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Weeding help!!

7 years ago

I am curious what others use to control weeds in large gardens? Not chemical sprays as I grow organically. Do you use a certain kind of small lightweight tiller/cultivator? I'd like something that just lightly tills/tears up the weeds without backbreaking work involved. I've done mulching in the past and this works ok but my garden is 50' x 60' and this takes a lot of mulch and bending over to lay the mulch. Would seem easier to just run something over the areas to tear the weeds up. Suggestions? Thank you!

Comments (9)

  • 7 years ago

    I’ve recently switched to a mixture of one gallon vinegar, 1/4 cup blue dawn dish detergent, and 2cups Epsom salts. It kills weeds as effectively as round up without the hazards. I also lay cardboard under my mulch which lasts a season or two.

    Mt Gardenerlady thanked ljsos
  • 7 years ago

    I prefer a three-pronged cultivator and have both hand ones and a long handled tool as well. But scuffle or hula hoes work equally well.

    "It kills weeds as effectively as round up without the hazards."

    Unfortunately, that is not the case :-) Vinegar IS a mild herbicide but effective only for shallow rooted annual weeds (or shallow rooted vegetables!!). It does not have the ability to translocate to the root system and only desiccates or burns the topgrowth, leaving any perennial weeds or taprooted plants unaffected. And is just as hazardous to unintended targets as is the glyphosate. Neither the dishwashing liquid nor the Epsom salts provide any benefit at all so no need to include them.

    Mt Gardenerlady thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
  • 7 years ago

    All you need to do is never let the weeds get large/stop them from reseeding as much as you can, which can mean simply cutting off at soil level, Dutch hoe, scuffle hoe, shovel....pick your weapon... only exceptions are those that will go to seed after being cut down or the self propagators like goutweed, knotweed etc. Is this a veggie patch or flower garden? If flowers, you can try planting more intensively, leave less bare soil. Sometimes the more you stir things up, the more seeds you unearth to germinate.

    Mt Gardenerlady thanked J Williams
  • 7 years ago

    And this of course is after you’ve properly got things under control, no deeply entrenched perennial weeds that haven’t been properly removed/reduced, it does no good to cut back weed trees for ex. If you are allowing them to sprout again and again, you will have a never ending chore on your hands.

    Mt Gardenerlady thanked J Williams
  • 7 years ago

    If you really want to kill weeds, use Molasses. We bought a tote (for storing water off the roof) that had been used for Molasses and it had some left in the bottom. Since I'd heard that it was good as a fert, I watered all my newly acquired perennial plants and killed the LOT. It is obviously only good in small doses!!!!!

  • 7 years ago

    I use an oscillating (scuffle) hoe, a cape cod weeder (small for tiny places), and compost mulch. Also use a guy I pay to weed occasionally when I can't do it myself (chronic Lyme disease). Where I grow perennial flowers, I space them so close together, you can't see the soil between them, so no weeds.

    Mt Gardenerlady thanked susanzone5 (NY)
  • 7 years ago

    A wheel hoe works great for a large garden with much less effort.

    Mt Gardenerlady thanked TOM A Z5a-IL.
  • 7 years ago

    My hula hoe, a brand name for a type of oscillating weeder is one of my favorite garden tools.

    Mt Gardenerlady thanked kentc