Nice people thread 2 - now even nicer

tomterm8

sss555s wrote: »

I tried weed killer on nettles before and it will kill them but they come back with vengeance the next year.

I'd be inclined to try and get the roots out the best i could, if it was me.

You could offer hubby a Boston CD if he helped :beer:

How did you do it? The weedkillers need to be on fresh, broken, leaves, so most people recommend chopping the plant down, and waiting two weeks or so for fresh growth. When they've regrown enough, walk on them, and then go ahead with the gloves of doom. Often with nettles you need to do repeated applications... basically, every time they get more than an inch high. you zap them.

sss555s

tomterm8 wrote: »

How did you do it?

On the little patch i pulled out the roots and on the large amount along the edge in the field behind i just "manage" them

tomterm8

sss555s wrote: »

On the little patch i pulled out the roots and on the large amount along the edge in the field behind i just "manage" them

I meant apply the weedkiller;)

Personally, I think digging out the root is best... but of course, that wasn't really an option around a new planted fruit tree.

In terms of our field, I bought a bramble busting scythe... can wipe out 50m of nettles or new bramble an hour that way.

Davesnave

vivatifosi wrote: »

Thanks everyone! Tree is about 6-7ft tall but is a very compact flagpole type, so it doesn't have a lot of mass. Wanted to run that back past you before I got the glyphosphate.

I did tell my husband I was going to go out and paint some leaves. I think the thought I was planning an Autumn trip to Boston. He is now very, very disappointed...

That's a difficult call. I think it would be OK, based on the fact I've killered the area around some of my smaller apple trees without apparent ill-effect, but it was autumn. Can't say the same for the area recently done around some shrub roses, though it hasn't killed the roses, just turned them an interesting shade of yellow.:o

I am lucky in having light soil, so I can dig the nettles when there is time. Some of the roots are a couple of cm thick! Like Tom, I have also invested in a brushcutter and, armed with a toothed line or blade, those which I've no time to dig can be 'managed.'

I guess an autum trip to Westonbirt Arboretum, or similar, wouldn't do as a Boston sustitute?

vivatifosi

Thanks Dave, tomterm8 and ssssssssssssssss,

I went to get some glyphosphate and spoke to a horticuluralist. He said that the best thing to do with glyphosphate is to wrap the apple tree base in tinfoil as what tends to happen is that the tree bark takes in minute traces of glyphosphate in splashes, etc rather than transferring through the roots where it is inert. So this is what I've done and will let everyone know how I've got on. Fingers crossed...

lostinrates

vivatifosi wrote: »

Thanks Dave, tomterm8 and ssssssssssssssss,

I went to get some glyphosphate and spoke to a horticuluralist. He said that the best thing to do with glyphosphate is to wrap the apple tree base in tinfoil as what tends to happen is that the tree bark takes in minute traces of glyphosphate in splashes, etc rather than transferring through the roots where it is inert. So this is what I've done and will let everyone know how I've got on. Fingers crossed...

That's quite interesting, obvious I suppose but I'd never thought of that.

we pull nettles, and just try and keep on top of them in borders, control them in the more ''naturl'' bits of the garden and try to ignore them in the field.

Nettles do tell you there is something good and rich there. I'd try underplanting with something else to minimise the room for nettles. My theory always is the more room there is the more weeds can move in. Things like forget me nots I welcome: things like nettles I don't.

vivatifosi

Interesting comment re the nourishing soil. I put in a lot of new soil when I planted the tree, but then allowed the lawn to grow round the base rather than making a border. So essentially the nettles have driven out my lawn rather than a barren patch, which is really annoying. I've put quite a bit of effort in to selecting bigger shrubs (magnolia etc) to the other side of the tree where there are also nettles, but not anything for the smaller spaces in between. Some good ground cover is definitely in order, and I think a border round the tree will also have to be put in.

Davesnave

Your horticulturalist is right to warn about minute splashes, especially atomised ones from a sprayer, but I have seen translocation via roots. When I got rid of an out-of-control ornamental grass, I used 'the glove,' but it took out plants some distance from the application site, as that grass was travelling over three metres underground and straight through other plants' roots.

lostinrates

vivatifosi wrote: »

Interesting comment re the nourishing soil. I put in a lot of new soil when I planted the tree, but then allowed the lawn to grow round the base rather than making a border. So essentially the nettles have driven out my lawn rather than a barren patch, which is really annoying. I've put quite a bit of effort in to selecting bigger shrubs (magnolia etc) to the other side of the tree where there are also nettles, but not anything for the smaller spaces in between. Some good ground cover is definitely in order, and I think a border round the tree will also have to be put in.

the problme with grass around trees in gardens is that you can't cut right close to the tree,without damaging the tree, and then the routes of the grass without the stress of cutting don't prevent much else growing through. Undergrad grassland management: grass needs stress!

vivatifosi

Davesnave wrote: »

and straight through other plants' roots.

Crikey, persistent little beggers aren't they? Hopefully the tree will be ok. The crux of the matter is that I only have a small garden (about 25' by 14' of garden, though the whole garden including paved areas is larger. As a result, every little bit of space counts, so I can't afford to leave nettles down even if I can keep them under control because they'll look so hideous. When I first moved here the garden bit was just lawn, no planting at all which was really boring. I need to have some trees for shade or I can't use the garden because of my skin problems, but after years of neglect its as though the garden's going "wow, nice soil" and its attracting all kinds of stuff I don't want. I haven't even started on the mallow weeds or the aloe vera ones yet, at least they are pretty and as ground cover stop other stuff growing in the same place!