Advice welcome?

[donedigging]

Having a big problem this year with http://www.gardenorganic.org.uk/organic ... .php?id=58

I have heavy clay

Hand weeding , mainly breaks off at surface level......I don't like spraying ...but any suggestions are welcome.

Many thanks in advance

[Tony Hague]

Persistent hoeing - don't let it seed. This one is my favourite hoe -the Wolf push-pull garden weeder (I can go on about why at some length if you like !)

[Nature's Babe]

What size patch is it donedigging?

[oldherbaceous]

Dear Donedigging, it's only an annual, so as long as you can stop it from seeding you have won half the battle. So even if it leaves the root in while hand weeding, regrowth will take a while.

[Johnboy]

I have spent half the morning taking the heads of Hemlock which seems to have taken over about half of an acre of my unused plot.
By taking the heads off they will not be shedding seeds this year to come up next year and make the problem worse. Having taken the heads off today I will cut the plants down for compost tomorrow if the weather is fine. I can now use the Allen Scythe and simply then pick up the plants I need. There is bound to be more than a ton of compostable material.
As I explained in an earlier posting I make compost from as many different plants because they take up different components from the soil. I will use layers of grass cuttings to bring up the heat and in about a month to six weeks this will be biodegraded sufficiently to be dug in as soil improver this Autumn. This compost is made using HD black polythene laid out and then the compost put down the centre and then wrapped-up by folding the sides over and weighted down with car tyres. I estimate that this will take four 40ft x 40ft sheets to do the job.
The half acre is destined to grow Tansey and Yarrow to mix with Comfrey and pulverised straw and there will also be a fair percentage of Stinging Nettles used to kick-start the whole proceedings off.
This is the start of an experiment.
JB

[Nature's Babe]

Johnboy is wise to include a variety of compostable materials, then many different nutrients go back to the soil either incorporated as he does, or on top of the soil and let the worms take it down. Was your soil full of weed seeds? If so digging will bring more to the surface to germinate, whereas a layer on top will help to suppress weeds.

[donedigging]

Thank you all for your advice.

Tony Hague,
I am sure you have good reason to love your Wolf push pull hoe...may be we can have this conversation over the winter months but thank you for the offer

OH
I am so glad to read this is only an annual weed. Does this mean that next year the roots that I haven't dug up,will regrow like bindweed?

Johnboy
[quoteThe half acre is destined to grow Tansey and Yarrow to mix with Comfrey and pulverised straw and there will also be a fair percentage of Stinging Nettles used to kick-start the whole proceedings off.][/quote]
Your experiment sounds interesting... Do you chop the nettles up or leave them whole?
I have never added these to the compost.....thinking they will give me bigger problems next year

[oldherbaceous]

Evening Donedigging, it will be only seedlings that may come up next year, not anything from the roots, but if they do, i will personally come and remove them myself.

If using nettles, use while the stems are still soft and definately before they start producing seed.

[donedigging]

Evening OH,

You are truly my knight in shinning armour thank you

Thank you for the tip about the nettles as well...I do try and leave a clump for the butterflies so I won't be adding those

[Johnboy]

Hi Donedigging,
OH has hit the nail on the head as only nettles that have nowhere reached the flowering stage let alone the seeding stage. The nettles are farmed by cutting them down to the ground with a mower and they will regenerate and you can cut another two crops but after that they become crafty and start to go up to flower at the height you normally cut them and in fact are quite stunted. However Nettles are really great for raising the temperature of the compost and once really hot this compost goes down in half the time. Do remember no flower heads and certainly no roots!
This is all in an attempt to produce a really good non-peat seeding compost.
JB.

[Nature's Babe]

Johnboy, you are on the right track , I feel sure you will succeed, Will PM you.