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#1
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ASPARAGUS
My asparagus bed is being killed off by bindweed - I want to take up
the plants, kill the bindweed and replant - can I do this now? Thanks - Chris |
#2
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ASPARAGUS
"chris thame" wrote... My asparagus bed is being killed off by bindweed - I want to take up the plants, kill the bindweed and replant - can I do this now? How do you intend to kill the Bindweed? It's quite a tough plant to kill and if the bed is badly infected then it will take a number of sprayings over, say, a complete season to kill it. Also, you also need a weedkiller that will kill the roots, and that is usually taken up by the green leaves which are not showing much yet. Take up the Sparrow Grass now and replant somewhere else. -- Regards Bob Hobden |
#3
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ASPARAGUS
"chris thame" wrote in message ... My asparagus bed is being killed off by bindweed - I want to take up the plants, kill the bindweed and replant - can I do this now? Thanks - Chris Put salt on the bed, not just a bit, the ground should be well covered, almost white over. It's not recommended to do this on a regular basis but once or twice won't hurt. The sparrergrass won't be touched by the salt. |
#4
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ASPARAGUS
On 1/5/08 18:38, in article , "PB"
wrote: "chris thame" wrote in message ... My asparagus bed is being killed off by bindweed - I want to take up the plants, kill the bindweed and replant - can I do this now? Thanks - Chris Put salt on the bed, not just a bit, the ground should be well covered, almost white over. It's not recommended to do this on a regular basis but once or twice won't hurt. The sparrergrass won't be touched by the salt. Take a pinch of salt with this advice...........! www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/Pubs/HO/HO_096.PDF "Weed Control: Weed control is very important in successfully growing asparagus, especially in the first couple of years after transplanting when the young crowns are at their most vulnerable. Commercial growers use a variety of herbicides to control weeds. Most of these are either unavailable to gardeners or are too expensive to use on less than a commercial basis. If you are really curious about herbicides I suggest that you visit the following web site, http://www.msue.msu.edu/vegetable/weeds.htm, which is part of the Vegetable Area of Expertise web site at Michigan State University. A question I often get is using salt for weed control. This was widely practiced in the United States in the 19th Century. Asparagus is very tolerant to salt and most weeds are not. The sodium in salt can actually replace some of the plant's potassium need and there may be some small benefit in Fusarium suppression from salt. But, it takes a lot of salt! In one disease control study by Dr. Mary Hausbeck at Michigan State University in the 1990s, salt was applied up to levels of 1000 pounds per acre. At the 1000 pound per acre level, some weed control was observed. Better weed control would probably require even more salt. As you can imagine, applying salt at amounts over a 1000 pounds per acre has a few side effects. On a clay soil it could result in the complete loss of soil structure causing the soil to take on a concrete-like consistency. On sandy soils this effect wasn't observed, but that is probably because the salt was washed away by rainwater percolates through the soil. Before you try salt as a weed control, you may also want to consider that very few other desirable plants can handle the salt levels of asparagus, so you are going to be stuck with a dead area in your garden for decades after it is no longer an asparagus patch. " -- Sacha http://www.hillhousenursery.co.uk South Devon 'We do not inherit the earth from our ancestors, we borrow it from our children.' |
#5
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ASPARAGUS
I think after reading that report, I'll dig up what I've got left and
plant it elswhere - I can then kill the bindweed off completely. Theres a chance with the salt going on other parts of the garden with the rain and as my soil is clay, theres a good chance it will make things worse - thanks for all the advice - its been very helpful On Thu, 01 May 2008 18:48:16 +0100, Sacha wrote: On 1/5/08 18:38, in article , "PB" wrote: "chris thame" wrote in message ... My asparagus bed is being killed off by bindweed - I want to take up the plants, kill the bindweed and replant - can I do this now? Thanks - Chris Put salt on the bed, not just a bit, the ground should be well covered, almost white over. It's not recommended to do this on a regular basis but once or twice won't hurt. The sparrergrass won't be touched by the salt. Take a pinch of salt with this advice...........! www.hort.purdue.edu/hort/ext/Pubs/HO/HO_096.PDF "Weed Control: Weed control is very important in successfully growing asparagus, especially in the first couple of years after transplanting when the young crowns are at their most vulnerable. Commercial growers use a variety of herbicides to control weeds. Most of these are either unavailable to gardeners or are too expensive to use on less than a commercial basis. If you are really curious about herbicides I suggest that you visit the following web site, http://www.msue.msu.edu/vegetable/weeds.htm, which is part of the Vegetable Area of Expertise web site at Michigan State University. A question I often get is using salt for weed control. This was widely practiced in the United States in the 19th Century. Asparagus is very tolerant to salt and most weeds are not. The sodium in salt can actually replace some of the plant's potassium need and there may be some small benefit in Fusarium suppression from salt. But, it takes a lot of salt! In one disease control study by Dr. Mary Hausbeck at Michigan State University in the 1990s, salt was applied up to levels of 1000 pounds per acre. At the 1000 pound per acre level, some weed control was observed. Better weed control would probably require even more salt. As you can imagine, applying salt at amounts over a 1000 pounds per acre has a few side effects. On a clay soil it could result in the complete loss of soil structure causing the soil to take on a concrete-like consistency. On sandy soils this effect wasn't observed, but that is probably because the salt was washed away by rainwater percolates through the soil. Before you try salt as a weed control, you may also want to consider that very few other desirable plants can handle the salt levels of asparagus, so you are going to be stuck with a dead area in your garden for decades after it is no longer an asparagus patch. " |
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