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Weeds

bdsm08201821003bdsm08201821003 Posts: 3
in Plants
Ok so all of my flower and shrub beds have become weed heaven no matter what. Even spraying roundup no longer works. Is there anything I can spray that will only kill weeds? Should I lay gravel and cover with thick mulch? Been fighting this for years ready to just quit
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Posts

  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    Weeds always grow but mulching helps. The best way to control them is to pull or hoe or dig them out before they seed. Manual labour but it works eventually. When you have removed them then apply a thick coat of mulch. If you don't have any then the cheapest bought stuff will do. It won't last, you will have to do it again, but eventually there will be fewer and fewer weeds. I don't use weedkillers in flower or shrub beds.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • bdsm08201821003bdsm08201821003 Posts: 3
    Yes I have dug and pulled until I just feel like giving up. I’ll try real thick mulch. Thank you kindly 
  • bdsm08201821003bdsm08201821003 Posts: 3
    Is there a certain mulch that works better 
  • StephenSouthwestStephenSouthwest Posts: 635
    Which weeds do you have?
  • Busy-LizzieBusy-Lizzie Posts: 24,043
    I just use the cheapest compost after my homemade has run out.
    Dordogne and Norfolk. Clay in Dordogne, sandy in Norfolk.
  • PlantmindedPlantminded Posts: 3,580
    If your weeds are persistent perennials like ground elder or horsetail, mulching with compost alone will not eradicate the problem.  Some photos of your weeds would help to enable identification and suggest suitable treatment.
    Wirral. Sandy, free draining soil.


  • FairygirlFairygirl Posts: 55,117
    The best way to keep weeds at bay is to use dense planting - especially groundcovering plants, so that there's less ground for weeds to invade.  There are loads to choose from, depending on the site and soil etc, and the more evergreens you can put in the better.  :)
    However, as already said, hefty mulching helps but not with those deep rooted or perennial weeds. Those will come through even quite a thick mulch, so if you can give us an idea of what you have, and many a photo or two, that will help. It won't stop weeds seeding in from elsewhere, but it will be easier to hoe them off. A combination of planting and mulching is really the best way. 
    Weedkillers need sufficient foliage to work well, and the newer ones often need applied several times. Later spring and summer are the best times to use it though, when weeds are growing more strongly.  :)
    It's a place where beautiful isn't enough of a word....



    I live in west central Scotland - not where that photo is...
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    My garden is a weed fest as well. I do not use mulch as a weed suppressant because I find it builds up around the base of my plants and suffocates them or provides a wonderful growing area for even more weeds, entangled in the roots of my plants. The worst offender in my garden is a kind of clump-forming field grass that is almost like bamboo, It forms thousands of tiny bulbils as well as having matted root balls.
    Nettles, dock, creeping buttercup, rapeseed, and other weeds pale into insignificance against the field grass, except for brambles which run it a close second.
  • Joyce GoldenlilyJoyce Goldenlily Posts: 2,933
    Can I send you a bucketful to spread the love?
  • WaterbutWaterbut Posts: 344
    If you have horsetail an elderly ex estate worker told me to pour boiling water over them. It worked for me.
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