De-weeding my garden
 

I live in Riverside, California (about 60 miles east of Los Angeles).

My garden is loaded with Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel) and
Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge).

When hand-weeding, what's the best way to make sure I pull ALL of the
weeds ("ROOTS AND ALL").

After weeding, what can I apply to prevent these weeds from re-
emerging? (Preen Weed Preventer doesn't work)

De-weeding my garden
 

On Sep 18, 7:15*am, GARY wrote:
I live in Riverside, California (about 60 miles east of Los Angeles).

My garden is loaded with Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel) and
Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge).

When hand-weeding, what's the best way to make sure I pull ALL of the
weeds ("ROOTS AND ALL").

After weeding, what can I apply to prevent these weeds from re-
emerging? *(Preen Weed Preventer doesn't work)

I am no friend of garden chemicals, but -- depending on the size of
the garden -- you might want to apply some (shudder) RoundUp.

RU has to be applied TO THE PLANT, as it works down through the
leaves, stem, etc. Follow the directions METICULOUSLY, including
watering well BEFORE
applying RU.

If you choose to go another way, I'm afraid there is no choice but
digging, not hand-weeding. The latter almost never gets the roots.
Again, if the soil is very dry, you might want to water, then get out
the shovel and dig down, down, down.

Somebody else can probably advise you on preventing re-emergence.
Some say that not even prayer helps. g

HB

If you

De-weeding my garden
 

On 9/18/11 7:15 AM, GARY wrote:
I live in Riverside, California (about 60 miles east of Los Angeles).

My garden is loaded with Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel) and
Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge).

When hand-weeding, what's the best way to make sure I pull ALL of the
weeds ("ROOTS AND ALL").

After weeding, what can I apply to prevent these weeds from re-
emerging? (Preen Weed Preventer doesn't work)

I'm not familiar with groundsel.

I weed with a paring knife, which I use to cut the roots of a weed.
When I pull a weed, I check to make sure that what I pulled includes at
least some root. Very few weeds can resprout from a fragment of a root.
This works on spotted spurge (Euphorba maculata), so it should also
work on E. peplus.

The problem with spurge is that a new plant sets and drops seeds almost
before you can see it. I use a thick mulch of leaves in beds that do
not have a vigorous ground cover. This reduces (but does not prevent)
the ability of the seeds to sprout and form new plants.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

De-weeding my garden
 

On 9/18/11 2:23 PM, Higgs Boson wrote:
On Sep 18, 7:15 am, GARY wrote:
I live in Riverside, California (about 60 miles east of Los Angeles).

My garden is loaded with Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel) and
Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge).

When hand-weeding, what's the best way to make sure I pull ALL of the
weeds ("ROOTS AND ALL").

After weeding, what can I apply to prevent these weeds from re-
emerging? (Preen Weed Preventer doesn't work)

I am no friend of garden chemicals, but -- depending on the size of
the garden -- you might want to apply some (shudder) RoundUp.

RU has to be applied TO THE PLANT, as it works down through the
leaves, stem, etc. Follow the directions METICULOUSLY, including
watering well BEFORE
applying RU.

If you choose to go another way, I'm afraid there is no choice but
digging, not hand-weeding. The latter almost never gets the roots.
Again, if the soil is very dry, you might want to water, then get out
the shovel and dig down, down, down.

Somebody else can probably advise you on preventing re-emergence.
Some say that not even prayer helps. g

HB

If you

By the time you see enough of spurge to spray it, it has already dropped
seeds. RoundUp works only on growing plants, not on seeds.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary

De-weeding my garden
 

In message
,
GARY writes
I live in Riverside, California (about 60 miles east of Los Angeles).

My garden is loaded with Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel) and
Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge).

Groundsel and petty spurge are annuals. Both are relatively easily
pulled, though the latter sometimes breaks off at the base of the stem.

When hand-weeding, what's the best way to make sure I pull ALL of the
weeds ("ROOTS AND ALL").

Grasp at the base of the stem.

After weeding, what can I apply to prevent these weeds from re-
emerging? (Preen Weed Preventer doesn't work)

If the beds are clear enough of other plants, the use of a hoe will
discourage new seedlings from establishing.

--
Stewart Robert Hinsley

De-weeding my garden
 

I live in Riverside, California (about 60 miles east of Los Angeles).

My garden is loaded with Senecio vulgaris (common groundsel) and
Euphorbia peplus (petty spurge).

When hand-weeding, what's the best way to make sure I pull ALL of the
weeds ("ROOTS AND ALL").
'
grab them at the base and pull gently until the root lets go, if the
stem breaks you are pulling too fast. Practice will tell you how much
pressure to use with each plant and your soil.

For heavy soil and plants with taproots, such as Oxalis corniculata, you
can loosen the soil with a three pronged hand mattock before trying to
pull them. Avoid turning the soil, you will expose more weed seeds.

After weeding, what can I apply to prevent these weeds from re-
emerging? (Preen Weed Preventer doesn't work)

Try other kinds of pre-emergent read the label for kinds of plants that
are controlled or use mulch
--

09=IX