Topic: Is there any truth to???

[landimad]

I was told years ago by a load of people,
If you have a year where seed from weed is allowed to drop, then you end up with seven years of weeds.
Not sure if this is true or not.

[Baccy Man]

Depends which weeds drop seed, some can lay dormant for a lot longer than 7 years.

[Duke Ellington]

Has anyone else noticed that there are lots of dandelions around at the moment. They seem to be everywhere :o

[Tulipa]

I have never seen so many Duke, I reckon the Dandelion Fairy has been out sprinkling them around!  ;)

T.

[landimad]

ACHOO for all those who have hayfever

[Robert_Brenchley]

Dock seed can survive for a century or more. But the saying is on the right lines. If you let the weeds seed, you're adding to the pool of the seed in the ground. If you keep at the weeds, it gradually diminishes.

[landimad]

Like they say then, a life long battle and you can never really win the war of the weeds. :-X

[katynewbie]

Don't mean to hijack the thread, but i agree about the dandelions, i have been like a woman possessed picking the heads off them all at the plot and trying to get them before they seed!

 :-\

[antipodes]

I had loads of dandelions too! They are Ok though, they come out easy and are not hard to get rid of.
I am now in my third full year and finally I have noticed that the number of perennial weeds is diminishing. OK still loads of bindweed, that will just always be there I reckon, but much less clover, groundsel, and red shank. And a huge digging push during spring seems to have diminished the couch grass significantly. I was told by one of the old hands that three years is what it takes to get on top of things and it turns out that, God rest his soul, as he passed away in January, he was indeed correct. I am so far having very good results this season, having perfected the timing and varieties and knowing when to get on top of the weeds.

[Unwashed]

2007 I let the weeds set and it's been a struggle for a couple of years, but I'm winning now.  And yes, I had noticed the dandelions, I think they're rather pretty.

[Tee Gee]

Like they say then, a life long battle and you can never really win the war of the weeds.

Yep I would agree with that!

and as long as there is wind & birds the war will go on!

[Digeroo]

The seeds of fat hen can apparently last for years.   According to the garden organic web site one fat hen plant can produce up to 164,691 seeds.  The question is did some one count them and were they sure about that last one?

And yes we also have loads of dandelions.  I love watching the gold finches eating the seeds though I wish they would eat more of them.

But it is bindweed that really bugs me.  I let one small patch spread 25 years ago and have been ruing it ever since.

[valmarg]

The old saying you are referring to Landimad is, one year's seed seven years weed.  I can remember a telly programme years ago explaining this, but I can't remember the explanation.

All I know is, if it's true, I've got 14 years weeding. ??? ???

The only garden I've ever seen that was completely weed free, was mother in law's.  Consensus opinion was, 'they wouldn't dare'. ;D ;D

valmarg

[GrannieAnnie]

The only garden I've ever seen that was completely weed free, was mother in law's.  Consensus opinion was, 'they wouldn't dare'. ;D ;D

valmarg

I wonder what your m-i-L would say to my ground ivy (creeping Charlie- Glechoma hederacea)- infested garden. It doesn't even need seeds to take over a bed in a week, its long
stems gallop everywhere. Supposedly it doesn't like full sun but it laughs at that.

[tonybloke]

Has anyone else noticed that there are lots of dandelions around at the moment. They seem to be everywhere :o

[attachment=1]

don't know what you mean!!!!

[jennym]

Does anyone else seem to get one type of weed being more prevalent one year, and then the next year something else seems to take over? I agree about the dandelions this year, but especially remember one year not so long ago, 2008 or 2007, when we had a plague of plantain.

[Oldhippy]

Last month I was on my knees in the lottie after clearing and raking a lovely seed bed - clean as a whistle and a lovely fine tilth.
Then I heard the voice of my 9yo grandaughter behind me, "Look Grandma! A dandelion clock - (puff)."
A fine mist of floaty white fluff flew gently over and covered the new bed with a zillion seeds.
I said, "Oh! How interesting my love!"
 (- yeah, right!!! :'( Course I did!)

[landimad]

Out of the mouths of babies. ;D ;D ;D

[Deb P]

My 'new' (I'm going to have to stop calling it that soon, I've had it over a year!) two thirds of a plot was a dandelion field before I sorted it out seriously overwinter. I have resorted to using weed suppressing membrane on the paths with a deep shredded conifer mulch on top, but the dandelions still try and push through the tiniest crack at every opportunity, I reckon it will be a few years yet before I'm really on top of them. I have used raised beds on that side too, as the ground was soaking wet at the sloped end, heavy clay with water just sitting on top of it, and it took ages digging out all of the dandelions for the beds. So if you are coming to the Open Day tomorrow, please don't be too critical if you see the odd dandelion making an appearance, you should have seen it last year, it was ALL dandelions! ;D

[Oldhippy]

But one breezy day at dandelion seeding time and they`re back! ::)