Ground Elder

[Macca]

Anyone got any bright ideas on how i can get rid of ground elder, apart from eating it or digging it all up?

[Macca]

[gilgamesh]

A medium sized thermonuclear bomb will clear most of it.


It's fairly proof against anything less, but THICK mulches, REPEATED hoeing (like every other day) or REPEATED doses of weedkiller will keep it down.

[cleo]

Around 5 Mega ton yield ;D--dig it out,then dig it out-it`s a swine

Stephan

[Multiveg]

Was at the Centre for Alternative Technology earlier in the year and noticed in one of the borders, there was some ground elder which was labelled! It appears that they are deliberately growing it!!!

[Mrs Ava]

Deliberately growing it!  Some mad person planted it way back when in my mums front garden as attractive ground cover!!!  I dread to think how many sack fulls my dad dug up over the years....and I still carry on digging it up for mum.  I don't think there is a quick fix for this, just dig and dig and dig some more!  >:(


Ooo, just grazing to see if I could find an interesting ground elder recipe, and I came across this...


MARIGOLDS TO THE RESCUE!

Studies have proven that the Mexican marigold (Tagetes minuta)  actually fights weeds like ground elder, bindweed, and couch grass.  So if you're fighting these fellows, clear out the weeds as best you can, then sow marigold seeds in the area as a cover crop.  They'll reach five feet or more in height ... just be sure that you mow them down before they set seed.

Mexican marigolds also fight nematodes, parasitic worms that can do a number on your plants.  Again, plant a cover crop and be sure to destroy it before it sets seed.

Other marigold family members, such as African marigold (T. erecta)  and French marigold (T. patula) have also been found to successfully fight nematodes in the soil.  Simply plant these flowers among your crops or trees.  You will see a substantial reduction in the nematode population.

(http://cecalaveras.ucdavis.edu/mgnews.htm)


ooooooooooooo, another p.s.  just found this ...

In the old mill garden grows ground elder, usually seen as a nuisance yet it was once grown as an edible plant, the leaves being boiled like spinach, or used medicinally against gout.


So grow it and eat it  :o, or start drinking lashings of Port  :P ;D

[kenkew]

.....and don't compost it!

[Palustris]

And if you are going to use weed killer on it,now is the best time. The bottle says use when the plant is growing new leaves, ie Spring, but latest research shows that it is more effective if the weed killer is applied as the plant is dying down for the winter and withdrawing sap etc. from its leaves.

[john_miller]

Does this apply only to ground elder, Palustris, or anyone, or is there new information regarding all weeds?

[Palustris]

Sorry cannot for the life of me remember where I saw it, but it was specifically mentioned in connection with ground elder and bindweed (Calystegia sp.)

[gilgamesh]

Thanks - and pass the glyphosate!

[CotswoldLass]

Am winning the ground elder war - dig, dig, dig again, the whole works, but bindweed is the new bane.
I'm up for giving the whole lot of binge session of the old glyphosate too. AFTER the rain stops though (expensive stuff to get washed away!) CLx  ;)