Novice Advice
 

I have a yard and some flower beds that are getting over taken by
weeds. I live in Northern Michigan and have to be honest and say that
I have neglected my yard the past few summers. Well know I really
want to clean it up so my family can enjoy it, however I really have
no idea how to do it? I have tried some week killer's like RoundUp
and tried spraying a more concentrated week killer with no success. I
have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just
dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and
start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Derek

Novice Advice
 

On 17 May 2007 19:04:32 -0700, TheRegit wrote:
have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just
dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and
start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?

Lots of weeds are killed easily and quickly with the armstrong method...
grab and pull. Or hoe. There are some perennial weeds that are difficult
to control with this method (e.g., quackgrass, equisetum, canada thistle),
and for those, a wiped application of something like Roundup *applied at
the right time, in the right way, in the right manner* can greatly aid
the project. Read and follow the label directions for all pesticides if
you're going to use them.

Then you need to consider a better method of weed control. You can hoe or
cultivate once a week or so, or use mulch (my preference), or grow things so
crowded that there's no bare soil between plants.

I'm lazy. I vote for mulch. Helps on watering, too.

Novice Advice
 

smother and mulch. use newspapers or heavy landscape fabric.
If it is in the sun you can try clear plastic to sterilize the soil.
digging will just bring weed seeds up to the top to germinate, so dont do that.
it may be that you are not applying the roundup or ?? correctly at the right time of
year, right time of day... read the instructions carefully. Ingrid

TheRegit wrote:

I have a yard and some flower beds that are getting over taken by
weeds. I live in Northern Michigan and have to be honest and say that
I have neglected my yard the past few summers. Well know I really
want to clean it up so my family can enjoy it, however I really have
no idea how to do it? I have tried some week killer's like RoundUp
and tried spraying a more concentrated week killer with no success. I
have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just
dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and
start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Derek



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I'm surprised Roundup didn't kill them, they must be strong weeds. You could hire a flame thrower and burn them off. I've heard of people doing that to get rid of blackberry bushes. Even then, they still had to dig over the soil to get the roots out. I'd go for digging for your beds. Do it bit by bit and it's not so bad. Cover the other bits up with old carpet so that when you get round to them the weeds will be weakend or dead.

Novice Advice
 

"TheRegit" wrote in message
ups.com...
I have a yard and some flower beds that are getting over taken by
weeds. I live in Northern Michigan and have to be honest and say that
I have neglected my yard the past few summers. Well know I really
want to clean it up so my family can enjoy it, however I really have
no idea how to do it? I have tried some week killer's like RoundUp
and tried spraying a more concentrated week killer with no success. I
have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just
dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and
start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Derek


What the other two people have said is useful. Meanwhile, if you have
children, you need to stop using chemicals around the yard.

Novice Advice
 

TheRegit wrote in news:1179453872.852494.76530
@l77g2000hsb.googlegroups.com:

I have a yard and some flower beds that are getting over taken by
weeds. I live in Northern Michigan and have to be honest and say that
I have neglected my yard the past few summers. Well know I really
want to clean it up so my family can enjoy it, however I really have
no idea how to do it? I have tried some week killer's like RoundUp
and tried spraying a more concentrated week killer with no success. I
have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just
dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and
start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Derek


Digging up the flowers AND weeds only give more room for the weeds to
grow. They grow quick and fast because they have to -- that's how they
survive.

What flowers do you have in the garden? Are they perennials? If so, it
will probably cost you lots of money to replace them in kind.

Weeding is not the worst thing in the world. Honestly. Go out, sit down
and do a section. Move over, do another section. Take out a radio or a
fav CD with you. Or even a book on tape. Devote a day -- or a half a
day or even a few hours -- to it. You'd be surprised how much you can
get done when you just sit down and do it. In fact, you may find it
becomes an addiction after awhile. You'll find yourself bending over and
plucking weeds out of other people's gardens when you see them.
(Warning: don't do this in gardens of people who grow herbs.)

Just remember that when pulling weeds you need to get the entire root --
especially on dandelions. Arm yourself with the right hand tools. You
only need two, really: a spade and one of those long, pokey things with
the forked end on it for the long-tubered weeds like dandelions.

It's best to weed after a rain but you can always soak the garden the day
before you schedule your weeding and that will work well, too.

Novice Advice
 

Kay Lancaster wrote:

|On 17 May 2007 19:04:32 -0700, TheRegit wrote:
| have even tried weed killing fertilizer.

How did you apply it, and to what? I put about a half teaspoonful of dry
ammonium sulphate on dandelions and they are gone in a few days. Works on
buttercups too but they're harder to "spot treat." I don't know if it would do
for the more thuggish grasses though.

Alexander

Novice Advice
 

On Fri, 18 May 2007 12:59:00 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"TheRegit" wrote in message
oups.com...
I have a yard and some flower beds that are getting over taken by
weeds. I live in Northern Michigan and have to be honest and say that
I have neglected my yard the past few summers. Well know I really
want to clean it up so my family can enjoy it, however I really have
no idea how to do it? I have tried some week killer's like RoundUp
and tried spraying a more concentrated week killer with no success. I
have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just
dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and
start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Derek


What the other two people have said is useful. Meanwhile, if you have
children, you need to stop using chemicals around the yard.

Second the motion. Also need to check on lawns of friends
where your children visit. Many parents are still clueless
about toxics on lawn. Need to be tactful, but definite that your
child will not be allowed to play on chemical lawn.

Persephone

Novice Advice
 

Persephone wrote in message
...
On Fri, 18 May 2007 12:59:00 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"TheRegit" wrote in message
roups.com...
I have a yard and some flower beds that are getting over taken by
weeds. I live in Northern Michigan and have to be honest and say that
I have neglected my yard the past few summers. Well know I really
want to clean it up so my family can enjoy it, however I really have
no idea how to do it? I have tried some week killer's like RoundUp
and tried spraying a more concentrated week killer with no success. I
have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just
dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and
start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Derek


What the other two people have said is useful. Meanwhile, if you have
children, you need to stop using chemicals around the yard.

Second the motion. Also need to check on lawns of friends
where your children visit. Many parents are still clueless
about toxics on lawn. Need to be tactful, but definite that your
child will not be allowed to play on chemical lawn.

Persephone

It's beyond clueless. It's assault, and it's intentional. Why? Because it's
easy for people to be informed about these things. Failure to be informed is
intentional.

Novice Advice
 

On May 18, 3:49 pm, "JoeSpareBedroom" wrote:
Persephone wrote in message

...





On Fri, 18 May 2007 12:59:00 GMT, "JoeSpareBedroom"
wrote:

"TheRegit" wrote in message
roups.com...
I have a yard and some flower beds that are getting over taken by
weeds. I live in Northern Michigan and have to be honest and say that
I have neglected my yard the past few summers. Well know I really
want to clean it up so my family can enjoy it, however I really have
no idea how to do it? I have tried some week killer's like RoundUp
and tried spraying a more concentrated week killer with no success. I
have even tried weed killing fertilizer. My question is should I just
dig up the flower beds in my yard that are overridden with weeds and
start from scratch, or is there a way to kill them?

Any suggestions would be appreciated.

Thanks
Derek

What the other two people have said is useful. Meanwhile, if you have
children, you need to stop using chemicals around the yard.

Second the motion. Also need to check on lawns of friends
where your children visit. Many parents are still clueless
about toxics on lawn. Need to be tactful, but definite that your
child will not be allowed to play on chemical lawn.

Persephone

It's beyond clueless. It's assault, and it's intentional. Why? Because it's
easy for people to be informed about these things. Failure to be informed is
intentional.- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Information on the Web is mostly free and delves deeply into the
problems of herbicides and pesticides. Perhaps some people are
overwhelmed about the quantity of info about so many related and
unrelated topics. There is also skepticism, as there should be, about
the veracity and intent of many publications. For the skeptical, you
may start by reading the label of Roundup, which is also posted on the
website.

We may be living in a society that takes drugs and chemicals as an
essential part of life. How do we come clean of chemicals that we
directly ingest and that we spray in and out of our homes to attack
our pests? Some people say all chems are bad. In a way, what these
people are saying is that we should never take for granted that we
need these chemicals simply because some of our roses and tomatoes
have a few spots. A few spots on the plants and tomatoes and a few
spots in our lungs.

You choose?

---------
At peace with weeds...