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How deep can ground elder survive?
On Tue, 30 Mar 2004 22:59:27 +0100, "shazzbat"
wrote: So will ground elder IMHO. Being shallow rooted and not heading a good distance to the surface are two very different things, and as we've all experienced, weeds can go to astonishing lengths to survive. Also in your digging you're almost certain to get small bits of the root system breaking off and finding that you've inadvertently planted them in a very nice situation. I would hit them with the glyphosate like Martin said, and if you can, cover the bank with black polythene for a month or two to hopefully exhaust it before it reaches the light. Still no guarantee though, it's persistent stuff. I'm inclined to agree. Much as I try to avoid using chemicals, I've found that Ground Elder is such a thug that it practically sneers at anything less than being nuked. Its roots are extremely brittle, and they have a tendency to push through clods of heavy soil - so any attempt to pull the roots simply snaps them off, leaving a viable bit embedding in an otherwise innocent looking clod...there to rejuvenate and come back to haunt you. I treated an infested flower bed last year ( after having tried digging, mulching etc...even tried eating the stuff ) using a hand sprayer and a great deal of care to avoid contaminating surrounding plants - and I'm delighted to say that it worked a treat! Took quite a few applications too! A six foot by two foot bed, thoroughly infested, is now showing barely half a dozen new Ground Elder shoots poking through as the spring approaches. Regards, -- Stephen Howard - Woodwind repairs & period restorations www.shwoodwind.co.uk Emails to: showard{whoisat}shwoodwind{dot}co{dot}uk |
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