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Removing a patch of weeds

keljnrkeljnr Posts: 6
in Problem solving
Hi,
I have a patch in front garden that gets riddled with weeds, especially nettles. What is the best way to get rid of these? I tried burning them, but they quickly grew back. I could try weed killer... But will this affect the roots of the plants I'm wanting to keep?

How about forking over the patch? Does that work well? 

Many thanks


Posts

  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    Do you know what other weeds you have?
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • keljnrkeljnr Posts: 6
    edited May 2021
    I'm not sure of what they are... hopefully a picture might help. There is a patch of sticky weeds too (off the picture)
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    There doesn't seem to be anything too sinister there. 
    Dig them out rather than just turning over the soil and don't let anything seed.
    Fork up a clump and shake off the soil. This is much easier after a bit of rain.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    The sticky weeds , you can pull out easily.
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • ButtercupdaysButtercupdays Posts: 4,546
    Picture not very clear, but I think I can see ground elder in there, among other things Nettles are simple to deal with if you make the effort to follow up and remove all the roots.
    Ground elder needs thorough digging and meticulous removal of every bit of white root and then you go back in 2 or 3 weeks and go over the ground again to get all the bits you missed! There will always be some, because the tiniest piece of root can grow. into a new plant. If there are plants you wish to keep, it is best to lift them and remove any GE that has infiltrated their roots, before replanting.
    Once you have done this it is just a case of being vigilant and swift to deal with any re-invasion :)
  • BobTheGardenerBobTheGardener Posts: 11,385
    You have a fine selection of common weeds there, but the worst are the bramble shoots.  Those will have very deep roots and you need to either dig them out or treat them with a brushwood killer (you can paint that on to the leaves so that other plants nearby aren't affected.)  The rest should come up when you fork the area over, but you'll need to remove every piece of root from the area where the nettles are growing, or it'll just keep coming back.  Stinging nettles usually have yellow/orange roots.
    A trowel in the hand is worth a thousand lost under a bush.
  • didywdidyw Posts: 3,573
    As it doesn't appear as if you have any plants you want to keep in your patch there, I would dig it over and get down on my hands and knees removing all the roots I could find, digging deeper to get the bramble roots out, following them as far back as you can, then go back in a week or two and do it all again.  Then put in some soil improver and voila - a nice bed for some nice plants.  Soil preparation is so important - as Walter Gabriel used to say: "The answer lies in the soil".
    Gardening in East Suffolk on dry sandy soil.
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