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Rotovating wild garlic patch. Good or bad idea?

DiggingDigging Posts: 7
in Problem solving
We’ve an abundance of wild garlic on an isolated patch near the river in our garden (it’s in other places but this bit is a separate terrace and full of it)
My husband wants to rotovate that area but I’m sceptical that it won’t just churn up and spread the garlic about more. We haven’t decided what we will do with the area. Might end up with chooks there, might be raised veggie beds, might be lawn, might be hard standing!
Any thoughts or advice for getting rid (without chemical due to the proximity of a river) would be welcome! 

Posts

  • AnniDAnniD Posts: 12,585
    *Bump*  :)
  • mandyroberts99mandyroberts99 Posts: 235
    I'm no expert but I tried just digging over wild garlic on my rockery and it made it worse. I did try weed killer and that wasn't too successful so ended up digging and removing every little piece I could see. So far so good but I'm sure a few will still manage to pop up somewhere
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    edited May 2020
    Are we talking wild garlic aka Ramsons which is Allium ursinum
    or wild garlic aka Three-cornered Leek which is Allium triquetrum?


    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • DiggingDigging Posts: 7
    Thanks both. It’s Ramsoms. 

    Its been strimmed down at the moment (along with all the other weeds in the patch) and I’m currently galvanising myself into digging it over and picking it all out 😢 😂💪🏻
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    A thick layer of cardboard covered in well rotted manure might do it, as long as you can keep the manure from washing/running off into the river.  Maybe a short wall of upside down sod along the edge between the cardboard and stream?

    Is it a sunny area?  You could try solarization.. after some research.  I worry it would also kill off insects and microbiome.. but maybe not.  
    Utah, USA.
  • GemmaJFGemmaJF Posts: 2,286
    Rotavate then smother with black plastic to exclude light and water, works for me every single time.
  • DiggingDigging Posts: 7
    Blue Onion said:
    A thick layer of cardboard covered in well rotted manure might do it, as long as you can keep the manure from washing/running off into the river.  Maybe a short wall of upside down sod along the edge between the cardboard and stream?

    Is it a sunny area?  You could try solarization.. after some research.  I worry it would also kill off insects and microbiome.. but maybe not.  
    Any manure wouldn’t be able to wash away into the river (not on this bit at least, I’m years away from doing the actual bank that’s also full of it!)  so I’ll give that a try 👍🏻
    Not sunny sadly, more dappled light from surroundings trees. 
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