weed control

thelizzyfiles

hi folks
sooo glad summer is on its way got loads done already, anyway to the point i have got a small part of the garden that i'm going to put a pergola up (nearly finished painting it ) with gavel on the ground.
got a weed control roll today only the pack says dig all the weeds and roots up first??? do i have to do this? it's old ground with loads of weeds in it and i've already spent weeks digging up 8 tonn of hardcore and weeds last yr only for the weeds to grow back
thanks in advance for any help xx

Linda32

Hi,

Weeds do tend to grow back, year after year, these not much we can do about that really.

However, you can live with them to a certain extent. Laying down you weed membrain will help and it best to get out the docks if you can and any obvious ones. Then lay your gravel or whatever on top.

Best of luck

Lotus-eater

You can try laying thick cardboard down under the membrane, it's something I've used once or twice.

But, really yes you do have to dig them out for it to work really well.

Rummer

My weeds have either grown through or on top if the membrane . It does help reduce their numbers but still requires ongoing work. I would try to dig out as many as you can first.

splodger_seedswapper

if gravel is going down on the ground - i would suggest laying thick plastic sheeting, old carpet or thick cardboard down on top of the weeds - then put the membrane over the top - then the gravel although i don't like to use it myself - you could weed kill the area first - certainly worth thinking about if nothing is going to be planted there

hollydays

I have been teaching DD about gardening this week.I think she has got the gardening bug now! She was stumped what to do with a weedy grassy border.

We used a Fork,rather than a spade to dig and sift out the weed roots.Pulled out any big deepish ones by hand,(ivy?),shook out any grass and dug out any turf- type grass and composted that.Any perennial weeds ie dandelions ,couch, should have been treated before this hopefully,alternatively when they pop up later,I spot- treat with Roundup,the only chemical I use.If you try to pull out dandelions,but leave a piece of root behind,it will grow up again.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/gardening/htbg/module6/perennial_weeds1.shtml

If you use Roundup first,try to leave a week to get into the plant root before weeding.
Digging too deeply,as explained above can actually propogate the weeds.