called ****enlit, "urinate in bed", referring to its
diuretic properties. Likewise, "****abeds" is an English folkname for this
plant, "piscialletto" in Italian and "meacamas" In Spanish (otherwise known as
"diente de león", lion's tooth).

--
Chookie -- Sydney, Australia
(Replace "foulspambegone" with "optushome" to reply)

"Parenthood is like the modern stone washing process for denim jeans. You may
start out crisp, neat and tough, but you end up pale, limp and wrinkled."
Kerry Cue

Yes linda I guess you do :-) look i'm an organic man myself so that sways my adice and experience. Buit basicly if you're growing leaf vegtables they'll need a more fertile soil and ornamentals need to get off to a good start and just a , 'as the mood takes' regime after that. it all depends on what you want to grow and whether for fun or profit and how much land you have etc. Vegtable growing is usually done on a rotation of high need (spinach, cabbage, lettuce) medium need (carrots , turnips parsnips) and then legumes (like peas and beans). The most economic fertilizer i believe to be 'meat meal' this is blood 'n bone that's used for feeding stock. it's usually cheaper to buy than when it's labelled Blood 'n bone.

It contains all the main nutrients and has a prolonged effect. If I was planting a major woody perrenial i'd make yp a mix in a bucket of eight parts meat meal, two parts chicken manure, and one part urea. mix that up and dig a hole at least twice as deep as the pot you're plant is in. For a 200mm pot i'd fill a 130mm squat pot and tip that in the hole and then half fill the hole mixing the fertilizer through that half. Always leave a buffer of feww mm of soil over the top so that the plant 's roots are not in direct contact with fertilizer. Then plant and fill the hole this will leave excess soil that is displaced by the volume of the root ball. use this to make a bowl shape so that water is directed to your plant. Use this method and you'll notice in a couple of weeks that new growth is happening. And then that plant will grow like buggery:-) . If you want to let me know what your plans are i'll give you some more tips , e mail me direct if you like.

- godwin





I guess I just gotta experiment, huh?

Maybe I should ask one of the spud or brocolli farmers up the road
because I'm yet to learn how to keep the soil good & rich (the levels
you mention.) I don't know what the levels should be.

Thanks heaps for your help, Godwin.

L.

Farm1 wrote:

It's a selective herbicide which will deal specifically with Cape
Weed. Roundup/glyphosate will knock everything but MCPA will only
impact on the Cape weed and other weeds like it. Yes, you go to a
rural supplier or a halfway decent garden centre and ask for MCPA - if
they know what they are doing then they will recognise the name in the
same way that they will understand the generic name of "ghlyophosate"
(as opposed to Roundup or Zero). As I understand it, MCPA has no
withholding period and no residue problems but that halfway decent
garden centre/rural supplier should also be able to supply you with a
Materiel Safety Data Sheet too so you can check it's safety for
yourself.

Unfortunatelyt the only real way to get rid of Cape Weed is to spray
it. You could spend every weekend out there with a knife and the
transistor but it is one of those weeds which is soooooo prolific with
it's seeds that you'll never live long enough to eradicate it
organically. MCPA does work as does making sure that you always
retain good soilcover but once you get a few drought spots or bare
earth, it'll be back with a vengeance.


What great information. You're a gem Farm1. Thanks heaps.

L.