I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.
I guess I could p.u.another couple of sacks of pebbles...but wondered
whether:

1. Pouring hot water over the pebbles would kill the weeds, but would
it hurt the Princess Plant that grows in the middle of the area.

vs

2. Roundup, same concerns vis-a-vis the Princess Plant.

Your wisdom, please?

Persephone

In article , Persephone
wrote:

I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.

I would have placed landscape fabric or plastic mulch over the soil
before spreading the pebbles.

Persephone wrote:

I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.
I guess I could p.u.another couple of sacks of pebbles...but wondered
whether:

1. Pouring hot water over the pebbles would kill the weeds, but would
it hurt the Princess Plant that grows in the middle of the area.

vs

2. Roundup, same concerns vis-a-vis the Princess Plant.

Your wisdom, please?

Persephone


1. Rake up existing pebbles, put them aside on a tarp.
2. Weed whack the area down to bare ground.
3. Spread landscape/weed suppressing fabric over the bare area and pin
it down.
4. Neatly spread pebbles on top of the fabric.
5. Place edging around the pebbled area to keep them contained (optional).

In article , Charlie wrote:

On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:41:40 -0600, Amos Nomore
wrote:

In article , Persephone
wrote:

I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.

I would have placed landscape fabric or plastic mulch over the soil
before spreading the pebbles.

Ahhhhhh.......you shame me with your politeness.

Poison makes Charlie......CRAZY!
Monsanto makes Charlie.......CRAZIER!

Your intentions are honorable and yes, Monsanto sucks the Grand Wazoo.

I'd have used white vinegar.

--
BetsyB
"Amos Nomore" wrote in message
...
In article , Persephone
wrote:

I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.

I would have placed landscape fabric or plastic mulch over the soil
before spreading the pebbles.

Persephone wrote in message
...


I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.
I guess I could p.u.another couple of sacks of pebbles...but wondered
whether:

1. Pouring hot water over the pebbles would kill the weeds, but would
it hurt the Princess Plant that grows in the middle of the area.

vs

2. Roundup, same concerns vis-a-vis the Princess Plant.

Your wisdom, please?

Persephone

Dig up your precious plant, put it in a temp container. Go out to the hill
country and find a landowner who is more than willing to give up some
cedars. Cut a few dozen down and chunk 'em in the truck. Get some oak
while you're out there. Tie down as it will be a big pile. Put a few
cedars on the weeds, and light 'em off. Feed another tree every 5 minutes
or so. Midway, add the oak. Will take a couple of hours. Be sure to wash
down the side of the house so often so it don't burn down. Dig a hole in
the middle of the ash pile next day. Put your precious plant with container
in the hole. Water it some. If the weeds come back, just dig up the
container. Use dynamite this time. You'll have to bring in some soil to
replace that blown away. A few yards or so... House repairs are optional.

I'd just kneel down and pull the weeds myself. Your choice. Consider
putting the hose on a hanger.
Dave

On Jul 24, 6:57?pm, Pennyaline wrote:
Persephone wrote:

I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.
I guess I could p.u.another couple of sacks of pebbles...but wondered
whether:

1. Pouring hot water over the pebbles would kill the weeds, but would
it hurt the Princess Plant that grows in the middle of the area.

vs

2. Roundup, same concerns vis-a-vis the Princess Plant.

Your wisdom, please?

Persephone

1. Rake up existing pebbles, put them aside on a tarp.
2. Weed whack the area down to bare ground.
3. Spread landscape/weed suppressing fabric over the bare area and pin
it down.
4. Neatly spread pebbles on top of the fabric.
5. Place edging around the pebbled area to keep them contained (optional).

Not really optional, the critters will have them all strewn about in
no time. I wouldn't use pebbles, no matter how contained the majority
will eventually find their way into the lawn areas where they will
wreak havoc on lawnmower blades. I'd choose some nice large pieces of
pine bark mulch... the large pieces stay put, the small pieces wash
away in heavy rain. Cut small slits in the weed block fabric and
plant a few petunias.

Great news, Charlie!!! This has taken too long to rectify and has global
repercussions. Screw Monsanto.....

Charlie wrote in message
...
On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:51:23 -0600, Amos Nomore
wrote:

Monsanto makes Charlie.......CRAZIER!

Your intentions are honorable and yes, Monsanto sucks the Grand Wazoo.

MONSANTO PATENTS ASSERTED AGAINST AMERICAN FARMERS REJECTED BY PATENT
OFFICE:

PUBPAT Initiated Review Leads PTO to Find All Claims of All Four Patents
Invalid

http://www.pubpat.org/monsantorejections.htm

NEW YORK July 24, 2007 -- The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT)
announced
today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has rejected
four key
Monsanto patents related to genetically modified crops that PUBPAT
challenged
last year because the agricultural giant is using them to harass,
intimidate,
sue - and in some cases literally bankrupt - American farmers. In its
Office
Actions rejecting each of the patents, the USPTO held that evidence
submitted
by PUBPAT, in addition to other prior art located by the Patent Office's
Examiners, showed that Monsanto was not entitled to any of the patents.

Monsanto has filed dozens of patent infringement lawsuits asserting the
four
challenged patents against American farmers, many of whom are unable to
hire
adequate representation to defend themselves in court. The crime these
farmers
are accused of is nothing more than saving seed from one year's crop to
replant
the following year, something farmers have done since the beginning of
time.
snip

Steve wrote:

On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:22:43 -0500, Charlie wrote:


Poison Bad.
Do Not Use Poison.
Poison Make People Sick, Maybe Die.
Poison Hurt Developing Babies.
Do Not Use Poison.
Poison Bad.

Monsanto Bad.
Do Not Use Monsanto.
Monsanto Make People Sick, Maybe Die.
Monsanto Hurt Developing Babies.
Do Not Use Monsanto.
Monsanto Bad.

Pull the g-damn weeds.

Wisdom enough?


Well, if you at least made it rhyme...

There once was a man from Nantucket...
who wanted to kill his weeds with a hot water bucket..
who got in a haste..slipped and severely burned his waist..
and was last heard screaming oh (censored)

Lar

On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 21:55:10 -0700, Sheldon wrote:

On Jul 24, 6:57?pm, Pennyaline wrote:
Persephone wrote:

I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.
I guess I could p.u.another couple of sacks of pebbles...but wondered
whether:

1. Pouring hot water over the pebbles would kill the weeds, but would
it hurt the Princess Plant that grows in the middle of the area.

vs

2. Roundup, same concerns vis-a-vis the Princess Plant.

Your wisdom, please?

Persephone

1. Rake up existing pebbles, put them aside on a tarp.
2. Weed whack the area down to bare ground.
3. Spread landscape/weed suppressing fabric over the bare area and pin
it down.
4. Neatly spread pebbles on top of the fabric.
5. Place edging around the pebbled area to keep them contained (optional).

Not really optional, the critters will have them all strewn about in
no time. I wouldn't use pebbles, no matter how contained the majority
will eventually find their way into the lawn areas where they will
wreak havoc on lawnmower blades. I'd choose some nice large pieces of
pine bark mulch... the large pieces stay put, the small pieces wash
away in heavy rain. Cut small slits in the weed block fabric and
plant a few petunias.

Thanks for a message devoid of anti-Monsanto Jeremiads. Yes, we all
hate them. No, I don't know how far horizonally an application
spreads (germane to whether it would harm Princess Plant roots).

the above sensible suggestions:

weed-suppressing fabric, a few years ago, I and some friends took
a LOT of trouble to spread fabric in a rose path -- big hassle, trim,
cut holes, etc. My gardener warned me the weeds would come back
anyway -- and they did, big time, so I had extra work digging up &
removing the fabric and said never again. I understand there are
supposed to be different thicknesses of that stuff, perhaps some more
effective, but have only seen the ordinary in nursery/homeowner places
around here; don't want to order huge quantity on-line for tiny area.

Lawnmower blades, this area is contained within those curved
pink concrete edgers, so pebbles (2-3") will not escape.

Critters, none except a few possums; this is city.

pine bark mulch, oh, how I wish we'd get SOME rain, heavy,
light, or medium! No danger of "washing away", alas, and I fear
weeds would soon find their way through.

vinegar, interesting thought; I've never used it as a weed
suppressant. Any harm to roots of (very large old) Princess Plant?
Quantity required? Dilute or full strength?

****NOBODY has answered about hot water. I use it routinely to
kill weeds between plates of the concrete patio. Seems the
least toxic and still effective. I just don't know if it would harm
PP's roots.

Hope to hear about vinegar & hot water, and thanks to all for
replies.

Persephone.

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 04:48:57 GMT, "Dave"
wrote:

Persephone wrote in message
m...


I finally got around to dealing with an area, approx 3 ft
circumference, under one of the water faucets,
where the hose lies coiled (when it isn't sprawling over
the lawn g).

I've tried various ground covers, but weeds seem to take over.

So I poured a couple of sacks of pebbles in the area; looks
nice and neat. However, weeds starting to poke through.
I guess I could p.u.another couple of sacks of pebbles...but wondered
whether:

1. Pouring hot water over the pebbles would kill the weeds, but would
it hurt the Princess Plant that grows in the middle of the area.

vs

2. Roundup, same concerns vis-a-vis the Princess Plant.

Your wisdom, please?

Persephone

Dig up your precious plant, put it in a temp container. Go out to the hill
country and find a landowner who is more than willing to give up some
cedars. Cut a few dozen down and chunk 'em in the truck. Get some oak
while you're out there. Tie down as it will be a big pile. Put a few
cedars on the weeds, and light 'em off. Feed another tree every 5 minutes
or so. Midway, add the oak. Will take a couple of hours. Be sure to wash
down the side of the house so often so it don't burn down. Dig a hole in
the middle of the ash pile next day. Put your precious plant with container
in the hole. Water it some. If the weeds come back, just dig up the
container. Use dynamite this time. You'll have to bring in some soil to
replace that blown away. A few yards or so... House repairs are optional.

I KNEW somebody would come up with the perfect solution! Mes
hommages, Dave!

Persephone

I'd just kneel down and pull the weeds myself.

Gets tougher through pebbles. I pulled weeds in that area for years,
so finally thought I'd try the pebbles. I have them on the other side
of the house under the other faucet - several layers - and they seem
to be working pretty well.

Your choice. Consider putting the hose on a hanger.

I've looked at hose-hangers for years. They don't seem practical
when I'm using the hose almost every day. I got one of those
spiral jobbies that is suppose to retract on its own but it didn't
work for me so I returned it.

The idea solution is a hose cart; I tried locating one there, but
there just isn't room.

Persephone.

On Wed, 25 Jul 2007 00:08:38 -0500, "cat daddy"
wrote:

Great news, Charlie!!! This has taken too long to rectify and has global
repercussions.

Global, indeed. On another front, Monster-santo has been screwing
poor farmers in Third World countries for decades. They sell them
hybrid seed so farmers will have to buy new seed every year instead of
taking their own seed and replanting, as farmers have done for
millennia. No doubt M cuts deals with local dictators/oligarchs.

Monsanto also acquires the "water rights" in poor countries and makes
people who used to draw from their own springs and wells BUY Monsanto
water, when they can barely eat and send their children to school.

See Mother Jones article a few years back.

Persephone



Screw Monsanto.....

Charlie wrote in message
.. .
On Tue, 24 Jul 2007 17:51:23 -0600, Amos Nomore
wrote:

Monsanto makes Charlie.......CRAZIER!

Your intentions are honorable and yes, Monsanto sucks the Grand Wazoo.

MONSANTO PATENTS ASSERTED AGAINST AMERICAN FARMERS REJECTED BY PATENT
OFFICE:

PUBPAT Initiated Review Leads PTO to Find All Claims of All Four Patents
Invalid

http://www.pubpat.org/monsantorejections.htm

NEW YORK July 24, 2007 -- The Public Patent Foundation (PUBPAT)
announced
today that the United States Patent and Trademark Office has rejected
four key
Monsanto patents related to genetically modified crops that PUBPAT
challenged
last year because the agricultural giant is using them to harass,
intimidate,
sue - and in some cases literally bankrupt - American farmers. In its
Office
Actions rejecting each of the patents, the USPTO held that evidence
submitted
by PUBPAT, in addition to other prior art located by the Patent Office's
Examiners, showed that Monsanto was not entitled to any of the patents.

Monsanto has filed dozens of patent infringement lawsuits asserting the
four
challenged patents against American farmers, many of whom are unable to
hire
adequate representation to defend themselves in court. The crime these
farmers
are accused of is nothing more than saving seed from one year's crop to
replant
the following year, something farmers have done since the beginning of
time.
snip

Persephone wrote:



****NOBODY has answered about hot water. I use it routinely to
kill weeds between plates of the concrete patio. Seems the
least toxic and still effective. I just don't know if it would harm
PP's roots.

Hope to hear about vinegar & hot water, and thanks to all for
replies.

Persephone.



Wondering if constant use of vinegar in an area can change the PH of the
soil thus causing growing issues to some plants. Hot water? Well would
guess near boiling is what you need and for your preferred plant it
would depend how much root damage the water could cause to it. If you
feel boiling water is a safer mode of weed control, it can be, but it
is more hazardous...carrying a pot of boiling water from the kitchen out
the door and pour it where you want to pour it. How dangerous could that
be? Had a customer who was talked into using boiling water to kill out
fire ant nests instead of chemicals so he decided to do the right thing
and go that route himself. Had a big pot of water going and when it was
ready snatched it up to head out the door...the problem was his daughter
2-4 years old (forget now exactly how old she was) was wrapped up in a
blanket playing with a new puppy had walked behind him without him
noticing. He took up the water and turned to head out the door and
stepped on the blanket dragging on the floor, slipped and spilled the
water. He was able to push the falling pot away from the kid and what
water that spilt on her was diverted by the blanket, but still had some
burns. He had a hand/wrist doused with the boiling water causing a
severe burn, in which he was still having issues with for over a year
that I know of. The dropped pot landed on the puppy killing it.

Lar

Persephone wrote:

I've looked at hose-hangers for years. They don't seem practical
when I'm using the hose almost every day. I got one of those
spiral jobbies that is suppose to retract on its own but it didn't
work for me so I returned it.

The idea solution is a hose cart; I tried locating one there, but
there just isn't room.

I use my hoses everyday too and the best way I've found of keeping it
neat and out of the way is a wall-mounted hanger. The hose carts look
keen but are really a pain in terms of size and function. The spring
coil hoses were a cool idea too, I thought, until I tried to maneuver
one around containers and trellises -- it would have wiped out
everything if I hadn't watched it continuously!

Yep, the wall hanger is the way to go. Easy to get the hose onto it,
easy to get the hose off of it. The hose lies flat on the ground when in
use and goes where I need it to without fighting back or binding up in a
mechanism, and gets up all the way off the ground and out of harms way
when I'm done with it.

I have also tried the standing hose hangers. They look nice and if sunk
deep enough into the ground the stand up straight and stable, but grass
and weeds grow up around them and vining weeds climb up them. Trimming
around the standard put the hose at risk, and taking the hose off the
standard and disconnecting it from the faucet so it could be moved then
reconnecting it after trimming was done... now that became a huge PIA.

Persephone wrote:
weed-suppressing fabric, a few years ago, I and some friends took
a LOT of trouble to spread fabric in a rose path -- big hassle, trim,
cut holes, etc. My gardener warned me the weeds would come back
anyway -- and they did, big time, so I had extra work digging up &
removing the fabric and said never again. I understand there are
supposed to be different thicknesses of that stuff, perhaps some more
effective, but have only seen the ordinary in nursery/homeowner places
around here; don't want to order huge quantity on-line for tiny area.

Landscape fabric is very heavy. It is available at Home Depot and Lowe's
in my area. Landscape fabric doesn't work by itself, just as lighter
weight suppressing fabrics don't. Once in place it is covered with thick
mulch, pebbles, etc. and when properly used can suppress most of the
weeds. Some will always come through, but it's easier to deal with some
of them than with all of them.