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  1. #1
    Senior Dog janedoe's Avatar
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    Is this a method for killing weeds?

    I don't like to use chemicals because of our birds and goats. We have had a pretty serious issue though with pokeweed in the past and I thought I had it beat by digging out the root balls and pouring vinegar on anything that was still in there. I just found a huge patch of it off to the side though so clearly one or more established last year and produced berries and I missed it.

    I went down and pulled out what I could then broke off the stems at the ground for any plant that was too large.

    If I keep doing that, do you think the root balls will stop producing and wither or am I just encouraging new growth?

  2. #2
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    If what you call poke weed is what we call poke berry just digging up the root ball and breaking off any new shoots should discourage it. The OH had to dig very, very deep when he transplanted some so deep to get rid of it too. We have some in the front yard and love it for the birds it attracts. Not in the back since we have a berry eating dog and it's poisonous.

    Phytolacca - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    ETA: It's not really a root "ball." It's a big, big, big, long tap root.

    Pokeweed Penn State Extension

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  4. #3
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    Found this recipe:

    � 1 gallon of white vinegar
    � 1 cup of table salt
    � 1 tablespoon of liquid dish soap
    Mix everything together making sure the salt is completely dissolved. You can then pour this into a spray bottle or one of those weed sprayers you can get at any garden center. You spray this solution directly on the weeds you want to get rid of preferably on a hot day. One thing to remember with this solution is to not get it on anything you don't want to kill and don't spray it on the soil. It is non-selective in what it kills meaning it will kill any plant life it comes in contact with and it will sterilize the soil for up to two years depending on how much you get on the soil.


    I found some interesting reading in the thread about pesticides, specifically Round-Up versus "natural" weed killers.
    Vinegar/Salt Weed Killer - Weeds Forum - GardenWeb

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    BaconsMom (06-20-2014), janedoe (06-20-2014)

  6. #4
    Senior Dog Halcyon's Avatar
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    I read an article in the newspaper the other day about using sugar to kill weeds. It's pet friendly too. Here's a link for more information: Sugar Weed Control – Effects Of Sugar On Plants

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    janedoe (06-20-2014)

  8. #5
    Senior Dog Snowshoe's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Halcyon View Post
    I read an article in the newspaper the other day about using sugar to kill weeds. It's pet friendly too. Here's a link for more information: Sugar Weed Control – Effects Of Sugar On Plants
    YIKES! It's not pet friendly if it entices pets to eat poisonous plants. That's how ant traps and some other pesticides work. Entice the creature to eat it by making it taste good. Anti-freeze is an unintentional poisoner of dogs because it's sweet. Yikes. Please be careful if you use sugar.

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    janedoe (06-20-2014)

  10. #6
    Senior Dog Halcyon's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Snowshoe View Post
    YIKES! It's not pet friendly if it entices pets to eat poisonous plants. That's how ant traps and some other pesticides work. Entice the creature to eat it by making it taste good. Anti-freeze is an unintentional poisoner of dogs because it's sweet. Yikes. Please be careful if you use sugar.
    Oops, saw that it was listed as pet friendly here: Homemade Pet Friendly Weed Killer - Gardening Know How . Didn't think it through well enough! Bobby kills all our weeds with his pee so we don't have a problem with it.

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    janedoe (06-20-2014)

  12. #7
    Senior Dog POPTOP's Avatar
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    Have a friend that used Kleb's remedy. It takes a couple of applications but it's doing the job.

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    janedoe (06-20-2014)

  14. #8
    Chief Pooper Scooper JenC's Avatar
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    We're dealing with the invasion of the thistles. They are considered a noxious weed in Colorado and you are encouraged to eliminate them. Unfortunately, they like to reseed themselves in bare ground, which we had a lot of due to the new build last year. Dave and I dug them up by the root in the dog yard this weekend and will eventually be working on the rest. I figure, even if digging them out and not getting all the root allows them to come back, it won't be until next year anyways. And hopefully the guy who mows our property will get them cut before they flower and seed up.

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  16. #9
    House Broken Lobo's Avatar
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    You could do it the old fashion farmer way and burn them. Take a handcart and bungee strap a propane tank to it for transport. Then use a torch kit that has a long wand and attach it to the propane tank. Torch any offending weeds.


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    janedoe (06-20-2014)

  18. #10
    Senior Dog MontananDakota's Avatar
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    Klebs remedy works-I've done it, but you have to soak them. Also-on a day that's gonna be sunny, start in the morning, let the sun burn them.

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    janedoe (06-20-2014)

 



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