Weeds for a good use

[douglas]

Thats right I phound out that after I pulled the weeds on the side of the garden they dry out in the sun and then I place them around my squash hills and corn and it helps keep the water in on hot days, that way I don't have to worry about what to do with them after pulling them

[jeanette]

those big old burdock work good for that!!

[douglas]

Havn't had too many of those but the CRAB GRASS is driving me nuts the roots travel up to two feet under ground and you can't even see them

[deb65802]

I do that as well and I use tons of cardboard. It helps hold the moisture on the ground pretty darn good. Does not blow away like newspaper.

[douglas]

Seems like no weed could live in dis heat but dey always phind a way

[chickenfarmer]

Ah weeds ain't nothing but another man's wildflowers

[douglas]

Wild phlowers for da compost pile

[mary]

This spring my neighbor gave me some cow manure, said it was well rotted,so I throw some on part of my garden. Now I have these weeds that have thorns,boy do they hurt, they come right through a leather glove.I went out and burned them again,they have seeds at the top of the plant. If I keep burning them will they go away?His wife said to take a gal of white vinegar and two cups of salt, add eight drops of dishwashing detergent, shake and spray the weeds. Will this kill my benifical bugs, and what about birds.Anyone have advice on this matter?

[trudy]

Mary get some welders gloves, they sell for around $14 here, they are great for pulling and handling thorny plants. I use them to handle real thorny roses. Then you can just pull up those weeds and not have to worry about mixing anything that may contaminate your soil. I think I have an idea of the weed your referring to, and with thorny plants I'm pulling like briars and thorny weeds I found if you get down near the base (ground level) there are less thorns usually plus you can get a better grip on the stem and the root system comes out easier. I would have a problem with using the salt myself. Someone else more knowledgeable about it may chime in. trudy

[jack]

Gidday

Hey Mary, you said , "His wife said to take a gal of white vinegar and two cups of salt, add eight drops of dishwashing detergent, shake and spray the weeds."

I am very interested in that idea. Could you please find out more about it and what it is supposed to kill?

[mary]

Thanks Trudy,will get me a pair for sure,Iguess I can buy them just about any where?Yesterday I went out to the garden and cut the seed off of the plants and put them in the garbage can.I filled two kroger plastic bags full, the weed is called Amaranth Spiny,if I spelled that right.At least that many seeds are not going to grow.

[mary]

Hi Jack, here is the article that came from a newspaper. Dissolve two cups of table salt into one gal of white vinegar, add eight drops of liquid dishwashing detergent.Pour into a spray bottle and spray the vegetation you want to kill. Caution: While this not toxic,this is quite potent to any thing that grows, so be careful where you spray it.Label and keep away from children and pets.Thats all I know about it, I won't use it around my garden, I care to much about my garden to take a chance.I did spray the weeds in my driveway and that worked, the only thing is I tried to use a big sprayer ( a little bottle would take for ever)and I don't know if the sprayer needed cleaned out or the salt might of clogged the sprayer, anyway I didn't get very far before it quite.

[trudy]

Your welcome, thats the same weed from looking at the online photo. They can be painful. Here is a pic for those not familiar with it. www.ppws.vt.edu/scott/weed_id/amasp.htm.

Jack, here is an article using vinegar for weed control. Doesn't mention using salt. The dishsoap I can see using cause it would act as a surfactant and help control bugs.
www.hort.purdue.edu/ext/vinegar.html
Some of our organic phriends perhaps will chime in on this. I know I have used rock salt to control volunteer trees that come up in cememtaries next to graves and fences
trudy

[jack]

Gidday

Hey thanks. This all seems very interesting. I hope more chime in with their experiences with it.

Anything that kills weeds is a friend of mine.

[Pharmer Phil]

The top link took me to an error page Trudy.
Salt, is cleared for organics, in SOME AREAS...When in doubt about the acceptability of any material or product for certified organic production, contact your certifier.
The problem is, Salt, a primary ingredient in Chemical herbicides, is detrimental to your soil, and the ground water beneath it.

Spot applications, in my opinion, would not pose a threat.
However.

Both salt and vinegar...will only effect newly sprouted weeds.
It may knock back a tuff weed like Thistle, or burdock, but the root system will not be affected, and it will come back.
Vinegar
The best you can do with this is use a High % vinegar, the store bought 5% is almost useless, unless it's a seedling your dealing with.

We use 56% acetic acid

CAUTION Vinegar (acetic acid) at concentrations ABOVE 5% can burn eyes, skin and mucous membranes.

Salt
Avoid concentrations, or use that could affect ground water...but then if you use this much, the Garden will be a very barren piece of land.

When I was young, my folks used a mixture of Salt, Tide powdered laundry soap, and water.

In my teens, I watched an older woman DUMP canning salt all over her asparagus, I was startled, until she explained it would kill the weeds, and not affect the asparagus...I was skeptical...untill the next spring, when she had a beautiful stand of spears!

[mary]

Thanks for the info,still so much to learn,guess I'd better get me a pair of them wielder gloves,
salt is not for me.Guess I'd better learn as much as I can about a product before using, just because an article says use this or that doesn't mean its the right thing to do. So glad to be on this forum, if not I would have used the salt thinking it was ok.But I can burn them and I also cut all the seeds I could see off and put them in the garbage.Next I'll try to smother them with newspaper and straw.

[crazy1]

Mary, if you've got a discount tool outlet around there close, the gloves are only $7-8 a pair. Sometimes they have a pk of 2 for that price. If you've got a potato fork or a broad fork you can use it to get under the root system and pry it up. Works real well for the big bull thistle we get round here.
Also if you spray a strong vinager under the leaves it will kill the plant eventually. It may take some time but stay dedicated and it'll work.

[mary]

Thanks crazy1,I have a potato fork,thats a good idea, and I am very dedicated.I've pulled up the little ones , they were easy, since the roots were small.Every day I go out and check to see if there are new ones that came up, I am determed, I will win. I thought if I kept after them I wouldn't have them next year or at least not so many. and and cut off any seeds I see.

[crazy1]

You're welcome mary. As T said "work smart not hard" An old timer told me that and I'm glad I could help ya out.

[Songbird]

I find this whole salt thing confusing, becasue at some point, Douglas said to use Epsom salt in the garden. What's the difference???

[crazy1]

Regular salt is BAD!!! Epsom Salt is a source of Magnesium Sulfate a good amendment.

[Songbird]

Thanks Crazy. What plants really need that magnesium sulfate treatment??

[crazy1]

Certian planys YES. Peppers especially. But there are more, I gotta look and find em. Egg plant is one as well OHHH DOUG!!!!! Help Bro.

[Deleted]

It is most commonly applied to potted plants, or to magnesium-hungry crops, such as potatoes, roses, and tomatoes.
Yes peppers too!
Heres a link for the Epsom Salts council on Usage in the garden
EpsomSalt

[crazy1]

thanx X

[jack]

Gidday

Hey getting back to the original statement, do you jokers over there have what we call a push hoe. It is a small flat hoe that is held parallel to the surface and it is pushed or pulled and cuts the weeds off just under the surface of the soil. I like using it on a hot dry day and the weeds just dry off and never even get picked up and my back hardly bent.

[crazy1]

Not to sure what you mean jack. Does it look like one of these?

[jack]

Gidday
I have seen some like the bottom picture but the best is like a cross between the two. It is normally Like () shape with the handle attached to the centre and sharp on both front and back so that you cut the weeds off either way. I have found that pulling towards me is easiest with the bigger weeds.

I hope this is understandable.

[crazy1]

Yup, it's understandable. I've seen the hoe you're talkin about before just not sure where.

[chickenfarmer]

I thi nk we call that a sling blade.. ahuh.....