Late Spring Bits and Bobs.

A place to chat about anything you like, including non-gardening related subjects. Just keep it clean, please!

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Monika
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Geoff, our goosegrass (robin-run-the-hedge, sticky willy, name it what you will, it's a pest!) was introduced from the nearby nature reserve a few years ago and ever since then I have tried to pull it out before it seeds, but every year up it pops again all over the place and especially amongst our rose hedge. I think it seeds itself so prolifically that any small plant that is missed will produce dozens more the following year. And, of course, it attaches itself to cats, dogs, hedgehogs to be carried about.
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Geoff
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Goosegrass removal postponed due to thunder, lightning and hail. The other thing that is spreading through my borders is enchanter's nightshade, much harder to deal with.
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oldherbaceous
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Don't mention that stuff, Geoff...at the Big House they had a trailer load of the composted garden waste about 5 years ago, and Enchanter's Nightshade started appearing in all of the borders and being pretty heavy soil, it has been a nightmare to get rid of.
We had some loads of the same stuff delivered to the allotments, and that's when the onion white rot started too... :evil:
Kind Regards, Old Herbaceous.

There's no fool like an old fool.
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Geoff
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I don't trust any of this green waste that the sell to use directly or use as the basis for these supposedly environmentally friendly potting composts, it obviously doesn't get hot enough to kill everything. That that shall not be named goes either to my bonfire or landfill bin, I don't use a green bin. Bad patches I try and glyphosate as digging it out it always snaps.
Just the one power cut during the lightning and so far 16.5mm of precipitation.
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Kayburton
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oldherbaceous wrote:Don't mention that stuff, Geoff...at the Big House they had a trailer load of the composted garden waste about 5 years ago, and Enchanter's Nightshade started appearing in all of the borders and being pretty heavy soil, it has been a nightmare to get rid of.
We had some loads of the same stuff delivered to the allotments, and that's when the onion white rot started too... :evil:


In order for compost to be useful, it must be properly laid, and not just heaped up all kinds of rot. In general, of course, it is better to use specialized fertilizers if there is no confidence in the quality of the compost and the absence of bacterial infection in it.
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Primrose
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I,ve become a victim of my own composting.
When we moved into this new building house any years ago we had no oxalis in this garden. I suspect it was originally introduced by generous friends giving me lots of various cuttings to get our garden going.

I naively threw all my weeds, including oxalis onto to the compost heap innocently assuming their tiny root bulbils would be destroyed by the composting heat process. THEY WEREN''T and for a long time i was merely respreading them around the garden.

I now put all my weeds into our green recycling bin since I doubt our compost post heap gets hot enough to destroy them completely.

I can,t tell you how many hours have been spent on my hands and knees trying to dig out every last tiny visible oxalis bulbil. It,s a totally lost cause, Beginner weeders - beware !
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Cider Boys
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How right you are Primrose regarding the evil oxalis. I have been plagued by oxalis for years, it has even got into the glasshouse soil. I used to raise my seedings such as leeks in a seedbed that had oxalis and although I used to check the roots before transplanting I have inadvertently transferred the oxalis to my other parts of the garden. I have given up trying to dig the tiny bulbs out and I am resting the seedbed this year and will be applying copious glyphosate sprays as soon as the oxalis appears. I tried this last year on some tubs that had the oxalis plague and will have to wait and see if it had the desired outcome. A previous owner must have loved the plant but I despise the way it spreads. I'm quite sure that I would not be able to manage without reaching for glyphosate but perhaps that says something about me.

Keep weeding (spraying)

Barney
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Primrose
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Ciders Boys For the 45 years we,ve lived here i've tried to grow organically so a desperately trying to resist using glyphosate but qi'llbe interested to learn whether it,s effective in eliminating oxalis.
I,ve found that allowing clumps of it to grow bigger means a better chance to ending up with tiny bulbils which escape but over the years it,a become such a Menander thwt it,s now resorted to becoming a major vendetta to the death!

Ican see that when i give up my efforts I'll probabky end up with an oxtails lawn!
Monika
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We don't have oxalis, but lots and lots of lesser celandine which is equally indestructible because of the little bulbils. Luckily, we have a large wild patch where it can run riot in early spring, but then it completely disappears until the next spring. The wild patch is now being taken over by aquilegia, bluebells, camasses and foxglove - now that's a very colourful and pretty mixture and the insects love them.
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Shallot Man
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I have a similar problem with Bluebells. Late Memsahib brought 6 bulbs back from the Isle of White some 50 years ago. Running rampant in the garden. Though do look nice at the moment in bloom.
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Primrose
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Yes bluebells can be a mixed blessing, especially if they,re the Spanish variety. Probably a good idea to restrict them to pots. However much to try and dig them up a stray bulb or two always escapes you.
Monika
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Yes, we have lots of bluebells as well and also honesty and red campion. It all looks very pretty at the moment.
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Is this the same as mares tails and or am I getting mixed up I think it’s oxalis ,I’m having a dumb day I think it’s a bit of owldtimers
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Well at least it felt like late spring for a short while on the plot today until the clouds built & the rain & wind came, but keeping on the theme of nuisance plants I can't believe how much ground the bind weed has managed to cover since the big Xmas dig out! To date I have managed to contain it along the fence line with my winter big attack but it must be 1 1/2' into the beds already this year! A worry, but I do love digging it out so road out the weather & was well pleased with my patience to track that brittle white root as far as I could without it snapping! I nearly turned total anorak & took a pic of the really long root but it was actually the dog to credit for that as she loosened the soil just enough above it. Then wasted the rest of my time escaping 3 times! Higher fencing on order, although was tempted to review electric fencing! ;)
Westi
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Compo
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Probably 150 / 200 mm of rain here in Somerset in the past few days. As for weeds, I get a lot of ground-elder, and it is not due to home made compost, just really hard to get all the white bits of root out of clay soil. If we don't add manure and other composts on our shale / clay substrate, we get a greasy clay to work with that will compact no matter whether you walk on it or not. I don't believe we can ever expect a weed free environment. As my wise 25 year old son says. 'Dad - it is what it is''
If I am not on the plot, I am not happy.........
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