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Weed killer advice.

Birdgirl82Birdgirl82 Posts: 28
edited September 2020 in Problem solving
Hi,

I have a rockery I need to weed. It was hidden under a very large conifer which has now been removed. There was a ton of ivy which we have cleared on the surface. Now the soil is exposed, other weeds are growing and even though I clear them, they are coming back (most of the green in the photo are grape hyacinths) .

What I'd like to ask is whether there is a wildlife friendly weed killer that is OK to use here? We have hedgehogs that roam around here and I'd hate to make them poorly.

Would a rockery with bark chippings on top look ok? Or would you go with gravel? I've heard that these are good ways to suppress weeds too. 

I'm at a loss as to what to do. Any advice is gratefully recieved. Thanks in advance. 

Rachel
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Posts

  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    edited September 2020
    If they are annual weeds growing from seed in the soil, then covering the area between the rocks with a few inches of gravel will suppress most of them.  For perennial weeds such as dandelion, you can carefully apply a glyphosate-based weedkiller to them on a dry day and it will be safe for wildlife once the spray has dried on the leaves.  Any spray which accidentally gets onto the soil is deactivated on contact.  You then need to wait at least 2 weeks for the weedkiller to be transported to the roots in order to kill them, so don't remove any weeds until they turn brown and have died.
    You could just gravel the area now and treat any growth as it appears.  If you do that, best not to plant anything until you are happy that the area is now weed-free.
    I hope you like Muscari as they are an absolute b*gger to eradicate because weedkillers don't work very well at all on them.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    I agree with @BobTheGardener but you may have better success with the muscari if you add a drop of washing-up liquid to the fluid and brush it on with your hands - wearing plastic gloves! - or else just buy the gel form which sticks better.   You may need more than one application tho.

    You could also just using a hand fork or trowel to remove as many as possible and then keep snipping any new leaves at the base every time they get long enough so the bulbs eventually run out of energy supply and die.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • PalustrisPalustris Posts: 4,307
    That is a rather well constructed Rockery. Go with the advice given and you could have a really nice feature there. Dwarf Dianthus, Alpine Phlox, Silver Saxifrages all would love it.
  • Birdgirl82Birdgirl82 Posts: 28
    Thanks for the quick responses!! I'm actually thinking of keeping the Muscari. I think I'll just go with perseverance and smother them. Would bark have the same effect as gravel as it's much cheaper. 

    We had no idea there were so many rocks there when we got rid of the conifer. It was a big surprise to find a ready made rockery there. The photo is when the conifer was there.


  • amancalledgeorgeamancalledgeorge Posts: 2,736
    Good grief, that was massive! A lesson to us all about conifers ;)
    To Plant a Garden is to Believe in Tomorrow
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    Wow, what an improvement the removal of that ugly conifer has made! :smile:
    Bark would work, but I think a gravel matching the rocks would look infinitely better.
    As @Palustris says, it is a rather good one with nice sized rocks and I think paying the extra would be well worth it.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • Birdgirl82Birdgirl82 Posts: 28
    Yes, it was 😆. Definitely prefer the rockery and glad someone else had done the hard work!
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 30,090
    If you keep the rockery and plant alpines as suggested by @Palustris do save up and invest in gravel, even if it's a bag at a time because bark will just look wrong - wrong colour, wrong size, wrong material. 

    Small scale bark will blow away in the wind and large scale will look daft and you'd need a very thick layer to block the light well enough to stop weeds.  Bark is better suited to flatter, wider planting zones or paths.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "The price good men (and women) pay for indifference to public affairs is to be ruled by evil men (and women)."
    Plato
  • wild edgeswild edges Posts: 10,497
    For alpine planting try to buy at least three bags of differently sized and coloured gravel and mix them up. It looks much more natural than just one uniform type.
    If you can keep your head, while those around you are losing theirs, you may not have grasped the seriousness of the situation.
  • JennyJJennyJ Posts: 10,576
    The conifer was most likely planted at about a foot high and sold as a "dwarf" variety.
    I agree with the others, gravel will look nicer than bark with alpine plants. It has the added advantage that it keeps the "necks" of alpine plants dry. Bark would tend to be damp around the necks and encourage rotting.
    Doncaster, South Yorkshire. Soil type: sandy, well-drained
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