Author Topic: Weed Killer??? What do you use? (Read 4088 times)

saycheessee · « **on:** June 17, 2008, 06:26:27 AM »

The way my pond is made I have decorative gravel around my pond and it has the black mesh weed barrier below the gravel BUT the weeds are still wanting to grow. I pull them and then they are back within a week. Do you use anytime of weed killer that close to the pond of do you use maybe a salt mixture to kill the weeds. What does everyone use???

EagleEye · « **Reply #1 on:** June 17, 2008, 07:06:55 AM »

I use NO weed killer near the pond. It's not worth taking a chance in my opinion.
Steve

karen J · « **Reply #2 on:** June 17, 2008, 07:25:34 AM »

I hate those chemicals, and have not used them for 10 years. As a result, the weeds are overtaking my lawn, garden, flagstone paths, woods, and mind. They are everywhere!
So I bought two types of weed killer- one for the lawn, and one general all purpose killer of everything. But I'm hesitant to use either because they're toxic to just about everything. The instructions on the label say to wash your clothes separately, take a shower, etc if you get any on you. So I'm supposed to use this stuff and then let my kids go play on the lawn? Hummmm.

I've got clumps of Irises that are infested with grass, and clumps of grass infested with Dandelions. WTF? The grass is growing where I don't want it, and where I do want it it's infested with weeds. Who am I kidding- my "lawn" is mostly weeds anyway.

Can't win.

Edit- I did try a little on the side of my house where the kids don't go, and the weeds were dead dead dead. Worked great!

Esther · « **Reply #3 on:** June 17, 2008, 09:06:51 AM »

It's called pinch and pull.

My aunt in California had a large Koi pond. Part of it was covered with a roof of some sort. Spiders seemed to like to climb the corner support posts and spin webs all over up there. One day when my aunt had gone shopping, her Dh sprayed for spiders. She lost all her beautiful fish because DH had little care of the facilities and had no idea that what he was doing could be harmful to the fish.

A while back my DH informed me that he had talked to a lawncare person on the phone and agreed to some "weed and feed" treatment. I hit the ceiling and called the place and cancelled the order. They had assured him that they are extra careful around fish and ponds but I wasn't taking the chance.

Why wouldn't salt and boiling water be a good way to kill weeds as long as there was nothing else growing there. I do that in the cracks in the sidewalk, driveway, and around the pool.

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #4 on:** June 17, 2008, 09:23:15 AM »

I use Round Up but not near the ponds... I allow white clover in the lawn and DH uses a propane torch on dandelions. I have grass infesting my mossy groundcover and I have sprayed a grasskiller on it before and it killed the groundcover too. Weeds are a constant battle for me but I prefer not to use chemicals if at all possible.

Weed N'Feed type products are very toxic, known carcinogens for dogs and probable for humans. I don't allow them.

miguynmkoi · « **Reply #5 on:** June 17, 2008, 09:38:03 AM »

I got rid of my lawn and I am happier than ever with my garden.

I pinch and pull weeds when they appear. I rarely use Round-Up unless I let the weeds grow for week or so and I have no time to get dirty.

Mikey · « **Reply #6 on:** June 17, 2008, 09:57:47 AM »

I don't have weed problems near the pond but if I did have a significant problem I would spray only in the early morning when it is dead-calm.

On another forum Lawanna had two suggestions in delivering weed killer just to the target area:

- Use a paint roller soaked in your weed killer of choice.

- Put on a pair of protective latex/rubber gloves and then put on a pair of cotton gloves over that. Dip hands into weed killer of choice and massage weeds.....

saycheessee · « **Reply #7 on:** June 17, 2008, 10:46:11 AM »

I thought about using pond salt and melting it in a gallon of water and then spraying it on the weeds. Wonder if it would kill the weeds??

Ruthie · « **Reply #8 on:** June 17, 2008, 02:20:36 PM »

I have nutsedge all around the pond. I pull and use weed barriers and mulch..it doesn't seem to matter. it's a constant battle. I misses a week of weeding and it is looking shabby out there.

I did resort to round up in a very targeted application on an elderberry that will not die. Two applications of round up later and IT STILL WON'T DIE. I can't dig it up, either because it's main root is under a concrete slab.

Jerry · « **Reply #9 on:** June 17, 2008, 03:57:29 PM »

i have used a brush with Round-Up.

karen J · « **Reply #10 on:** June 17, 2008, 05:40:12 PM »

Quote from: Mikey on June 17, 2008, 09:57:47 AM

I don't have weed problems near the pond but if I did have a significant problem I would spray only in the early morning when it is dead-calm.

On another forum Lawanna had two suggestions in delivering weed killer just to the target area:

- Use a paint roller soaked in your weed killer of choice.

- Put on a pair of protective latex/rubber gloves and then put on a pair of cotton gloves over that. Dip hands into weed killer of choice and massage weeds.....

Great ideas. Thanks!

Another tip for targeting single weeds is to cut the bottom out of a plastic milk jug, put the jug around the weed, and spray into the top.

Garlic Mustard is an invasive non native around here, we've spent the last two seasons trying to pull it all out. Of course, it's all back again. It's backbreaking work bending over all day for what seems like nothing. The experts say it takes at least 3 years before you can really make a dent.

I'm jealous of Annette.

But congratulations on getting rid of all that grass!

Mikey · « **Reply #11 on:** June 17, 2008, 10:28:00 PM »

Ruthie: I have a nutsedge problem in my veggie garden. Can't pull the stuff because the nuts remain in the soil. I tried RoundUp without luck. I tried it straight, not diluted without success. Sure it burned the dickens out of it but next year there it was again. I finally went to a farm supply business and they sold me something made just for nutsedge. I forget the exact name but it was something like "Sedge Hammer". Very expensive stuff but it works.

Ruthie · « **Reply #12 on:** June 17, 2008, 11:28:52 PM »

O0Thanks Mikey! I'll look for it. I have several spots where the nutsedge actually grew through the pond liner and the underlayment. In one flower bed I actually removed all of the native soil and replaced it with bagged topsoil. A few months later...yup. It's full of nutsedge.

Quietman · « **Reply #13 on:** June 18, 2008, 02:27:41 AM »

Hello everyone,

I'm new to the group (been lurking for a little while)

If you wanted to try something non-toxic, you could consider a "Weed Flamer". Granted it won't work everywhere, but I guess it would work on your gravel ok.

Here's a link to a typical unit: http://www.planetnatural.com/site/weed-dragon-flamer.html

Quietman

happyoutsidegirl · « **Reply #14 on:** June 18, 2008, 04:24:29 AM »

Hi quietman, I have one of those, I love it when I do use it. It's great for getting the garden and driveway! But I'm sure it would work well on the yard also if one is careful.

Joyce · « **Reply #15 on:** June 18, 2008, 04:36:55 AM »

I agree LeeAnne, almost all weed killers are known carcinogens if the get into the ground water, which of course they eventually do.
So what if you have public water? Where do you think that comes from?
And do you trust it to be completely purified? Or does it just pass some kind of government test?
Just because you have public water doesn't mean it's healthy.

Anyway, I don't use weedkiller unless absolutely neccessary (like on poison ivy) and then I dab it on with one of those sponge paint brushes.
Aside from that, I do what Annette does too. And use plenty of mulch.

Mikey, nutsedge is a problem here too.

madcratebuilder · « **Reply #16 on:** June 18, 2008, 06:06:02 AM »

Quote from: Mikey on June 17, 2008, 09:57:47 AM

I don't have weed problems near the pond but if I did have a significant problem I would spray only in the early morning when it is dead-calm.

On another forum Lawanna had two suggestions in delivering weed killer just to the target area:

- Use a paint roller soaked in your weed killer of choice.

- Put on a pair of protective latex/rubber gloves and then put on a pair of cotton gloves over that. Dip hands into weed killer of choice and massage weeds.....

I have used these methods for years around my ponds and when I have to many weeds in my Irish moss. A 4 inch paint brush works well also.

saycheessee · « **Reply #17 on:** June 18, 2008, 07:11:52 AM »

Ok.. my question now is... if you dab it on with a paint roller or brush when it rains... doesn't the residue go into the pond water?? Or is it diluted enough then to not hurt? The space I am looking to kill the weeds on is only about 1 1/2 foot wide next to the pond.

Johns · « **Reply #18 on:** June 18, 2008, 07:47:28 AM »

I could not manage my acre without roundup. BTW, roundup is less toxic than vinegar. Ruthie, use Groundclear on that nutsedge, roundup will not kill it. Image (Ammonium salt of imazaquin) is claimed to kill nutsedge, but as it kills everything else as well, you might as well use groundclear. Follow directions and the nutsedge will be gone for a year.

For the record: Regardless of claims to the contrary, NO link to cancer of any type has ever been conclusively connected to 2-4-d, or to Roundup. Roundup has been claimed to be linked to non-Hodgkin's lymphoma, but the "link" has never been proved or substantiated. As with all current use chemicals, there is a concerted effort by some to "prove" that they are carcinogens.

Almost all herbicides are toxic to fish, so do not use them where your pond could be affected by overspray or runoff.

My "bones" on the subject? I maintained a private pesticide applicator license for over 30 years that certified me to purchase and apply RESTRICTED pesticides not available to the general public (Can you say "paraquat"). This certification required substantial training and education regarding the application of restricted pesticides. I also have been a participant in a national health survey of restricted pesticide applicators, a program designed to collect health issue data of restricted use pesticide applicators.

Bottom line: The world is full of "chemical " dangers, many of which are in your house right now (Bleach, lye, ammonia, chlorine, etc. etc.). "Natural" products can also kill you (arsenic, cyanide (Peach pits), Castor beans (Ricin), ad infinitum, ad nauseum). Use common sense. Especially when spraying anything into the air that you may breathe or that may land in your fish pond. Right now, it appears that you and your family may be in more danger from drinking bottled water in plastic containers than from anything you may spray on your weeds. http://health.usnews.com/articles/health/living-well-usn/2008/04/16/study-of-chemical-in-plastic-bottles-raises-alarm.html

Mikey · « **Reply #19 on:** June 18, 2008, 08:41:01 AM »

I don't recall if anyone mentioned it above but I suppose black plastic would work as well. The sun would heat it up quite a bit and cook everything beneath it and of course because sunlight isn't coming through nothing will grow....not even mushrooms

It won't be pretty and I'm not sure how long it would have to be left in place to kill nutsedge

Ruthie · « **Reply #20 on:** June 18, 2008, 09:02:55 AM »

I recently re-did a part of the berm around the pond. When I lifted the liner, I found nutsedge growing under it and the undelayment...some stalks were over 14 inches long, heading for the sunlight at the edge of the liner. My pond has been in place for a year? a year and half? It still hasn't killed the nutsedge.

In my vegetable garden, I use a lot of mulch. One thing that does work well is cardboard, topped with some sort of mulch. I like leaves or rotted hay best. I just keep adding it as the season progresses. Grass clippings work good, too. This year I haven't kept up with it like I usually do, do I have a forest of tomatoes and weeds

(and well fertilized nutsedge

) It loves that chicken manure compost.

saycheessee · « **Reply #21 on:** June 18, 2008, 09:08:35 AM »

So would the Pond Salt and water work on the weeds around my pond??? in a strong solution?

karen J · « **Reply #22 on:** June 18, 2008, 09:32:22 AM »

Johns, Roundup is really less toxic than vinegar? Do you mean regular vinegar, the kind that humans ingest regularly? Or would that be industrial strength, undiluted vinegar?

I think with salt, you need to be very careful. There is no way to get it out of the ground once it's applied, and it can leach over to desirable plants that may be salt sensitive.
I used to go out at night and sprinkle salt on slugs, and there were several times where I damaged or killed plants.

Putting the black liner down works very well, but only when you want to kill everything. I put leftover pond liner on my flagstones for a couple of weeks last year, and it does work. Sure is ugly, though.

One other thing that works is to put string algae down where you don't want weeds. It forms an impenetrable mat. Also kinda ugly, though.

Has anyone tried the recycled rubber mulch? It's really expensive.

kitfoxdrvr · « **Reply #23 on:** June 18, 2008, 05:55:37 PM »

It sounds like you have the same problem I have around your pond; weed seeds sprouting CONSTANTLY! Pull one, the next day two are in its place. The first thing that popped into my mind when I read the opening post was the organic preemergent-corn gluten. I have never tried it except as a lawn preemergent for crabgrass and it does work. I am not sure what it will do when it has the potential to wash into a "living" pond. I will have to do some research.

Oh, and please don't get me started on nutgrass. Has to be the MOST persistent temperate climate weed around. I believe that if cockroaches are the only animal to survive Armageddon, they better learn to eat nutgrass, because it will be the only plant left!

Steve

Mikey · « **Reply #24 on:** June 18, 2008, 06:23:13 PM »

Quote

I believe that if cockroaches are the only animal to survive Armageddon, they better learn to eat nutgrass, because it will be the only plant left!

Julles · « **Reply #25 on:** June 19, 2008, 06:05:51 AM »

Those sprays like RoundUp, doesn't the bottle say that they become innert / harmless once they hit the soil? They break down.

I also have removed all the lawn in my yard, and have only ground cover. Easy to pull up weeds, but there aren't many in the first place. Mostly trees sprouting from nuts planted by Mr. Squirrel.

Salt will stay and contaminate the soil. But at least if it gets in the pond, it won't hurt your fish (will hurt your plants, though), and you can remove it by water changes. Pain in the arse, though.

And city water is often, if not always, "better" and "cleaner" than bottled designer water. I read a report recently in Cooking Light magazine, and you'd be surprised to learn that there are both city and federal regulations on the purification of municipal water, but NONE on bottled water. At least, manufacturers can get around any restrictions put on bottled water. Most of them are recycling city water, anyway, and adding a slick "earthy" name.

LeeAnne151 · « **Reply #26 on:** June 20, 2008, 08:23:55 AM »

Another tip for targeting single weeds is to cut the bottom out of a plastic milk jug, put the jug around the weed, and spray into the top. I do this and it works, except in my groundcovers.

I have Scotch and Irish moss around my ponds and nothing has worked to get the grass out of it. I used a grass only killer but it did kill the moss (which isn't really moss, just looks like it) I used a paint brush but the Round Up must have dripped anyway because the moss was also killed.

Johns, I wasn't speaking of Round Up being a carcinogen, I was speaking of 2-4-D and dogs. It is known that it causes cancer in dogs. I read a paper on it fairly recently. My thoughts are that if it harms dogs, I don't want my cats or any wildlife or myself on the lawn that is treated with it.

http://www.veterinarypartner.com/Content.plx?P=A&A=1766&S=0&SourceID=69

If you Google 2,4-D and dogs you do get conflicting information. Some say it causes cancer, the government says it doesn't. I guess I'd rather be safe than sorry. The EPA does warn against getting it in ground water but cancer isn't the problem it is organ damage from long term exposure and this is in humans.

2,4-D was one of the ingredients of Agent Orange. Now, it isn't the one they think has caused all the terrible problems for Vietnam Vets but still, I'd rather be safe than sorry.

I don't like the idea of spreading chemicals all over the entire lawn when the weeds are in a few places either but that is another issue. I did have him spread corn gluten last fall and it did seem to reduce weeds so far this year.

Personally, I'd love to greatly reduce the lawn but DH won't hear of it.

He does love to use his torch on dandelions. It works really well. He uses a propane welding torch rather than one made specifically for weeds.

IF you do use herbicides, PLEASE read the label thoroughly and follow the directions. If it says to add an ounce to a gallon of water, don't double or triple it, add an ounce. Not following directions or using according to label is really a problem.

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