Is my topsoil ruined?

Hello, I'm just after some advise please, I bought a load of topsoil for our new veg patch and it is already full of weeds, am I right in thinking there shouldn't be anything growing in it unless I have planted it? I'm not really happy about it as it has now delayed my plans to start growing stuff.




If I spray weed killer on it will that ruin the topsoil for growing veg?

 

I think you should have run a hoe through it from time to time when you first saw them growing.

I don't think ordinary top soil is guaranteed to be weed free.

 

Hi,

All soil contains lots of dormant seeds and once distrurbed and near the light they will germinate.

You seem to have a rather bad case so you need to act quickly before any of them flower and set seed and start the cycle off again.

Because of the area would suggest a Glyphosate weedkiller that will kill all the weeds , but any that falls on the soil is instantly degraded.

Would think one of these sprayer pack better for your beds, but do check it cleary states its Glyphosate as some Roundups use other chemicals.

 

The place I bought it from says it is Grade 1 topsoil and I was led to believe that is a good quality topsoil, I wouldn't mind so much if it was the odd weed here and there but it is totally covered everywhere.

 

The Soil is probably good quality , but as said all soil contains weed seeds, just looks as if you have been a bit unlucky and got more than your fair share, but as @pete said, you really should have gone around with a Hoe as soon as you saw any green shoots.

With any newly turned over soil, either your existing beds or imported soil, you will get a rash of weeds once it becomes warmer weather, just part of gardening life ...

 

Yes I regret not taking a hoe to it, to be honest I've been so busy with work I got side tracked which is why I'm only addressing the issue now, lesson learnt don't let the weeds take over.

I have this weed killer




so shall I just spray it with that?

 

Leave any soil open to the elements and you will get weed.
Unless it was sterilised soil you must expect weed seeds .
Yes you have a lot but you appear to have noticed them a bit earlier and left them.
If you apply weed killer it will kill those weeds but you will get more when you turn the soil over and expose the weed seeds to the daylight.

 

If I was going to grow Veg in that bed I would prefer not to use weed killer on it. The weed growth at least shows that the soil is good and fertile. Easiest solution for me would be to sit on the edge and hand weed out the unwanted plants. At least that way you do not end up with possibly polluted soil.

 

that’s commercial weed killer and not meant for domestic use. You need to carefully look at the label and possibly check online as they don’t all go dormant on contact with soil in-fact many will be active for upto 14 days and that’s with the correct dosage and flow rates.

If you look at their literature it states 7 days before you can plant so while it’s not classed as a residue herbicide it does not go dormant on contact with soil. As it will take upto 2 to 3 weeks to fully kill the weed you are safe however you will need to clear the dead plants so best practise is to manually remove them without using a herbicide.

for a veg patch I would never use any herbicide and would hoe the lot out, better for the environment.

 

Okay yes I totally agree, will get it all out manually and hopefully with the help of my Grandaughters even if I do end up having to bribe them with a treat

Thanks all for your advice

 

Grade 1 topsoil should be the top layer of the soil, which tends to come from agriculture land. With it being the top layer it will already be high in nutrients, hence why the weeds are thriving.

 

If intending to sow seeds direct, it might be better to sow in small pots or modules and plant those out to avoid small seedlings being smothered. Seeds needing to be sown direct could be sown in drills with the seedy topsoil scraped away and replaced with some potting compost.