Ground Elder

We have discovered that our herbaceous border in our newly bought cottage is absolutely full of ground elder.

The plants are crammed and jammed and although they make a good show we plan on removing the lot mainly due to the work in clearing up in the autumn.

So, the GE problem is so bad that between the plants the ground is literally full of the weed.

Our cunning plan is to dig everything out that we can and then to thoroughly rotovate the soil to chop up the roots, hopefully weakening them. Then to let it all germinate and then weed kill, then cover with carpet and leave it for this year, repeating if necessary during the active season.

There is a garden wall and beyond that a field so we intend spraying around the wall to hopefully stop any ingress from there and also to treat the lawn which is the other boundary to the border.

Are we missing anything important?

PH

 

You will need to be really thorough checking the plants you lift and save aren't harbouring bits of the Elder's "delightful" white root as a small piece is enough for the whole process to start again. Best to wash the roots of the plants to be saved. Luckily the vast majority of plant roots aren't as white as GE so their roots are relatively easy to spot. Personally I wouldn't bother to rotovate. The weedkiller will work most effectively if you wait until there is plenty of top growth showing. When I have done a similar renovation I think I applied weedkiller and then reapplied about 2 weeks later. Carpet should work or black polythene, basically anything which will stop photosynthesis.

 

I wouldnt be using the rotovator. It will spread the weed everywhere. Ive used the weedkiller that comes in a gel stick before.
Having said that the ground elder wins every battle .

 

We are not saving any plants at all. It's a 100% clear out.

 

Agree don't use the rotovator, you will be helping it spread. Use the brush on 'Round Up Gel' weed killer & cover it, spraying is no good for wildlife or bees. It's also likely to transfer to anything you value near by if there's the faintest of wind.

 

If you aren't saving your plants then there seems little point in digging anything out, why bother? Also you will perhaps delay the emergence of all the GE by digging. I sort of agree with Mark56 but it really depends on the area you are dealing with. I have a large garden of nearly 2 acres and I use very little weedkillers however if I were to use gel weedkillers I would be "at it" for hours and they are also very expensive in comparison to concentrated weedkillers you dilute. If your area is quite small the gel might be an idea but unless it's pretty strong GE will regrow.
As you are killing the whole bed then the chances of doing too much damage unintentionally is fairly low especially if you pick a still day and keep the sprayer head very low to the ground.
As far as I am aware I didn't think the likes of Roundup affected insects and I always spray early in the day when bees aren't that active. I have massive numbers of bees and other welcome and not! insects in my garden as I grow many plants which attract them. When I cut the grass with the mower I carry an 8ft cane and move the bees which are in the mower's way so as to avoid killing them. I certainly try my best to garden with nature but used carefully I do weed kill paths etc.

 

As i see from your link that you are a Beekeeper
so Im sure these methods are probably already known to you and naturally it goes without my saying, a chemical-free weedkiller is what you would be using alongside the other methods that you have mentioned
But I thought they may be useful for other GM members to read


NON-CHEMICAL SOLUTIONS

Corn Gluten to Stop Weed Seeds Growing
Corn gluten is called a pre-emergence weed killer... it's definitely the sharpest trick in the box for stopping seeds from sprouting. It is a natural by-product of processing corn or maize into cornmeal, which is used in foods like chips, tacos, animal and pet foods.

Like a one-armed paper-hanger, corn gluten is useless for most things… except for those lurking weed seeds. It has an oily coating and inhibits the formation of roots.

It does not harm existing plants and as a bonus this weed seed terminator has high nitrogen content, so it feeds your soil as well.

HOW to use Corn Gluten to prevent weed seed sprouting:

1. In early spring and again late summer if necessary, sprinkle over an area where weeds were or you know there are unwanted seeds. Use according to packet instructions or at 1 kg per 9.30 square meters (2 lbs/100 sq ft).
2. Rake lightly in, or if putting down paver cracks, sprinkle with sand of gravel to stop it being washed out.
3. Wait 6 weeks before the corn gluten has completely broken down before you sow desirable seeds.

Oil to Eradicate Weeds
Oil suffocates plants so it makes a great herbicide. Some oils also strip the surface of the leaves which then dehydrates the plant.

Cheap vegetable oils, such as canola and sunflower are biodegradable and will be broken down by soil bacteria.

Gasoline, old engine and diesel oil are toxic to the soil, so don't use these on garden weeds.


HOW to kill weeds with steam:

1. A steam machine can be used as a weed control machine too. These machines are hired or sold for steam cleaning moss, mold, carpets, floors, yards, etc, and to steam old wallpaper off walls.
2. It is best to use steam to kill weeds in a large area, like yards and driveways. If you need to protect a plant, cut out the bottom from a large can, soda bottle, old hot-water bottle, bucket or something suitable, and put over the plant.
3. Hot steam is also very effective for going all the way, or a long way to eradicating woody weeds. As above, but this time put the protection (can, bucket, bottle etc) over the weed you want to destroy, then direct the steam into it. This stops surrounding plants from being harmed, plus concentrates the steam into one powerful spot.
4. Wear shoes and cover up bare skin. Be careful of the cord to the electrical output, and keep pets and children away.

Oil to Eradicate Weeds
Oil suffocates plants so it makes a great herbicide. Some oils also strip the surface of the leaves which then dehydrates the plant.

Cheap vegetable oils, such as canola and sunflower are biodegradable and will be broken down by soil bacteria.

Gasoline, old engine, and diesel oil are toxic to the soil, so don't use these on garden weeds.

Many herbal and plant oils contain natural pesticide and herbicide properties. They can be mixed with other substances such as vinegar and soap to safely eliminate weeds. These oils are often found in organic preparations in garden shops and include d-limonene, or citrus oil extract, neem oil, castor oil, pine oil, cinnamon, clove and thyme oil. Cinnamon, for example, contains eugenol, a particularly potent herbicide.

HOW to kill weeds with oil:

1. Dribble the oil you have chosen or the homemade mixture containing oil, onto the weed so that it coats and smothers it.
2. With such weeds as oxalis/soursobs trickle enough oil onto the plant and any bulbils, you can see or disturb so that they are smothered.

 

Actually, I was intending using Roundup as there will be no flowers to interest the bees whatsoever. Using a gel would be impossible as I am talking a good 80+ square metres here.

 

Good for you, Poly Hive! As silu wrote, the best solution is to buy glyphosate concentrate (whether Round-Up or generic) and mix your own solution, The ready-mixes are overdiluted. 'Natural' solutions probably work to a certain extent on annual weeds but the only thing that will destroy a weed with roots that can reach depths of 1m is a systemic weedkiller. It will take a long time to eradicate GE completely. You might find that when you finally lift the plastic or carpet, it will come through again, but another dose of glyphosate will finish off the already weakened plant. Above all, don't rotovate! Or even dig if you can avoid it. As said above, every tiny piece of root will produce another young, vigorous plant.

 

Many thanks shiney.

My thinking on the rotavator is that by creating the plants from the broken up roots the plant will weaken and so be more vulnerable to the weedkiller?

Also where is it possible to buy glyphosate concentrate as in the Scottish Borders the big names are not so common so online may be the best route.

 

Personally I'd save your money by not hiring a rotavator and spend it on Roundup or the likes of Gallup. Long before I had learnt a bit about gardening I rotavated an area of about 200 mtrs square which was riddled with Couch Grass......big mistake

 

@Poly Hive , glyphosate is available on Ebay and other internet sites . The important dilution rates are 2.5% to 5%. So you will have over 100 litres from a 5 litre pack.
For your large area I think you will need a pump sprayer or knapsack sprayer . Screwfix have these at £9.99 . I have never sprayed a large area with glypho and I do use it quite sparingly. But glypho has a quite amazing ability to over-spray. Killed a 9" band of grass by a flower bed I "carefully" sprayed last year! You can cut down and Duck tape to the spray nozzle a plastic milk bottle as below to better control overspray .

5L-GLYFER 360-VERY-STRONG PROFESSIONAL-GLYPHOSATE weedkiller + Gloves/Pot | eBay

 

This Youtube video ,explains the dreaded ground elder problem very well......