Goose grass seedlings

[Monbees]

Having mulched half of the vegetable garden with my own compost a month or so ago, I now have hundreds of small goose grass seedlings covering that area. It is back breaking work removing these by hand; my question is, will the cold weather kill these seedlings off, as it does the adult plants, and save me the trouble? Before anyone asks, my compost is always 'cold' so I do accept there will be weed seedlings anyway.

 

[Gilberdyke John]

Having mulched half of the vegetable garden with my own compost a month or so ago, I now have hundreds of small goose grass seedlings covering that area. It is back breaking work removing these by hand; my question is, will the cold weather kill these seedlings off, as it does the adult plants, and save me the trouble? Before anyone asks, my compost is always 'cold' so I do accept there will be weed seedlings anyway.

Personally I'd spray them off but if you don't like sprays a flame wand might be just the job.

 

[enrico]

We call it sticky willy! Just hoe it when really really small and do that as often as possible. Hate the stuff. Never put it in your compost!

 

[Erichalfbee]

It’s an annual. The first should kill it before if has a chance to flower.
My nemesis is that white chickweed stuff

 

[Polymorph]

Never had it, I'm constantly pulling up bind weed which is endemic in the hedges and abandoned plots on the allotment. Real pain, if only the veg grew as well.

 

[pargyle]

Never had it, I'm constantly pulling up bind weed which is endemic in the hedges and abandoned plots on the allotment. Real pain, if only the veg grew as well.

Bindweed is very difficult to eradicate completely ... even the smallest fragment of root left will start a new plant and it seems to prefer growing in amongst the roots of shrubs and plants. I've battled with it at my allotment for years ... Roundup Gel is my tool of choice for bindweed - let the bindweed grow to a size where there is a reasonable leaf growth and then hit it with the gel- kills the root as well. Not cheap but does the job. Gallup for areas of ground where there is bindweed and no other plants is very effective.

I try not to dig up bindweed as it inevitably leaves bits of root broken off and off it goes again.

 

[Murox]

The only way I have really managed to control chickweed and other unwanted stuff in my veg patch when I ran a smallholding was to use a HEAVY mulch of grass cuttings if I had it or straw; straw I found the best on my light sandier soil. Each winter I allowed the chickens to decimate selected areas ready for the following year. That took care of most annuals and things with tap roots just got pulled out during the planting season.
Our pet name for goose grass is Ba*tards because they are B's to get rid of or groom out of the dogs coat.

 

[Anthony Appleyard]

Goosegrass - Wikipedia Galium aparine - Wikipedia

 

[Pembroke]

Would covering the plot with black plastic and carpet for the winter work? The plastic stops the light getting in so the plants can't photosynthesize, the carpet keeps the plot warm which forces all the seeds to germinate, then no light so they die too and the covering prevents too much water getting in so nothing for the plants to feed on. At the end of the winter rake off all the dead plants, just don't put them back in your compost.

 

[Apiarist]

Having mulched half of the vegetable garden with my own compost a month or so ago,

...you mean literally ... your own

 

[oliver90owner]

There will be loads slightly deeper, waiting to germinate. Best to keep bringing them near the surface, so they germinate and die.

 

[Monbees]

...you mean literally ... your own

I knew someone wouldn't be able to resist picking up on that wording - just a question of who it would be ...

 

[understanding_bees]

Please allow me to express my sympathies with those of you who have difficulties with weeds in your gardens. I have no doubt that the weeds which have been mentioned – goose grass, chickweed, bindweed – all present real difficulties for gardeners. I do not recognise any of these weeds, (by the names which have been mentioned on this thread), but here in Australia there are many different kinds of weeds which create difficulties of various kinds.

There are several ways of combating this problem, some better than others. I believe that perhaps the most effective way, and the easiest - is through the use of mulch. I want to make a distinction here, between mulch and compost. The kind of mulch which has given me the best success had been leaf mulch, made from the leaves of deciduous trees, collected in Autumn. Many of you may have opportunity to collect large quantities of autumn leaves. I have used a mulching machine to pulverize autumn leaves so that the resulting mulch could be spread thickly around my garden. For those who do not have a mulching machine, I have found that these types of leaves can be decomposed by packing them into large plastic garbage bags, and sealing them up while the leaves are moist but not too wet. In my climate this decomposition can take several months.

The use of leaf mulch provides several benefits (although there may be other benefits as well):
- mulch made from deciduous leaves do not contain weed seeds,
- it provides a blanket layer which helps to prevent germination of weed seeds which are near the surface of the soil,
- it provides an insulating layer to protect the surface of the soil from frosts,
- it protects the soil from excessive loss of water from evaporation during hot weather,
- it provides a slow-release fertilizer of minerals such as potash, which the trees originally extracted from deeper in the soil,
- over time it helps improve the texture of the soil,
- if weeds do grow through a thick layer of mulch, they are usually much easier to pull out by the roots, because they have germinated very close to the soil surface, and the roots are most likely to be in the mulch layer,
- leaf mulch discourages snails (at least it has done so for me!)

I have found that using grass clippings as mulch can have disadvantages, in that they may contain seeds which could germinate and cause problems amongst the desirable plants. Weed seeds which germinate are usually those which are near to the surface of the soil. Weed seeds which are brought to the surface by digging the soil can germinate, even after several years of being buried, so it is desirable to keep them buried deeply for long enough to ensure that they are decomposed. To this end, I have found it very effective to dig a deep hole – maybe 12-18 inches deep, and wide enough to bury the quantity of weeds to be get rid of. I have used holes about 3 feet by 5 feet to be able to bury a large quantity of weeds which can then be covered by a thick layer of topsoil. In time, these weeds provide nutrient to the crops you do want to grow, and the weed seeds will never germinate if you do not bring them back to the surface.

I would not use weed matting, old carpet, or plastic sheeting to try to prevent weeds from growing. These may provide a short term benefit, but I have seen too many examples where they have failed after a year or two – and then they present a new problem because they have contaminated the soil because they are non compostable. If a weed mat of some kind is really necessary, then perhaps layers of newspaper could be used, which will in time decompose and contribute to the friability of the soil.

 

[Monbees]

Please allow me to express my sympathies with those of you who have difficulties with weeds in your gardens. I have no doubt that the weeds which have been mentioned – goose grass, chickweed, bindweed – all present real difficulties for gardeners. I do not recognise any of these weeds, (by the names which have been mentioned on this thread), but here in Australia there are many different kinds of weeds which create difficulties of various kinds.

There are several ways of combating this problem, some better than others. I believe that perhaps the most effective way, and the easiest - is through the use of mulch. I want to make a distinction here, between mulch and compost. The kind of mulch which has given me the best success had been leaf mulch, made from the leaves of deciduous trees, collected in Autumn. Many of you may have opportunity to collect large quantities of autumn leaves. I have used a mulching machine to pulverize autumn leaves so that the resulting mulch could be spread thickly around my garden. For those who do not have a mulching machine, I have found that these types of leaves can be decomposed by packing them into large plastic garbage bags, and sealing them up while the leaves are moist but not too wet. In my climate this decomposition can take several months

On this occasion I used homemade compost although I also make leaf mould each Autumn. Interesting that yours 'makes' in several months. I used to pile the fallen leaves as they were and found they took two years to decompose. I now use a rotary mower to cut up the leaves and they decompose in one year. I do have a mulching attachment on my mower so I may give that a try to see if the process can be speeded up. I guess your mulching machine is specific for this purpose?

 

[Wilco]

Please allow me to express my sympathies with those of you who have difficulties with weeds in your gardens. I have no doubt that the weeds which have been mentioned – goose grass, chickweed, bindweed – all present real difficulties for gardeners. I do not recognise any of these weeds, (by the names which have been mentioned on this thread), but here in Australia there are many different kinds of weeds which create difficulties of various kinds.

There are several ways of combating this problem, some better than others. I believe that perhaps the most effective way, and the easiest - is through the use of mulch. I want to make a distinction here, between mulch and compost. The kind of mulch which has given me the best success had been leaf mulch, made from the leaves of deciduous trees, collected in Autumn. Many of you may have opportunity to collect large quantities of autumn leaves. I have used a mulching machine to pulverize autumn leaves so that the resulting mulch could be spread thickly around my garden. For those who do not have a mulching machine, I have found that these types of leaves can be decomposed by packing them into large plastic garbage bags, and sealing them up while the leaves are moist but not too wet. In my climate this decomposition can take several months.

The use of leaf mulch provides several benefits (although there may be other benefits as well):
- mulch made from deciduous leaves do not contain weed seeds,
- it provides a blanket layer which helps to prevent germination of weed seeds which are near the surface of the soil,
- it provides an insulating layer to protect the surface of the soil from frosts,
- it protects the soil from excessive loss of water from evaporation during hot weather,
- it provides a slow-release fertilizer of minerals such as potash, which the trees originally extracted from deeper in the soil,
- over time it helps improve the texture of the soil,
- if weeds do grow through a thick layer of mulch, they are usually much easier to pull out by the roots, because they have germinated very close to the soil surface, and the roots are most likely to be in the mulch layer,
- leaf mulch discourages snails (at least it has done so for me!)

I have found that using grass clippings as mulch can have disadvantages, in that they may contain seeds which could germinate and cause problems amongst the desirable plants. Weed seeds which germinate are usually those which are near to the surface of the soil. Weed seeds which are brought to the surface by digging the soil can germinate, even after several years of being buried, so it is desirable to keep them buried deeply for long enough to ensure that they are decomposed. To this end, I have found it very effective to dig a deep hole – maybe 12-18 inches deep, and wide enough to bury the quantity of weeds to be get rid of. I have used holes about 3 feet by 5 feet to be able to bury a large quantity of weeds which can then be covered by a thick layer of topsoil. In time, these weeds provide nutrient to the crops you do want to grow, and the weed seeds will never germinate if you do not bring them back to the surface.

I would not use weed matting, old carpet, or plastic sheeting to try to prevent weeds from growing. These may provide a short term benefit, but I have seen too many examples where they have failed after a year or two – and then they present a new problem because they have contaminated the soil because they are non compostable. If a weed mat of some kind is really necessary, then perhaps layers of newspaper could be used, which will in time decompose and contribute to the friability of the soil.

Cardboard can be used as a weed mat too; takes a bit longer to break down than newspaper and offers all the benefits. Think it's suggested as part of a lot of permaculture/no-till systems.

 

[understanding_bees]

I guess your mulching machine is specific for this purpose?

The mulching machine I have is designed for garden use, and is especially suitable for green trimmings such as prunings from shrubs and trees. It accepts twigs, and small green branches up to 12-15mm thickness, as well as leaves and weedy material. It works best with damp material, and is powered by a 5hp 4-stroke petrol engine. If soft or wet material such as grass shall be mulched, then feeding coarser or drier material as well helps to avoid the machine getting clogged up. I have been able to mulch ivy, rose cuttings, and small tree branches and immediately spread the mulch on the ground.
My favourite material for the "front garden" is oak tree leaves. When I put these through the machine twice, the resulting mulch has a consistency similar to crushed corn flakes breakfast cereal. The small pieces of leaf mulch have torn edges which interlock and do not get blown by the wind.

 

[Erichalfbee]

We use the lawn mower to shred our leaves

 

[gmonag]

Me too. I fitted a Gator blade to mulch them, which does a very good job. The leaves just disappear after a few passes. I used to rake , bag and dump - far too much work!

 

[Happygran]

Having mulched half of the vegetable garden with my own compost a month or so ago, I now have hundreds of small goose grass seedlings covering that area. It is back breaking work removing these by hand; my question is, will the cold weather kill these seedlings off, as it does the adult plants, and save me the trouble? Before anyone asks, my compost is always 'cold' so I do accept there will be weed seedlings anyway.

If frost killed it off, there would never be a problem. It's been prolific this year, but the chickens love it. You can let it sprout a bit more then eat it like spinach. Otherwise cardboard weighted down so it doesn't blow away and plant through it.