Spray or dig?????

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victoria park

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #15 on: June 14, 2018, 20:44 »
So our new plot is overgrown with lovely ground elder. I am in the process of meticulously digging every bit of the plot to try and get to all the roots. I have since read that spraying with glyphosphate is the way to go. I quite enjoy the mind numbing and laborious task of taking and digging but is spraying going to get the job done more effectively?.
It will do it more effectively and quicker for 6 months, but next year they'll be back as high as an elephant if the plot isn't regularly tended to. There are many many things to read online, and all tastes are catered for. I myself, stick to the dig thing as the chemical free thing is important to me. Timing of the digging is the important thing and advice about that should be heeded. Other plot neighbours see it differently.

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AnneB

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #16 on: June 14, 2018, 21:51 »
So our new plot is overgrown with lovely ground elder. I am in the process of meticulously digging every bit of the plot to try and get to all the roots. I have since read that spraying with glyphosphate is the way to go. I quite enjoy the mind numbing and laborious task of taking and digging but is spraying going to get the job done more effectively?.
It will do it more effectively and quicker for 6 months, but next year they'll be back as high as an elephant if the plot isn't regularly tended to. There are many many things to read online, and all tastes are catered for. I myself, stick to the dig thing as the chemical free thing is important to me. Timing of the digging is the important thing and advice about that should be heeded. Other plot neighbours see it differently.
With you there VP.  We aren't plagued with ground elder but when we got our plot we were hosts to horsetail central.   Some neighbours used kurtail several times but it always came back.  I grew through it but over time we put all the soil through a giant freestanding sieve OH made.  The effort was large, but we have pretty much eradicated it now and we have avoided using chemicals.
« Last Edit: June 15, 2018, 23:21 by AnneB »

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theothermarg

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #17 on: June 15, 2018, 20:15 »
My allotment neighbours have decided to dig not spray or burn, not such a huge job as it is already set out as raised beds with quite wide paths.
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Toosje

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #18 on: June 15, 2018, 21:09 »
Really just dig a bit at the time, ho (weed with the iron thing) as soon as you see a little green top: this way you wil exhaust the root and keep your plot clean.

We have a lot of horsetail, the stubborn grass and the windy thing with the white flowers. Our plot is clean where it needs to be and the rest is under construction: we filter and then keep it clean with ... haha google has no word for it. Our soil is heavy sticky clay.
Our neighbor gardner has been doing it this way for years and has hardly any weeds at all.

It might be easier now to spray, but in the long run, it isn't the way to go.


 

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snowdrops

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #19 on: June 16, 2018, 09:22 »
This is always a hard one isn’t it. It depends on what weeds,how fit & healthy you are, how many of you there are,how much time you have,how you feel about organic, personally I have sprayed in the past, but I don’t now & wont be doing again. I now realise that I value my soil so much more, but then I’ve stopped digging for that reason. I’ve just visited Charles Dowding’s no dig garden Homeacres& it was a true inspiration.
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Growster...

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #20 on: June 16, 2018, 20:14 »
Time - space - energy - age - knowledge - organic 'requirements' - family - money for tools - research - like life...

Decision time, eh?

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DHM

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #21 on: June 19, 2018, 07:58 »
Just in case my earlier comment sounded preachy, I just wanted to make clear that I have no problem with weedkiller use - it's just not for me. We all do this for different reasons, mine is  that I love growing my own veg organically, I'm not for a minute suggesting everyone boycotts weedkiller, just putting across that chemical-free is better in my opinion.

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heygrow

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #22 on: June 19, 2018, 16:15 »
How about no dig and no spray?
Cover it all with cardboard and then put a good covering of compost on top and leave to plant later (maybe next year). Weeds will be smothered and cardboard will rot so you can plant through the compost without any digging.

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mumofstig

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #23 on: June 19, 2018, 16:28 »
How about no dig and no spray?
Cover it all with cardboard and then put a good covering of compost on top and leave to plant later (maybe next year). Weeds will be smothered and cardboard will rot so you can plant through the compost without any digging.

As I always say, great idea if you have, or can afford to buy, that much compost  ;)

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Notty1975

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #24 on: June 19, 2018, 17:33 »
Spray leave for 2 weeks spray again then cover in black plastic till ready to use or dig over

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Growster...

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #25 on: June 20, 2018, 06:31 »
I always feel guilty about covering the growing area with manure and compost for the winter, letting the woms get in and do their valuable stuff, and the first thing you do to thank them in the spring, is to chop them all up!

You can't win really, especially if you happen to be a worm...

I think I know what I'd rather not be..;0)

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snowdrops

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #26 on: June 20, 2018, 07:55 »
I always feel guilty about covering the growing area with manure and compost for the winter, letting the woms get in and do their valuable stuff, and the first thing you do to thank them in the spring, is to chop them all up!

You can't win really, especially if you happen to be a worm...

I think I know what I'd rather not be..;0)

You know you can if you don’t dig, look up no dig & read the info, I’ve known about this approach for years & years but not really taken it on board. I took another look over the winter(I never winter dig) & it all made perfect sense to me. You’re protecting all the soil life down to the smallest of life,think mycorrhizal fungi. I’ve changeD to this approach this year & really want to sing it from the roof tops. It’s not lazy, you should see how much free we’ll rotted manure I’ve shifted.

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Growster...

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #27 on: June 20, 2018, 09:26 »
Interesting Snows.

The Director of Trees (or something) at Bedgebury Pinetum gave us a masterclass on this, and they even had signs up around the forest asking people not to damage the fungi or kick them around.

Bit like 'athlete's garden' I suppose..;0)

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heygrow

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Re: Spray or dig?????
« Reply #28 on: June 20, 2018, 10:56 »
I always feel guilty about covering the growing area with manure and compost for the winter, letting the woms get in and do their valuable stuff, and the first thing you do to thank them in the spring, is to chop them all up!

You can't win really, especially if you happen to be a worm...

I think I know what I'd rather not be..;0)

You know you can if you don’t dig, look up no dig & read the info, I’ve known about this approach for years & years but not really taken it on board. I took another look over the winter(I never winter dig) & it all made perfect sense to me. You’re protecting all the soil life down to the smallest of life,think mycorrhizal fungi. I’ve changeD to this approach this year & really want to sing it from the roof tops. It’s not lazy, you should see how much free we’ll rotted manure I’ve shifted.

I also have looked at 'no dig' for a few years and decided to give it a try this year on a section of my plot. Getting good results with onions, beets and cabbage all growing healthy and strong. Makes life much easier, just plant into and through the compost. Any weeds that come up are much easier to pull out, moisture is retained in soil and 'NO DIGGING'! Yes there is the issue of getting enough compost, but I'm working on that for the coming autumn / winter, so I can convert all the plot to 'no dig'. Not sure how that will work with potatoes, so anyone with experience on those would be interesting.

I have a heavy clay soil and even adding lots of organic matter and green manures over a few years did not help that much, as when you dig over the ground you bring all the clay soil back up. With 'no dig' the soil is so much better to work with.



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