Hi all,
In my small front garden in South UK, despite deep digging and
removing it before planting new shrubs etc there is ground elder
shooting up.

I try and dig down each time and remove the root as far as I can.

Will this weaken it over time or should I use a week killer that is
painted on the leaves? if so which one?
Mick.

In article ,
Mick wrote:
Hi all,
In my small front garden in South UK, despite deep digging and
removing it before planting new shrubs etc there is ground elder
shooting up.

I try and dig down each time and remove the root as far as I can.

Will this weaken it over time or should I use a week killer that is
painted on the leaves? if so which one?

Yes, it will, but I would also use HALF-STRENGTH glyphosate on
the leaves. After some time, they will die. If you repeat that
half-a-dozen times, it will kill it.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:46:53 +0100 (BST), wrote:

In article ,
Mick wrote:
Hi all,
In my small front garden in South UK, despite deep digging and
removing it before planting new shrubs etc there is ground elder
shooting up.

I try and dig down each time and remove the root as far as I can.

Will this weaken it over time or should I use a week killer that is
painted on the leaves? if so which one?

Yes, it will, but I would also use HALF-STRENGTH glyphosate on
the leaves. After some time, they will die. If you repeat that
half-a-dozen times, it will kill it.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

It is in what amounts to a big brick built pot, around 25 feet long by
6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, but when it was built in the 80s they put
clay in the bottom.

I can get bits of root out until I get to the clay, and it is filled
with plants now too.

At least there is no problem from anything next door, just the nightly
drunks throwing rubbish in it on there way home from the pub.
Thanks,
Mick.

In article ,
Mick wrote:

It is in what amounts to a big brick built pot, around 25 feet long by
6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, but when it was built in the 80s they put
clay in the bottom.

I can get bits of root out until I get to the clay, and it is filled
with plants now too.

That's ample deep enough - it's doesn't regrow well from deep
roots (unlike bindweed) - but the plants are an issue. I would
use glyphosate, but I really do mean half strength.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

In article ,
Mick wrote:

It is in what amounts to a big brick built pot, around 25 feet long by
6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, but when it was built in the 80s they put
clay in the bottom.

I can get bits of root out until I get to the clay, and it is filled
with plants now too.

That's ample deep enough - it's doesn't regrow well from deep
roots (unlike bindweed) - but the plants are an issue. I would
use glyphosate, but I really do mean half strength.



What do you mean by "half strength" 50/50 mix from neat or double normal
water added?

Mike

In article ,
Muddymike wrote:
In article ,
Mick wrote:

It is in what amounts to a big brick built pot, around 25 feet long by
6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, but when it was built in the 80s they put
clay in the bottom.

I can get bits of root out until I get to the clay, and it is filled
with plants now too.

That's ample deep enough - it's doesn't regrow well from deep
roots (unlike bindweed) - but the plants are an issue. I would
use glyphosate, but I really do mean half strength.

What do you mean by "half strength" 50/50 mix from neat or double normal
water added?

The latter. Or use half the amount of concentrate for the same
amount of water :-)


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

On 20/06/2013 08:56, Muddymike wrote:
In article ,
Mick wrote:

It is in what amounts to a big brick built pot, around 25 feet long by
6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, but when it was built in the 80s they put
clay in the bottom.

I can get bits of root out until I get to the clay, and it is filled
with plants now too.

That's ample deep enough - it's doesn't regrow well from deep
roots (unlike bindweed) - but the plants are an issue. I would
use glyphosate, but I really do mean half strength.

What do you mean by "half strength" 50/50 mix from neat or double normal
water added?

More dilute - the objective being to have a slower kill rate and let the
poison move further through the roots before it kills the top.

I reckon a combined attack chemical and physical is worthwhile YMMV.

--
Regards,
Martin Brown

On 19/06/13 12:53, Mick wrote:
On Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:46:53 +0100 (BST), wrote:

In article ,
Mick wrote:
Hi all,
In my small front garden in South UK, despite deep digging and
removing it before planting new shrubs etc there is ground elder
shooting up.

I try and dig down each time and remove the root as far as I can.

Will this weaken it over time or should I use a week killer that is
painted on the leaves? if so which one?

Yes, it will, but I would also use HALF-STRENGTH glyphosate on
the leaves. After some time, they will die. If you repeat that
half-a-dozen times, it will kill it.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

It is in what amounts to a big brick built pot, around 25 feet long by
6 feet wide and 3 feet deep, but when it was built in the 80s they put
clay in the bottom.

I can get bits of root out until I get to the clay, and it is filled
with plants now too.

At least there is no problem from anything next door, just the nightly
drunks throwing rubbish in it on there way home from the pub.

In that case I would (really!) encourage the stuff - but prevent it from
seeding.

--
Rusty Hinge

On 19/06/13 08:46, wrote:
In article ,
Mick wrote:
Hi all,
In my small front garden in South UK, despite deep digging and
removing it before planting new shrubs etc there is ground elder
shooting up.

I try and dig down each time and remove the root as far as I can.

Will this weaken it over time or should I use a week killer that is
painted on the leaves? if so which one?

Yes, it will, but I would also use HALF-STRENGTH glyphosate on
the leaves. After some time, they will die. If you repeat that
half-a-dozen times, it will kill it.

Pick theyoungleaves and cook as you would spinach.

There's nothing quite as effective as giving it the belief that you want
it there...

--
Rusty Hinge

On 19/06/2013 05:56, Mick wrote:
Hi all,
In my small front garden in South UK, despite deep digging and
removing it before planting new shrubs etc there is ground elder
shooting up.

I try and dig down each time and remove the root as far as I can.

Will this weaken it over time or should I use a week killer that is
painted on the leaves? if so which one?
Mick.

Is it only in your garden, or is it coming from next door? If the
latter, you will never be free of it unless your neighbour's ground
elder is also treated with weedkiller.

--

Jeff

On Wed, 19 Jun 2013 08:57:27 +0100, Jeff Layman wrote:

Is it only in your garden, or is it coming from next door? If the
latter, you will never be free of it unless your neighbour's ground
elder is also treated with weedkiller.

That depends on how much there is next door. Glyphosate will take out
the plant for a several feet from (repeated) apllication point but
that's about all. If half the garden next door has you'll just have
to fire fight as it comes back or get co-operation from neighbour to
erradicate it there as well.

Digging will never get rid of it as there will always be a bit of
root left. Glyphosate two or perhaps three times a year will get rid
of it in a year or three.

--
Cheers
Dave.

In article o.uk,
Dave Liquorice wrote:

Digging will never get rid of it as there will always be a bit of
root left. Glyphosate two or perhaps three times a year will get rid
of it in a year or three.

Not at all. You can get rid of it faster by digging, in places
where you can dig a couple of times a year. But you have to be
able to dig a foot down.


Regards,
Nick Maclaren.

If you have a lawn next to the bed, it will be in the lawn and spread back from there.

Although you can't get rid of ground elder by digging it out, you can reduce it from a big weeding problem to a small weeding problem by one year's hard work. Keep your eyes open and dig it out within a week or three of it resprouting, and there will be a lot, lot less of it next year. You just have to keep vigilant for ever after, but it will remain a small problem. But ever neglect it and it will return to being a larger problem. After all, weeds are always with us, and I'd rather have ground elder than some others.

I've got ground elder in my lavander hedge and weeding it out shreds my fingers.

echinosum wrote:
Although you can't get rid of ground elder by digging it out, you can
reduce it from a big weeding problem to a small weeding problem by one
year's hard work. Keep your eyes open and dig it out within a week or
three of it resprouting, and there will be a lot, lot less of it next
year. You just have to keep vigilant for ever after, but it will remain
a small problem. But ever neglect it and it will return to being a
larger problem. After all, weeds are always with us, and I'd rather
have ground elder than some others.

I have a problem with ground elder (and creeping buttercup) because the
young leaves of both look similar to strawberry leaves. :-(

wrote:

I have a problem with ground elder (and creeping buttercup) because
the young leaves of both look similar to strawberry leaves. :-(

Don't talk to me about creeping buttercup!

Last year I tried digging it out, but my lawn ended up looking a bit
like a rugby international had just been played on it. This year, I've
dug less out and am trying a chemical approach. I can't remember the
name of the weedkiller off the top of my head but it will be 2,4-D
based as per various website recommendations.

--
Chris