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Weeds!

nuttymoomandsnuttymoomands Posts: 4
in Problem solving
I have a new build house with decent size borders surrounding the front of the house. Unfortunately they have a lot of invasive and persistent weeds. I want to rearrange and revamp the planting the developers completed anyway so would like some tips on how to try to get rid of as many weeds as possible. I wondered if I should strip out the plants completely, keeping the ones I plan to reuse and either cover the ground in plastic/cardboard to block the light or use green manure or both. Does anyone have any experiences they can share? Thank you in advance 
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  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Hello @nuttymoomands and welcome to the forum  :)

    It depends on what sort of weeds are growing there ... can you show us some photos please?

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





  • GardenerSuzeGardenerSuze Posts: 5,692
    I agree it does depend on what your weeds are as to the best way to tackle it. Photos sometimes load upsidedown don't worry.
    I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
  • nuttymoomandsnuttymoomands Posts: 4
    Thank you very much for your quick reply, sorry for the delay in mine. Hopefully this works. I’m very new to this! These are the worst offenders  
  • MikeOxgreenMikeOxgreen Posts: 812
    Glyphosate.
  • Loraine3Loraine3 Posts: 579
    Top picture looks suspiciously like 'Mares Tail' almost impossible to get rid of. Middle picture, I would deadhead that Dock for starters before it seeds everywhere. Not sure of bottom picture.
  • Forester_PeteForester_Pete Posts: 175
    Top one looks like bittercress to me. Annual so just needs pulling or hoeing. Not 100% sure though.
  • B3B3 Posts: 27,505
    I think the top one is bittercress too. 
    In London. Keen but lazy.
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    Yes, and it's got seedpods, so needs pulling out PDQ.

    I think the third picture is one of the bindweeds ... probably Hedge Bindweed.  

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





  • TopbirdTopbird Posts: 8,355
    edited July 2022
    I'm not sure it is mare's tail in that top picture @Loraine3. I agree at first glance it looks like it but (fortunately) I think we might be looking at the tall stems of bitter cress either ready to or just after it's shed its seeds... It's still a real nuisance weed but eminently removeable.

    I agree that the first course of action would be to immediately remove any flowering and seed bearing stems of the weeds - a quick job which will save you having even more weedlings popping up.

    Personally, I'd hand weed out the dock (middle picture) and use a glyphosate based weedkiller on the other weeds. Be sure to protect the leaves of any desirable plants from spray drift (a bit of cardboard will do) and make sure you spray on a still day. With the hot weather we have forecast it would be better to do this job very late evening so the weedkiller doesn't evaporate before it's had time to penetrate the leaves.

    The glyphosate can take up to 4 weeks to work but it will kill weeds down to the root. In 4 weeks that dock and bitter cress will have spread their seeds far and wide which is why you need to cut off the flowering / seed bearing stems NOW.

    Heaven is ... sitting in the garden with a G&T and a cat while watching the sun go down
  • PosyPosy Posts: 3,601
    I would leave the plants where they are and hand weed. There will always be weeds, you can put down cardboard - though it looks awful - or membrane,  ditto, or mulch, much more attractive and good for the soil, but there will still be weeds. They will blow in on the wind, be dropped by birds, grow in from next door. In your situation you will have to make one ot two really major attacks on them but after that a little, regular hand weeding is good for the garden and a very peaceful way to spend half an hour out of doors.
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