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Everlasting weed problem

lilyallison1902lilyallison1902 Posts: 2
in Problem solving
Pm Hello. I have a large corner plot on my drive which we wanted to keep low maintenance so put down weed membrane and then slate. However a few years after we did this, a weed started spreading (see photo). It seems to spread out and then strangle other plants. Also this year another light green weed is spreading. I am at my wits end as they just keep coming back. What can I do to stop them? Thanks 

Posts

  • BorderlineBorderline Posts: 4,700
    Unfortunately, weeds can set seed between dusty gaps on your slate chips. There may be a rip in the membrane or it has disintegrated and weeds are now growing out from the areas and spreading. You may need to clear the slate chippings out and check underneath. 
  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    Gravel or slate doesn't mean there's no maintenance, as @Borderline describes. Weeds  push through unless there's a very sturdy membrane barrier, and a very thick layer of gravel on top, or they seed in from the top.   
    Alternatively, if you don't want to lift everything, you can use a weedkiller, and then add more slate.
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    Unfortunately it's a learning lesson for others interested in putting down membrane and rocks.. it doesn't permanently resolve weed issues.  To get you a few more years weed free do as Borderline recommends and pull it all back and replace the membrane with the most expensive thick felt-like kind you can find.   Otherwise, you'll need to spray with glyphosate every few weeks.  (Full disclosure, that is what I do in my gravel area.. I pull what I can by hand and spray the rest.  I find I can spray the weeds while still very small, meaning less spray needed/in the environment, and they die off down to the roots.)
    Utah, USA.
  • rachelQrtJHBjbrachelQrtJHBjb Posts: 819
    The creeping plant is field bindweed. It has shell pink flowers. I find I can control it just by pulling from my borders. It is not as invasive as standard bindweed. You will need to regularly spray and/or pull by hand to eradicate these weeds.
  • josusa47josusa47 Posts: 3,530
    Maintenance-free gardens are like free lunches.  There's no such thing.
  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    josusa47 said:
    Maintenance-free gardens are like free lunches.  There's no such thing.
    One of my favourite YouTubers gets frequent questions about the lack of weeds in her garden...she just tells them every time that it's down to work. Hand pulling every time they show up. No magic solutions. It seems that it's not the message the enquirers want to hear. 
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • LoxleyLoxley Posts: 5,698
    Spray the straggly thing (bindweed) with glyphosate and allow to die (will take a couple of weeks). The lime green things are little annual Euphorbias, they have tiny roots and are very easy to pull out by hand, it will take you no time at all.
    "What is hateful to you, do not do to your neighbour". 
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    edited August 2020
    May need to spray the field bindweed, also called convolvulus, more than once, it starts going yellow then perks up again here.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
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