wild buckwheat
 

Hello-I'm new here. I've been gardening in Connecticut for quite a
while now, mostly flowers etc. and had quite a successful season thanks
to all the rain in the spring. We also rather casually cultivate a
large patch of raspberries which are grown organically, and have a PYO
little business. We didn't have much of a July crop, again thanks to
all of the rain, but are looking forward to the Sep-Oct. crop.
I went out to the patch today and to my horror find that we are
infested with wild buckwheat (identified through some research. It's
not bindweed). I spent some time pulling the noxious weed out of some
rows (while castigating myself that the situation had gotten to such a
point) and now I'm wondering if anyone out there has dealt with this
invasion. According to research, it can be killed with flamethrowers
and heavy applications of herbicide (which would do in the raspberries
also). It does strike me that this plant would make a wonderful
groundcover/ugly eyesore cover but doesn't belong in polite society or
in rows of raspberries. Any experience/thoughts?
Thanks!
Sue

wild buckwheat
 

On 17 Sep 2006 14:21:03 -0700, "Sue" wrote:

Hello-I'm new here. I've been gardening in Connecticut for quite a
while now, mostly flowers etc. and had quite a successful season thanks
to all the rain in the spring. We also rather casually cultivate a
large patch of raspberries which are grown organically, and have a PYO
little business. We didn't have much of a July crop, again thanks to
all of the rain, but are looking forward to the Sep-Oct. crop.
I went out to the patch today and to my horror find that we are
infested with wild buckwheat (identified through some research. It's
not bindweed). I spent some time pulling the noxious weed out of some
rows (while castigating myself that the situation had gotten to such a
point) and now I'm wondering if anyone out there has dealt with this
invasion. According to research, it can be killed with flamethrowers
and heavy applications of herbicide (which would do in the raspberries
also). It does strike me that this plant would make a wonderful
groundcover/ugly eyesore cover but doesn't belong in polite society or
in rows of raspberries. Any experience/thoughts?
Thanks!
Sue


I use tame buckwheat as a groundcover. A light frost will kill it.
It's easy to till under. If it goes to seed it will come up again
quickly.

wild buckwheat
 

If what you have is Polygonum convolvulus, black bindweed,
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

Kay

wild buckwheat
 

Sounds like good advice. I am right now having my son pull out the
vines and bundle them up in plastic bags-the seeds don't seem to be
ripe just yet thank heavens.
Thanks!
Sue
Kay Lancaster wrote:
If what you have is Polygonum convolvulus, black bindweed,
(I know various species of our native Eriogonum as "wild buckwheat"),
it's a late-germinating annual. Watch for it to come up, and chop
it off with a hoe. Get it young enough and you only have to
scuffle the soil.

Add mulch. Good weed suppressant, and the raspberries will like it too.

And forget about flamethrowers. Definitely overkill.

wild buckwheat
 

On 18 Sep 2006 08:14:40 -0700, Sue wrote:
Sounds like good advice. I am right now having my son pull out the
vines and bundle them up in plastic bags-the seeds don't seem to be
ripe just yet thank heavens.

Don't worry... there's plenty more seeds in the soil already. g

Seriously, a good, thick light-occlusive mulch is your friend. My favorite
one-season utility mulch is corrugated cardboard, but just about anything
that's not going to stop water but is thick enough to stop light (dried
grass clippings are great -- 4-6") will help keep down the weeds.

Don't forget you can compost weeds, too... just need to make sure the
compost gets up to seed-killing temps,

If you're dealing with ground that can be cleared for a season (obviously not
your raspberry patch!), consider "solarizing" the area with clear plastic
to help reduce the weed seed load in the upper soil.

Kay