How to clean soil without damaging bulbs below

lizstooke · August 2020

For three years I've looked after three very large raised beds in our village. The scheme is daffs followed by alliums

followed by annual wild flower mix.
First year the display was fantastic..but over last two years more and more weedier wildflowers have "flown in" and have now swamped the annual mix..so from a mass of different colours there are now odd pops of colour amongst all the "weeds".
Around now I'll cut back the wildflowers but obviously a lot of seed will have dropped and buried itself in the soil to come back next year which will include the more invasive plants.

In Spring I hand weed around the bulbs before I sow the new wildflower mix. But it is clear that I am not eradicating all the overwintered seed.
I know I have to completely clean the soil to get the best display...to get the mix that I sow to come up and not all the other less colourful and more aggressive native plants...but HOW??
Do I have to use weedkiller...If so how, what and when to apply without damaging the bulbs below? or will I have to sacrifice all the lovely bulbs if I want to carry on with this scheme?
...or could I roll out turf across the top of the beds this month..so that the bulbs will come through but hopefully the weeds will be suppressed (naturally)? I know this option means I will have to abandon the wild flowers next year..or maybe add plug plants...to build up a meadow ??
As you can see I am trying to think outside the box!
Please any suggestions gratefully received.

Ps the top image shows wildflowers this year...the bottom one shows the better display the first year.

Buttercupdays · August 2020

Don't know what your budget is or if you have any help on this, but it looks like a good effort on your part

You seem to be getting a lot of rape seed or something similar, maybe from nearby fields. Maybe you could enlist some help in some way. Perhaps post a picture of the worst culprits with 'I'm a weed, please pull me out' or something? You know your village best and what might work, but people might not mind removing one or two weeds when they came to sit on the bench and it might just help to keep on top of the invaders.

I don't think there is a solution that doesn't involve some work and expense, but if you are able to remove most of the weeds before they set seed it will certainly help.

The best I can come up with would be this: spread a layer of cardboard over the soil surface and cover it with a layer of clean soil or even multi-purpose compost. With any luck the cardboard should be enough to stop the weed seedlings germinating en masse, but by spring it will have broken down sufficiently for the bulbs to get through. You can sow your seeds into the beds and the plants, as they grow, will be able to access the soil underneath.

punkdoc · August 2020

I think you need to try and remove the plants you don't want before they seed, so about now.

fidgetbones · August 2020

Yes, I would pull out all the yellow rape seed (or similar) even though it is still in flower.

lizstooke · August 2020

Thank you so much for your thoughtful suggestions..the pic showing the rape seed was taken back in June . I sent it to the seed supplier because it was such a surprise!.. and, yep, enlisted the help of volonteers/friends to take out as much as we could ...but then spurge arrived and many other interlopers!
Unfortunately, now, practically all the plants have gone to seed so clearing away top growth doesn't solve the problem of all that seed in the soil (wanted and unwanted)
Yes ..I guess there is no easy way haha... clear and cover is going to have to be the way forward.
More begging on Facebook ahead.

How to clean soil without damaging bulbs below

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