[Merged] Anyone need gardening advice???

[jperras]

Barayolayosa, looks like chickweed to me. I'm guessing it only grows in the shady areas. What I discovered is that it hates to be mowed, and will become very spiny and thin the more you mow it, resulting in eventually completely dying out and the grass will overtake it. Just before you mow use a soft rake to pull it upwards and expose more of it to be cut, it shouldn't last long. Good luck.

[onlineharvest]

I just fertilized my lawn.
Can I also apply an insecticide (spectracide is the name I think) and weed b gone (both are US versions).
I may not apply the weed b gone as I don't really have a weed problem, but as a preventative measure (neighbors are full)

[Mars2012]

Barayolayosa, looks like chickweed to me. I'm guessing it only grows in the shady areas. What I discovered is that it hates to be mowed, and will become very spiny and thin the more you mow it, resulting in eventually completely dying out and the grass will overtake it. Just before you mow use a soft rake to pull it upwards and expose more of it to be cut, it shouldn't last long. Good luck.

It is chickweed, and it likes moist conditions, so try to address that issue. Pulling it out doesn't really do anything since it breaks off easily and you are left with a root that is still viable. If you want to dig it out, use one of those notched dandelion weeders that will take out the whole root. Make sure it doesn't go to seed, and by mowing it regularly, hopefully it will run out of plant vigor.

There are herbicides that will get rid of it, Roundup being the more extreme one, but it's in the lawn, so you'll have to pick one that won't kill that as well.

[Barayolayosa]

Barayolayosa, looks like chickweed to me. I'm guessing it only grows in the shady areas. What I discovered is that it hates to be mowed, and will become very spiny and thin the more you mow it, resulting in eventually completely dying out and the grass will overtake it. Just before you mow use a soft rake to pull it upwards and expose more of it to be cut, it shouldn't last long. Good luck.

It is chickweed, and it likes moist conditions, so try to address that issue. Pulling it out doesn't really do anything since it breaks off easily and you are left with a root that is still viable. If you want to dig it out, use one of those notched dandelion weeders that will take out the whole root. Make sure it doesn't go to seed, and by mowing it regularly, hopefully it will run out of plant vigor.

There are herbicides that will get rid of it, Roundup being the more extreme one, but it's in the lawn, so you'll have to pick one that won't kill that as well.

Thank you both very much for the help. It's curious that the Weed Be Gon didn't address it, isn't it? Is it possible I just didn't use enough?

Also, I was once told that pulling certain types of weeds may cause them to spread further. Is there any truth to this, and if so does this apply to chickweed?

Thanks again!

[Feneant]

This isn't something I'd do now but it's a question that's been on my mind for some weeks. I have a hill in my backyard (which is essentually full of weeds though I've started growing some annoying perennials in there like mint to see about overtaking the weeds) and in front of that I have a 'hedge' of wild roses. The issue is, even after 3 years, the roses are not bushy at all, they are only essentially 1 trunk coming out of the ground that grows from 1-4 feet tall so it's not pretty. There are probably 50-100 of those now so could I cut all of them to the ground this fall and it would grow bushier next summer? I Planted about 20 day lilies there this summer too in the hopes of getting it to stop eroding so I know they'll get bushy but I'd like the roses to as well.

Thanks!

[manmanny]

Hi all,

I have this weed(?) growing in my lawn and I'm wondering if someone could identify it and tell me how to control it? I sprayed it with some Scotts Weed B Gon with absolutely no effect.

Here's a picture:



Thanks!

Edit: Here are a couple of additional pictures in case it helps with the identification:

Hmmmm. I think I have some growing in front yard. Looks same kind.

[Mars2012]

This isn't something I'd do now but it's a question that's been on my mind for some weeks. I have a hill in my backyard (which is essentually full of weeds though I've started growing some annoying perennials in there like mint to see about overtaking the weeds) and in front of that I have a 'hedge' of wild roses. The issue is, even after 3 years, the roses are not bushy at all, they are only essentially 1 trunk coming out of the ground that grows from 1-4 feet tall so it's not pretty. There are probably 50-100 of those now so could I cut all of them to the ground this fall and it would grow bushier next summer? I Planted about 20 day lilies there this summer too in the hopes of getting it to stop eroding so I know they'll get bushy but I'd like the roses to as well.

Thanks!

What kind of roses are they? Make sure they are hardy shrub roses of you want them to spread out. Even then, some roses don't have a habit of growing all that large. You can try Hansa, which is a rugosa. It is very hardy and has deep pink flowers. A light pink flowering one like Therese Bugnet might work too.

Whatever you plant on that slope, don't assume it will grow and thrive without some degree of soil preparation and care. Slopes can be really hard on plants because the water runs off and it is subjected to intense sun. If the hill is already full of weeds, the competition for nutrients must be fierce. You will need to get rid of the weeds if you want any chance of success.

What kind of daylilies are you growing? The common ditch lily, which is orange, is often used on slopes to help stop soil erosion. It is a tenacious spreader, so choose carefully.

If you have a lot of roses, you can try cutting some down to the ground and see whether they come back bushier. If they are struggling, cutting them down might not do them any good. You might want to dig them up, put in good soil and keep them watered and weed-free.

[Feneant]

The roses are common old wild roses, actually they may be hansa judging by google image. The daylilies are also the common orange ugly lily, I don't like them but they grow huge. What we planted is actually mature plants that my father split into 2-3 pieces each.

When I plant in the slope I do add some good dirt but it tends to wash away. There is one things growing, I had to Google until I found the name and it's Yellow Loosestrife.... there are 3-4 huge bunches of these, probably hundreds of them. Another thing I'm having high hopes for is mint, it really took off well but I planted it this summer so it hasn't had much time. I tried a few other ground cover perennials too like lily of the valley but most promptly died though a few seem to be slowly growing. I debated buying a dozen of so 'Sensation' lilacs to plant near the bottom to form a hedge but figured they'd drown since it gets pretty wet and I didn't want to build a raised bed for them.

Sigh, maybe I'll just build an old fashioned white picket fence instead.

Thanks for the answer!

[Rembrandt100]

so this stuff from Bayer won't even work??
http://www.bayeradvanced.com/lawn-ca...ller-for-lawns

from their website:
Specialized Crabgrass solution

Kills Crabgrass to the root
Even kills large Crabgrass
For use on cool-season turfs (Fescue, Perennial Ryegrass and Kentucky Bluegrass1)
Rainproof in 1 hour
Convenient Ready-To-Spray application

I assume that you got this from the states and they could have delisted it as a restricted product. The name of the product that I could not remember was called Acclaim in Canada and may have been the same in the states. I do not see it could harm anything to try it. Acclaim was not sold to the public in Canada but you could use a pre-emergent in a fertilizer.


Dave

[Rembrandt100]

not sure whats considered "deep watered" but it's been a week now and I been watering it early evenings every other night, about 25% turned to green.... when I pull on the grass it comes right off like paper...

If you go to page 63 of this thread and read post 934 it will tell you what deep watering is and how to time the watering so that you know exactly how much water you need to apply. It would be better for you to do that than me type the answer. If you do that 3 times per week the lawn should return to normal. If you try to pull it now when it is yellow it may break loose just due to the lack of water and how weak the blades are. If after watering for a week there are still yellow patches then you would be looking at some repair work.


Dave

[Rembrandt100]

Hi, Dave:

I planted a Autumn Blaze maple last fall. It's about 10 feet high and 2" thick. But about one month ago, there's a crack/split of the bark. The problem is it's getting bigger. Not it's already 6" long and 1/2" wide. I've cut the dead bark (black and soft). What's causing this? Can this tree survive? Thanks.

I would take a picture of the damage to the tree and go back to the seller. There could be a few different reasons for this to happen to your tree. One reason could be a problem when it was grafted to the root stock or there could be a borer inside the tree causing the water that the tree takes from the ground to go around it and making the girth of the plant too wide too fast caising it to split.


Dave

[sienna owner]

Thank you both very much for the help. It's curious that the Weed Be Gon didn't address it, isn't it? Is it possible I just didn't use enough?

Most likely cause thats the Ontario version which doesnt have the chemicals found in the "better" version...

[Rembrandt100]

I just fertilized my lawn.
Can I also apply an insecticide (spectracide is the name I think) and weed b gone (both are US versions).
I may not apply the weed b gone as I don't really have a weed problem, but as a preventative measure (neighbors are full)

If the insecticide that you have is also NOT a fertilizer then you can apply it. But if it is an insecticide and a fertilizer combination you should not apply it because you will be doubling up on the fertilizer and possabilly burn the grass with nitrogen. Useing Weed-b-gone as a preventive will not work the way you think it will. It will only kill existing weeds. If a weed seed were to blow onto your property 10 days after you use a weed killer it could still root and grow.


Dave

[sienna owner]

Of course I got it from the states...lol

I'll have to get the active ingredients and list them here.

I assume that you got this from the states and they could have delisted it as a restricted product. The name of the product that I could not remember was called Acclaim in Canada and may have been the same in the states. I do not see it could harm anything to try it. Acclaim was not sold to the public in Canada but you could use a pre-emergent in a fertilizer.


Dave

[iwells]

Interesting in getting some trees spaded - looking for 30+ ft decidous but should be fast growers with minimal mess. We are in Halton with clay and dry area but I will be watering them during the first few years. No power lines behind us.

It will be situated behind our property on a school, yes donating it. They are ok with it.

We want to maximize shade as the sun sets on the side and back of our house. Sun literally hits our patio doors and we can't go out as the sun is too intense.

Has anyone done this? Is it worth it for a instant tree or should I plant something fast growing but smaller.

Autumn Blaze sounds nice as it has no seedling but limited to height of 50' max.