what is this and how can I eradicate it?
 

hello, this is my first post on what appears to be a great forum, pleased i found the place!

my sister quite enjoys weeding, says she finds it kind of therapeutic ... i on the other hand hate it with a vengence! in my front garden there are 4 x borders surrounding a regtangle of grass, there's also a circle of earth in the middle. i've been in the place for just over a year and have recently planted up the borders with various evergreen shrubs as the previous owners seemingly gutted what had been a really nice garden, so i'm starting from scratch i suppose.

the thing is the garden is being plagued by this stuff:

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2804/garden1d.th.jpg

bit more of a close up:

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/7500/garden2d.th.jpg

it looks innocent enough, as if it will just pull up quite easily and without resistance, no chance! it has a fine (thread like) root system that seems to run everywhere under the surface! i've tried turning the soil and pulling out as much as i can, turning the soil and using a weedkiller etc etc but give it 2-3 weeks and back it comes bold as ever :(

is there anything else i can try that might keep it at bay for longer or maybe eradicate it altogether ... or am i destined to have to weed every other weekend during warmer months for the rest of my puff?!?

oh and any ideas what it is?

can't seem to edit my post, here are bigger images:

http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2804/garden1d.jpg

http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/7500/garden2d.jpg

cheers

Looks like Sheeps sorrel, Rumex acetosella, a member of the dock family. You can it eat - it has an acid tang.

If you got that bed fully covered with shrubs, you'd have much less of a problem with it - it likes disturbed ground. Meanwhile, use glyphosate, and try not to keep turning the soil.

thanks for reply, i think i've done things the wrong way round, i should have taken the opportunity of empty borders and given them a heavy dose of that stuff, as they stand i've planted them up with various shrubs. i suppose i could take them out and re-plant them again but i'd rather not if possible.

i suppose the glyphosate would also kill my shrubs?

what is this and how can I eradicate it?
 

"cheeky chappie" wrote


hello, this is my first post on what appears to be a great forum,
pleased i found the place!

my sister quite enjoys weeding, says she finds it kind of therapeutic
.. i on the other hand hate it with a vengence! in my front garden
there are 4 x borders surrounding a regtangle of grass, there's also a
circle of earth in the middle. i've been in the place for just over a
year and have recently planted up the borders with various evergreen
shrubs as the previous owners seemingly gutted what had been a really
nice garden, so i'm starting from scratch i suppose.

the thing is the garden is being plagued by this stuff:

'[image: http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2804/garden1d.th.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/3uregru)

bit more of a close up:

'[image: http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/7500/garden2d.th.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/3v8jbud)

it looks innocent enough, as if it will just pull up quite easily and
without resistance, no chance! it has a fine (thread like) root system
that seems to run everywhere under the surface! i've tried turning the
soil and pulling out as much as i can, turning the soil and using a
weedkiller etc etc but give it 2-3 weeks and back it comes bold as ever
:(

is there anything else i can try that might keep it at bay for longer or
maybe eradicate it altogether ... or am i destined to have to weed every
other weekend during warmer months for the rest of my puff?!?

oh and any ideas what it is?


Get yourself a decent hoe and keep using it on the bare soil.

--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK

It will if you get it on the shrubs.
It's absorbed by the leaves (and presumably stems) of the plant and absorbed into the plant's system, whereby it interferes with the growth, and a couple of weeks later the plant wilts and dies. It becomes inactive in contact with soil. Therefore, if you make up a solution of glyphosate and apply it carefully to the sorrel (eg using a paintbrush) avoiding your shrubs, then it will kill the sorrel and not the shrubs.

Once your shrubs are large enough to be covering all that bare soil you'll have much less trouble. Sorrel apparently likes disturbed ground, which is an indication that it's not too happy about competition from other plants and about shade (and so it responds by getting in early on to ground that's recently disturbed and therefore without vegetation).

what is this and how can I eradicate it?
 

On Sep 4, 7:25*pm, cheeky chappie cheeky.chappie.
wrote:
hello, this is my first post on what appears to be a great forum,
pleased i found the place!

my sister quite enjoys weeding, says she finds it kind of therapeutic
... i on the other hand hate it with a vengence! *in my front garden
there are 4 x borders surrounding a regtangle of grass, there's also a
circle of earth in the middle. *i've been in the place for just over a
year and have recently planted up the borders with various evergreen
shrubs as the previous owners seemingly gutted what had been a really
nice garden, so i'm starting from scratch i suppose.

the thing is the garden is being plagued by this stuff:

'[image:http://img89.imageshack.us/img89/2804/garden1d.th.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/3uregru)

bit more of a close up:

'[image:http://img847.imageshack.us/img847/7500/garden2d.th.jpg]'
(http://tinyurl.com/3v8jbud)

it looks innocent enough, as if it will just pull up quite easily and
without resistance, no chance! *it has a fine (thread like) root system
that seems to run everywhere under the surface! *i've tried turning the
soil and pulling out as much as i can, turning the soil and using a
weedkiller etc etc but give it 2-3 weeks and back it comes bold as ever
:(

is there anything else i can try that might keep it at bay for longer or
maybe eradicate it altogether ... or am i destined to have to weed every
other weekend during warmer months for the rest of my puff?!?

oh and any ideas what it is?

--
cheeky chappie

Another alternative is to cover the ground with thick black plastic
sheet for a few months if you don't like the weedkiller solution.