Killing off invasive snow-in-summer (cerastium)

MrsBartolozzi

Hi,
I have decided to take a firm hand with the snow in summer I have growing in the garden. It grows in the bedding area, but also in an area which is covered in gravel. Nearly every year I try to dig up as much as I can from the gravelled area, but it always grows back and usually expands too! I can't get all the roots up without removing the gravel and digging it up , then putting the gravel down again and this seems like a big pain as noone goes near this gravel bit and to be quite honest I just want to weedkiller it to death in the hope it never returns!!

So I was hoping you folks could recommend which type of weedkiller I should use to make sure this ain't coming back!

Thanks, MrsB.

brownfrog

If there's nothing in the gravel you want to keep (so you're not worried about it spreading to neighbouring plants), use a systemic weedkiller that stays in the ground like Pathclear or Weedol.

MrsBartolozzi

Ok thanks Brownfrog, is there any difference in strength between the weedol in a spray bottle and other varieties?:o
I ask as I have used this stuff (spray) before on other problem areas with disappointing results. I wondered if it might be a diluted or weaker version.

Thanks

MrsBartolozzi

Oh and should I chop it down a bit before I spray the weedol on it? It's in full bloom and big and bushy - will this mean I need to cover all the plant or could I remove a lot of the bushiness (getting technical here :cool:) and weedkiller the stems and ground around it.
I'm not usually a fan of weedkiller and have only used it on paths, so I feel I'm a real novice at this and I want to get it done right first time.
Thanks again.

brownfrog

It should be a standard concentration. With most chemicals, having a stronger concentration doesn't usually mean it's any better at doing the job - once you get to the concentration that kills the plant, it's not going to get any deader!:D There are differing opinions on the product, though - some people swear by Weedol, but I've always found Pathclear to be much better.

No - the more foliage there is, the more weedkiller will be conducted down to the roots. Bruising the foliage is supposed to work though, so give 'em a good squeeze first!

MrsBartolozzi

Righto thanks Brownfrog, I will do it this evening, I'm doing some work in the garden today so will wait til I'm ready to go indoors, and I think I might enjoy beating up the leaves before spraying too (I hate this plant).

MrsB.

brownfrog

It's selling well on eBay!