Mixed Weeds in Perennial Beds

A reader emailed me a question which I am sure applies to many of you.

How to get weeds out of mixed perennial beds. By mixed I mean you have broad leaf and grass plants in the same bed.

Example of grass plants : iris, daylilies, tulips, lily bulb plants, hosta

Example of broadleaf: mums, peonies, echinacea - most of your garden plants

In another post I will go into more detail about grass (monocots) & broadleaf (dicots) plants.

If your bed does not contain any 'grass plants' only grass weeds, test a spot out with weed killer designed for grass. BUT keep in mind it will kill your perennial grass plants. You can also apply with a brush or paint roller. I've put herbicide in a roller pan before, put the extension on the handle and rolled away. Drift happens a lot easier than you think and can hit your non-target plants. Another trick I have tried is to cover the target plant with a large plant container, like a 2 gallon pot that has that small hole in the bottom. Then I stick the nozzle in the hole and spray. Let set a minute so any excess spray runs down the sides and you don't drip it over the other plants. It may seem like a lot of work, but there is NO other way to get rid of perennial weeds than to kill them. You can shuffle hoe them out, but they are right back. There is no permanent solution, weeds will always find their way into our gardens.

Last week I sprayed for broadleaf weeds like thistle and dandelions that are in my iris & daylilies which are grass plants. So I was able to use herbicide developed for lawns and I am seeing great success. Likely too late now to spray anymore this year. I see I need to spray about 3-4 times a season to keep the weeds under control in my 2 main crops. I try not to get overspray on my good plants when I do spray. I have not noticed any ill effects on the iris or daylilies. But try this at your own risk. I have 10 acres of plants so just using manual cultivation is out of the question, I can hear the weeds growing out there!!!! Hopefully no confusion, you can always email me with questions.
ddenise58@msn.com

Fall Lawn Care

Tired of mowing yet? Here are a few late & growing season turf tips;

• your last mowing, should the shortest of the season
• shorter grass in winter will be less likely to get 'snowmold' & other grass problems
• shorter grass also lets more sunshine hit the soil to warm it up in the spring, ever wonder why your neighbors grass is green before yours?
• rake extra hard this fall to remove debris when grass plants are tough, lightly if at all in the spring when plants are new and tender
• mow over some of your leaves, this is worm food. Healthy soil should have 10 earthworms for every cubic foot of soil, no food = no worms.
• you can use a winterizer fertilizer as late as Halloween
• you can eliminate using any fertilizer if you use a mulching mower, the nitrogren released from the clippings will be more than adequate for healthy turf
• maintaining a healthy lawn is the best weed control strategy
• during the growing season, grass should be maintained at a height of 3 inches. Don't scalp your lawn. Longer grass equals longer healthy roots that will sustain plants thru dry times
• if grass turns brown during dry times, it is going dormant - not dead. Do NOT water unless you intend to water 1-2 times a week to sustain it, if it doesn't rain. The grass uses a lot of stored energy to come out of dormancy. So if you water once and the drought continues, now you may have some plant death. Either leave it...or maintain it.
• aereating your compacted lawn; generally only need every 4-6 yrs. if at all. A few clues: lawn is feeling spongy, you have a lot of plantain weed (loves compacted soil), poor drainage
• using a dethatching blade a couple times a year also keep the lawn healthy. But if you use a mulching mower, you may not need to dethach.

This BEAUTIFUL weather is killing me!!!!

What? It's really hard for me NOT to be doing something in the field when it's nice out. I feel guilty being inside blogging and doing useless jobs like cleaning my house. So it's really a love-hate thing. Love the fact the I can still get so much outside work done, but hate the fact that I can't stop working outside and just relax an hour or so. (self induced I know) Have my first baking class this Saturday, lots to do to be ready. Only 2-3 openings left in the November 13th class left, so don't delay if you are interested, Oct. & Dec. are full. Feel free to cut back any of your perennial plants, too late in the season to matter any more.