Killing those bastard..
 

weeds. Get 'em ever year and the multiple and grow like nothing else (they're back within 4 days or so). The only solution Ive found so far are picking them by hand. BUT there are TONs of them.

Tried the individual spray bottles as well as the thing you attach to a hose and spread everywhere. I've even tried a mini flame thrower, doesn't work as well as one would think.

I'm in the desert so my theory is that they have too much protection from the poison. (they have waxy out sides to keep moisture and are extra tough)

So anyway, how can I permanently destroy a small piece of earth for a good long while ? >D

While doing it on the cheap. I'm aware I could salt the area but that's fairly expensive.

Burn 'em

http://reusies.files.wordpress.com/2...pg?w=300&h=199



Natural Weed Control | ReUsies's Blog

I actually mentioned a flame thrower in my original post. But anywho, I need a strong poison to keep those weeds coming back after 4 days. And its not like I just want my yard to be pretty and I'm lazy. I get fines from homeowners association if I don't pick them. And SO many sprout up its tough work, doing it nearly twice a week, especially the spiny ones.

I can help with the fire bit.....Helitorching works every time:

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...iverrx10-1.jpg

http://i76.photobucket.com/albums/j3...briverrx10.jpg

Come on, seriously? No one know's a thing about lawn poison? I've got to find one that takes care of grass too.

Even though I'm now trying to go a bit more organic, I've always had good luck with Round Up - especially with grass. The key is to spray when the weeds are small and growing quickly. That way, when they die, they just dry up and blow away; if you wait too long, even after you kill them, you've still got to go pick them.

You could buy a pre-emergent herbicide, such as Surflan AS, and apply annually. That will keep seeds from germinating, but it's very expensive.

Depends on whether you want to do this mossad style or like the Albigensian Crusade. If you want just the weeds dead then using Roundup or similar and getting the soil where the roots are nice and juicy for it to suck up should work, or as a last resort switching to boiling vinegar or something that does a nice job of killing living things.

If you just want to kill everything with DNA on the other hand then you can scorch the earth to the point that the soil itself is damaged (not recommended), start saturating the ground with strong herbicides or even tons of vinegar, or go all Carthage on it and raise the salt content of your soil to the point nothing will grow.

Which is cheaper, base or acid?

acid by technicality since vinegar's less likely to get you in the shit with anyone than dumping ammonia or bleach everywhere.

Drip irrigation is my favorite way to deal with weeds. If you control where you irrigate, you can save water and significantly reduce the area where weeds can grow. I get the occasional weed, but generally I only get a few natives popping up now and then through the mulch. They're very easy to deal with. Then again, I don't have any lawns. I would imagine keeping weeds out of a lawn would require a doctorate in chemistry and botany. I've never understood lawns. Sure they're soft and they smell nice, but they require a ton of water and constant care.

I have no idea where you live or what specific weeds you are having problems with, and in what context. Are these weeds in your vegetable garden, lawn, epiphytes on trees, growing out of the cracks in your walkways? Such information would provide you with less comical responses, and not just from me. If you don't know their names, photographs would help with identification.

I find that I have considerably fewer weed problems if I turn the soil in my garden just as soon as it thaws for the winter. With my lawn? Well, honestly, I don't have a lawn to maintain at the moment but I have always prefered a diverse blend of grasses and clover, which tend to grow vigorously and exclude the usual weeds. Something to keep in mind is that while pulling weeds it is essential to yank them out in their entirety. Many plants tend to grow back vigorously when they are trimmed, and weeds are no different.

What GG said, specifically what weeds. I have problems with dandelions (I hate those fuckers) and nothing worked, even chemicals designed just for dandelions.

I eventually became disgusted and dug them up by hand, Ha Ha, I win, at least temporarily.

My neighbor doesnt have the same dedication to dandelion eradication that I do, so eventually seeds from his yard will make their way to mine. Fuck

A little more info would help. The size of the area, kids around, total devastation or selective culling (the weeds, not the kids).........you get the idea...

Shadow hit a good one, Vinegar. It will kill most species of weed, however some thrive in acidic soil, so it would act more like a fertilizer for them. Hydrogen Peroxide has worked very well for me in the past. If you can get the high test pharmaceutical stuff, it works great, otherwise the over the counter stuff works too. Mix it 50/50 with water and use a garden pump sprayer to soak the area. Sometimes you have to do it twice. Another good cheap method that won't poison the soil is a large black or dark tarp or plastic. Anything that will hold heat and block the sunlight. Till the soil, then cover with the black plastic, scatter rocks over it to hold in place, walk away. It will sterilize the soil in a couple of weeks. The only draw back to this is when it's done, you have very fertile clean soil, so if you don't plant something or cover it, the weeds will REALLY come back. Although, you could just leave the plastic down and keep adding rock until you have a rock garden, rocks are slow growers and easier to maintain.

IF you're looking for the Napalm of weed killers find a farmers coop or farm store in your area. They will have it. Fuck round-up and the other commercial shit, this stuff, it goes by different names in different areas, will kill everything. Including your neighbors lawn if it blows over it on the wind. Just ask for their best weed killer. Up here it goes by "KillOff". You can get a quart, gallon, 5 gallon or 50 gallon drum. Usually mixed 25/75 product/water and will kill everything and prevent new growth for a year.


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Emphasis significant. If you take the Carthage option you'd better be really sure you want to go all ZeraphReich on your lawn because you will most likely be stuck with that decision.

If you are in the desert, just add in rocks and put down a thick weed ground cloth down first...

Nuke them from orbit. It's the only way to be sure.

In a galaxy far, far away........wait, wrong movie.......Ripley said it better.

Thanks RogueG I'll look for that.

I can't do tarps or extra rock, its against the regulations of the HMA. (Fuck you HMA).

Found several places. Looks like its called pre-emergen (sp?) for the yearly or monthly stuff. And just sterilization (which is like 10x more expensive) for the permanent stuff.

That sounds like the stuff. I use the yearly, hit it in the spring and no weeds all year. Of course, I live in the Great North-Wet, so weeds thrive year round. I imagine in the desert you could probably get away with hitting it in the fall, with the monthly stuff, when the plants are emerging. Unless your neighbors yards are full of weeds seeding yours, that could take care of your problem.

Of course if you have a bunch of Dandelions, you could always just harvest and sell them to the local hippies for salad. Goat-heads, not so much, but hippies love dandelions.


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Naw, they're nasty, tough desert plants with spines.

thinks a moment

that would be fun to feed to a hippy...

just dump a whole of rock salt on it and mix it up with the soil.

Boiling hot salt water. Apply directly to affected area.

It's almost an acre.....that'd be a lot of hot water.

When I lived in Tucson, I used this handy tool a lot.
http://i253.photobucket.com/albums/h...weedcutter.jpg

The only time weeds were a problem would be shortly after the summer monsoons.
I found whacking the weeds was fun and cathartic exercise.

^^ But if you don't kill the roots, they'll all grow back. If you want exercise, use a stirrup hoe - that'll work if the roots aren't too deep yet.

Have you considered a goat?

lol yes! I have actually. Used to have 2 when I was a kid. They make good weed eaters.

Go with all three. Goats, followed by vinegar (marinade!) and in the end just torch it all and you'll have a nice low and slow cooked BBQ ready by the time you're out on bail.

err what?

PS so far the herbicide heavy duty stuff that's supposed to last all year hasn't done much. Been 4 days.

The stuff I use takes a few days to a couple weeks to kill off what's already up, but keeps anything new from growing. I did mistakenly buy a pre-emergent herbicide once that did prevent new growth, but didn't do shit for what was already grown.

Check the bottle and have patience.


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Alright first you let the goats eat everything. Then you go with the vinegar to get whatever's left and act as a tenderizer/marinade for the goats. Then you set everything on fire and eventually you'll have a nice slow and low BBQed goat.

I suggest upgrading to a larger flamethrower and using it on the heads of your HOA, but that's just me.

Dandelion Dave - I just recently moved, and what should be a lawn in a dandelion crop. I go out into the garden with a divers knife, stab down and cut around to get most of the root - you do need to get the roots. Mine are all transported and within hours are with a group of rescue tortoises - they like the leaves, roots and flowers - and I am told they race for them - in as much as a tortoise can race. Perhaps if you ask your neighbour - so long as neither of you have used poison, obviously, if they would like to donate their wet the beds to rescue torties - you might encourage them to get out there picking - tell them what day you are picking and dropping off, and offer to take theirs with you. Just a thought.
If you have warts - dandelion sap will burn them out.
Salting the earth seems a tad drastic. What about planting something you like that will compete with the weeds?