organic gardening

hi shiney, last weekend I went with family to visit an organic farm. it is no different to my organic gardening. I never use pesticides.FOR 2 YEARS NOW I have not had any blackfly, just natural preditors, called in my books eco recycling. one thing I did notice at the organic farm and it was quite prevalent WERE weed mats. I got 50 meters of the porous ground cover and I AM GOING TO BE BUSY AS A BEE. HAVE FUN WITH YOUR BIG PONDOROSA.dont hurt your back. :D :D

 

Ok Gals and Guys - top info and lots of it! Marvellous, but where do I begin...?

Hornbeam Sir, I get your point and quite frankly I have been pretty nieve (just how does one spell this word!?) to this in the past - my eduction being lacking, obviously. Mmmh... interesting that... I guess this philosophy on the whole applies to life in general... And I will have to try the Slug Stoppa pellets.

Just on that matter, while I remember, and touching on one of Dendrobium's previous posts re her garden in Falkirk, is there a rabbit stoppa pellet, or whatever? I don't mean the sort of pellet that fits into a gun barrel but perhaps something that can be sprinkled around within the garden to get rid of the little blighters. After which, then to go ahead and erect the chicken wire as done by Dendrobium? I know there are rodent repellents and cat repellents etc. What about rabbit repellents?

I'll start a new reply post now cos this is going to get so long that folks will be sleeping before they reach the end...

 

Dendrobium, you are spot on with your example... A potential client has a mega ground elder problem in his borders and sought my advice. My nieve answer being Glyphosate. Like your point of view though - either dig out or hoe out, depending.

What do you reckon if the client has couch grass problems, mixed up with a whole bunch of irises and they want to eradicte the couch grass asap? Can't really dig up the irises just yet. How about using the dragon flame thrower and then apologising later...?

Ok, so the nematodes work well... I'll certainly bear that in mind but also take your point re killing and also Hornbeams thoughts - a healthy garden will already have all it needs to be self- sustainable!

 

:D
Trouble is, he might not stay a customer for long!

On the whole, if time is a constraint (as it usually is) or the stuff is just too entangled in the plants, hoeing is about the only thing you can do - and if done regularly, it does pay off. Trouble is, it doesn't deal with the stuff that's right in amongst the perennials, etc. I have often come across ground elder in particular in the thick of a clump of crocosmia, and the only effective thing is to get the lot out and disentangle them - a real nightmare, and very time-consuming!

Maybe we could try to convince everyone that bindweed and ground elder are very desirable designer plants, after all, everyone's swallowed it about alchemilla mollis! :rolleyes:

 

Jazid, many thanks for your reply!

Interesting... Aluminium sulphate crystals used at the right time of year yield the best result overall. But even more interesting is your suggestion to educate myself about slugs. The thought would never have crossed my small brain...

Sure... eradicate the weeds in the first instance and then down the line take a full organic approach when the soil is clean. Makes lots of sense that does!

 

p.s. - these are good books about weeds

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/184403061X/202-2347702-0428620?v=glance&n=266239&v=glance

http://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/1840760389/202-2347702-0428620?v=glance&n=266239&v=glance

Amongst other things, it has been suggested that companion planting of tagetes might help. That's in the daily telegraph book - but I'm not convinced. It's supposed to be to do with the scent they give off, or maybe pheromones. I'm not sure of that, not being a scientific sort of person - sorry!

 

Shiney,
thanks for your reply!

Mares tail or Equisetum arvense (for those Latin language types (like me)). How well developed for survival can a genus/species become?!! I have to admit that I have huge admiration for this plant ("weed") even though it can be a total pain in the proverbials for us gardeners! Not sure just how long its been on 'our' planet as I am not quite that old but surely its well over a million years...?

Thats a huge amount of ground your butternut squashes cover, Shiney! Just four plants... Sorry - I have not until now followed your butternut squash thread but how many squashes are developing on your four plants? And, does it integrate well into Thai food, would you know?

 

Fancy,
you talk about purchasing some weed mats. How does it compare to the other weed suppressing fabrics out there - price, colour, weight and ultimately, in your current opinion, ability to suppress the gardeners foe?

Kindly obliged
Roy

 

Hi Dendrobium, thanks very much for your replies!
Sorry, my own replies seem to have become entangled within your replies (am I still making some sense??) - just like the worst of weeds!
Anyhow, please bear with me and I'll get back to you shortly - like 3am or something. I kinda live life around strange hours. One of the great pleasures of self-employment, sure you agree!
Cheers
Roy

 

ROYSTER, I too am self employed 30 years. and guess what I have to work tomorrow for 2 hrs.I work till 2 am sometimes, then sometimes I have to go on a rota court sitting and this is once or twice a week.adult and youth. :D :D never mind you will get there in the end.

 

Interesting weedy books Dendrobium. I can see how pheromones would have an affect on isects but not on weeds. Perhaps I stand to be corrected - lets hope so!

Fancy - I did pretty much nothing yesterday except for spend lots of time on GC. I really had a fine day. And then today, I'll probably do 3 hours in a clients garden doing general stuff and then off to a friends garden - no work just a few beers and a nice meal. Not such a bad life now, is it?!
Kind regards
Roy

 

Erm, that should be insects. Not sure what "isects" are mean't to be??
Cheers
Roy

 

Apologies Dendy . Will attempt a more more gender unspecific manner in future. Ah well, sure you work very hard as well, good results natch . I only once had a serious problem with mares tail - in 1985 - and it went with one shot of glyphosate. Do you think it has grown resistant, or was I just REALLY lucky?

 

You were just REALLY lucky, Jazid! And for some reason you're not the only one to think I'm male - until they see the photos, of course - you clearly hadn't!! :rolleyes: You're forgiven, though. :D