Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => General Gardening => Topic started by: Eblana on October 31, 2017, 22:32

Title: Creeping buttercup
Post by: Eblana on October 31, 2017, 22:32
Hi all,  I am trying to renovate my back garden.  I have two beds that are in a dreadful state.  I have had to completely dig out one of them as it is completely overrun with dock and nettle.  The other bed is full of creeping buttercup,  I am just wondering if this will be ok if I just hand weed it rather than dig it all out as I have heaps of spring bulbs in this bed and don't want to loss them.  Do I need to get all the roots of creeping buttercup out or will it be ok if I miss some of the roots.
Title: Re: Creeping buttercup
Post by: robinahood on November 01, 2017, 05:08
Creeping buttercup is really hard to get rid of as it breaks very easily and anything left behind  will regrow. Another possibility would be to dig out the bulbs too, clear the bed and then replant them, but it would be a big job and it would need doing fairly soon while the bulbs are dormant.
Title: Re: Creeping buttercup
Post by: sunshineband on November 01, 2017, 08:39
Creeping buttercup has tiny bulbils that regenerate, a bit small to be able to get them all out.

We tackled a section of our garden by a careful hand weed, trying not to break any of the roots up at all using a trowel, not pulling them, and then every week going over it again to deal with any that regrow. Not pulling them but digging.

It took some months, but eventually we won the day. It really is a challenge, but persistence is all you need
Title: Re: Creeping buttercup
Post by: AlaninCarlisle on November 01, 2017, 09:19
A large garden fork is your best tool for this job. Creeping buttercup easily succumbs to Glyphosate but it's a bit late in the season for that to be effective
Title: Re: Creeping buttercup
Post by: Eblana on November 01, 2017, 19:32
I spent most of the day on my hands and knees with a hand fork and trowel digging all the creeping buttercup out.  I discovered I couldn't use the garden fork because all the electric cables and water pipes for the greenhouse and pond run under the creeping buttercup 😭😭 and we didn't know how deep they were. I was really surprised to find that 90% of it was in loose dry soil (I always thought that creeping buttercup was a sign of compaction) which meant it came out really easily.  Any regrowth I will treat with glyphosate gel in the spring.  I am chuffed with how the bed has turned out, it was all uneven where the guys building the pond and the greenhouse had thrown the topsoil from them into the bed but now it is lovely and even with new shrubs and plants where the big gaps were and I have a box load of woodland bulbs ready to go in tomorrow.  Thanks for all the advice.
Title: Re: Creeping buttercup
Post by: sunshineband on November 02, 2017, 08:40
So glad you didn't spear any cables or pipes!!!! Sounds like you've made a very good state in reclaiming that bed from the arms of the creeping buttercup too  :D
Title: Re: Creeping buttercup
Post by: Eblana on November 02, 2017, 16:38
The end result