Argh, buttercups!

Discussion in 'General Gardening Discussion' started by Natalie025, May 7, 2012.

  1. Natalie025

    Natalie025 Gardener

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    Hello,

    My hubby and I have just bought our first house, which has a nicely sized rear garden with mature plants and a few which pop up and surprise us every now and then.

    We seem to have quite an abundance of creeping buttercups (which I thought were plants until my mum told me otherwise!).

    I've been digging up the odd one by the root when I see them, however we have quite a large thick patch of them in a couple of areas and I'm at a loss as to how to tackle them quickly and easily?!

    One patch is right next to our boundary fence so i don't want to use weed killer if I don't have to as the neighbours have pets are nearby.

    Help!

    Natalie
     
  2. Phil A

    Phil A Guest

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    Hi Natalie,

    You're Mum's wrong, Buttercups are plants.
     
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    • chitting kaz

      chitting kaz Total Gardener

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      ziggy play nicely :snork: she doesnt know your humour yet :roflol:

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ranunculus

      some say use weed killer but me i dig them out the roots are like tenticles though so can be fun, good luck :dbgrtmb:
       
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      • Spruce

        Spruce Glad to be back .....

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        Grow a lillte meadow and then just cut in August

        Spruce
         
      • Natalie025

        Natalie025 Gardener

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        Haha, yes they are plants but they're ones that take over your whole garden aren't they?

        Funny enough what I want to plant in their place are some orange ranunculus bulbs - had no idea they were the same family.

        I tried to dig them out with a weed knife. We're lacking garden tools with it being our first house. Maybe if I went and bought a fork would that get them out easier? It's clay like soil with stones in it so a bit of a hard area to dig through.

        Does it matter if I don't get all the root out? How do they spread?

        Natalie
         
      • Natalie025

        Natalie025 Gardener

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        I wouldn't mind keeping a few spruce as they're native and eventually have a nice yellow flower don't they?

        But then again I'm worried that if I leave them then they'll end up out of control. I'm too much of a novice to deal with anymore than we have popping up.

        X
         
      • chitting kaz

        chitting kaz Total Gardener

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        i lift mine with fork, get as much of the root as you can and if you really want to keep some plant in container :dbgrtmb:
         
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        • shiney

          shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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          They're not too difficult to control. A garden fork would be the better idea and I would suggest a 'border' fork as it is smaller - although you are likely to need a number of tools if you want to have a nice garden.

          You need to dig the whole root out otherwise it can regrow from what you left. The roots are quite tenacious so don't be tempted to just yank them out when you can see them appear when digging. Make sure you dig below the root (move the fork about 6 inches from the centre of the plant, press the fork well into the soil and then lever upwards) and lift the clump of soil that the plant is in. The tease the soil away from the roots and you can get the whole thing out.

          If you can't get it all done before they start growing fast then make sure you pull off all the runners that might form as they will grow more roots and start the plant further along. They are not too much of a problem as long as you're careful.

          All parts of the plant should be put in your green waste bin.

          Good luck :dbgrtmb:
           
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          • Spruce

            Spruce Glad to be back .....

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            I try not to use weedkiller on the lawn what I normaly do is feed that area to give the grass more vigour and the grass tends to swamp the weeds out then with regular cutting they soon dissapear with my lawn, occasionaly (family & friends) are coming round I go around with a old bread knife and slice the leaves & roots off yes I know they may grow back but its a quick fix when needed as a certain memeber of my family likes to find fault he used to work at Kew Gardens !!!.

            Lets have some photos we love a photo or two on here

            And welcome to GC FORGOT TO SAY :oops:

            Spruce
             
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            • Jenny namaste

              Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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              Your ranunculus are a far superior species so get 'em out while you still have control and moist soil. A nightmare job once the garden drys up a bit. It all helps to burn off calories:yay:
               
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              • gcc3663

                gcc3663 Knackered Grandad trying to keep up with a 4yr old

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                I'll give you a 2 for 1 deal for my Dandilions!:dbgrtmb::sign0016:
                 
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                • Jenny namaste

                  Jenny namaste Total Gardener

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                  And welcome aboard this happy , mad boat. Hope you are a good sailor!!:lunapic 130165696578242 5:
                   
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                  • shiney

                    shiney President, Grumpy Old Men's Club Staff Member

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                    Jenny, they're all mad apart from you and me - and I'm not sure about you!
                     
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                    • Scrungee

                      Scrungee Well known for it

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                      Get them all out or your garden will look like this:

                      [​IMG]
                      (not my pic - from http://www.flickr.com/photos/chrismullineux/)

                      I love seeing them in the field adjoining my veg plots, but they have infiltrated growing areas and just when you think you've cleared them they start sending out runners from the perimeters where they've been lurking.
                       
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                      • Phil A

                        Phil A Guest

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                        Sorry Natalie, welcome to Gardeners Corner. I started being silly & then had to go out:doh:

                        I'm guessing you're talking about Creeping Buttercup, its not too much of a pain to keep under control, but as the name implies, it spreads by runners, like Strawberries.

                        If you want to have a Lawn like Scrunge's pic then you'll need Meadow or Bulbous Buttercups and a few Moo Moos.:dbgrtmb:
                         
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