It doesn’t have to be just morning glory. Any weed or vine type of plant (weed) that is growing in your landscaping or flower beds that is causing problems can be eliminated without a great deal of difficulty.
Wild Morning Glory Elimination.
First things first. Let’s understand that all weeds are plants, living things. In order to thrive they need the same things that desirable plants need for survival.
Water.
Sunlight.
Nutrition.
We can’t take away their water source because they are drawing water from the same soil that your desirable plants are. We can’t take away their nutrition for the same reason. They are getting nutrients from the soil as well. That only leaves us one thing we can control and that’s the amount of sunlight that the weeds, Wild Morning Glory in this case, are receiving.
Our Mission is to Sunlight Starve Wild Morning Glory and other Undesirable Weeds and Vines in the Landscape.
These are the steps we need to take.
1. Since these vines tend to climb into and all through the plants in our landscape we first need to pull them out of the shrubs but not necessarily break them off at the ground or attempt to pull up the roots. Chances are you’ve already tried to uproot them with little long term success. In this case we are really trying to untangle them from the desirable plants without harming them. Sounds crazy doesn’t it.
Just untangle them and lay them out horizontally on the soil, roots still happily attached in the soil.
2. The next step is to cover them with cardboard or a fairly thick layer of newspaper. In this situation cardboard is best, but if you don’t have it use newspaper at least 9 to 15 pages thick. Keep in mind, our goal here has two purposes. We want to smother the living weeds and at the same time make certain that no sunlight reaches the soil where they are growing and where ungerminated seeds might be lying in wait.
3. As you layout the cardboard or newspaper start at the back of the bed and work yourself out of the bed. But do only one section at a time, maybe 24″ to 30″ wide, then apply a nice thick layer of mulch over the cardboard or newspaper. Apply mulch at least 2″ thick, 3″ is better. The mulch will hold down the covering material, pressing it firmly against the weeds and the soil and at the same time it will also help to block any sunlight to the soil.
Do one section, apply the mulch, then do another section. Make sure the covering material (cardboard or newspaper) overlaps by at least 3″ at each seam.
4. Continue this process until the entire bed is covered with a covering material and a thick layer of mulch.
You Have to Take the Time to Get it Right!
Remember, this is a mission. You can’t be in a hurry. Each step has to be done precisely and thoroughly. Step #1 one is the most critical. If you leave weeds growing up against the stems of the plants, or don’t get the covering material or mulch up tight around the stems of the plants, the process will not be successful.
The Death of these Undesirable Weeds has to Be Painful and Agonizing.
Wow! That sounds cruel. If you pull the weeds and break them off at the ground before you start you are setting in motion a recovery mission on their side of this battlefield. If broken off they immediately go into repair mode and work vigorously to get new growth exposed to sunlight. If we smother them in the manor that I’ve describe here they don’t know how to react.
True? Not true? I honestly don’t know. I believe it to be true.
5. Step number five is an option depending on how you like to garden. Once you have completed steps one through four you can apply a pre-emergent herbicide like Preen to keep weed seeds from germinating in the mulch that you’ve applied. That’s what Preen does. It casts a vapor guard over the surface to which it is applied and as soon as a weed seed germinates it nips it in the bud. Literally.
Most people have poor success with a product like Preen because they fail to properly prepare the flower beds before they use the product. If you do the preperation as described above the beds should stay weed free for weeks. If you want to use Preen it might be better to wait a few weeks then apply it. It only works for a few weeks once applied, probably no more than 12 weeks, so if you wait a few weeks before applying it that will buy you more time into the season.
6. Yes, there is a step number six. This step is all about due diligence make sure that not a single weed shows up in the bed that you’ve done all this work on. You should be out there at least twice if not three times a week policing the grounds. If you see even a single weed, deal with it right then and there. You can pull it. Or you can pull the mulch back and cover it with cardboard or newspaper and put the mulch back in place.
If You Do this. It Will Work.
Not forever, but hopefully you will chase away the worst weeds in the landscape.
Pam and keep our beds mulched and we keep up with the weeding. We never have flower or landscaping beds that over run with weeds at home.
Questions or comments? Post them below and I’ll happily answer them for you.
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We started a community garden in an empty field 3 years ago with 15 raised beds (we have a huge mole problem there and cannot plant in the ground). The beds are 24″ high. We put about 4″ of mulch down first before building the beds because there already was a morning glory problem all over the area. Now we have morning glory in several of the beds. Someone planted mint in 3 of the boxes and now we have an invasive mint problem as well. Back in May we completely covered one bed that had a problem with both plants with thick black plastic all the way around to the ground. In Sept we uncovered it and discovered the mint had been killed completely, but within a couple weeks the morning glory was coming up all over. How do you kill this plant in an already established raised bed garden without killing everything else growing in it?
Allie,
Very persistent weeding and mulch might work or weed really well then use a paint brush to apply the weed killer of your choice.
Hi! What do I do about little baby seedlings that are filling an area completely? They are coming up with baby sunflower and baby zinnia plants?
Cultivate, cultivate and cultivate and they easily disappear.
Mike,
I’ve done the cardboard and mulch throughout the flowerbed. I’ve now got a morning glory vine growing up out of the middle of a nearby shrub. How do I get cardboard and mulch to the base of the vine in the schrub?
Should I cut the vine, it would be difficult to lay it out flat on the ground?
Thanks for a great website,
Alison
For sure cut it.
This vine in my flower garden has a white root that goes on forever underground looks like a string of spaghetti the vine wraps around everything it touches. How do I kill it
Pull it all, cover the bed with cardboard and mulch over that. Try spraying with vinegar.
I know this is an older post, but I’m reading it now & I’m certain there are others out there like me. Wild morning glories are the bane of my garden. As long as the roots are there, vines will come back. The roots need to be killed too. My friend freed all the morning glories from the plants they were attacking. Instead of laying them out and covering them as Mike outlines, gather them together and place them in a ziplock type bag that is filled with Roundup or another weed killer you prefer. The weed will continuously take in the weed killer all the way to the roots; unlike a spraying that is a very temporary solution. Using this method, he has never had a wild morning issue since using this method.
Eva,
This approach really isn’t necessary. If you simply lay them on the ground and spray them with roundup they will be dead. Roundup translocates throughout the entire plant, roots and all within 72 hours of spraying. You don’t need the bag. Spray, wait 72 hours and simply pull them. If you break them off don’t be concerned, the roots are dead. But you have to be vigilant because there are still seeds on or in the soil. Weed once a week and you’ll be fine.
A couple of studies have shown that glyphosate and other herbicides that are taken up by the leaves and travel to the roots work best if applied late in the day, say, between 3 p.m. and sunset. In other words, you’ll get better killing effect for a given amount of herbicide.
I have found that Weed Be Gone has both of the ingredients that will kill wild morning glory ( field bind weed). Both ingredients must be present. I had it in my grass and flower beds. I sprayed it on my grass twice and it was gone. In my flower beds, I put on a long rubber glove and put a short cotton glove over it. I then untangled them, dipped my hand in the weed be gone and ran my glove down it. It worked really well. Now I just keep and eye out for it and do it in when it shows it’s nasty little face. I also used the cardboard and mulch. I hope you will try it.
I’m glad I found this about wild morning glories. I have been fighting them to no a vale..
I live in Southport NC and have a problem with Morning Glories and pennywort or what I call silverdollar (because its shaped like a silverdollar). The silverdollar has taken over my yard and flowerbeds. I want to try your cardboard method but everything here tends to mold and I’m worried the cardboard will cause my good plants to mold. Do you forsee a problem? Please advise.
Sherry,
I don’t see where cardboard would mold any more than mulch. Mulch tends to produce a lot of fungi when it’s hot and humid.
After doing steps 1-4 how long will it take to kill the morning glory? How soon can we plant?
Paulette,
Don’t be in a hurry, I’d wait several weeks for sure.
With the cardboard and newspaper method of killing weeds, does anyone have problems with it promoting insects & vermin (mice)?
Hi Mike!
I read your article on Roundup which led me here. As you described your battle with wild morning glories and I read the comments from others battling impossible weeds, I thought of my battle with Bradford Pear sprouts coming up from the shallow roots.
This year is the worst! They are many, woody, and fast growing. Removing the tree is not a real option as we live in a condominium. The lawn care company does not cut them, I have asked.
I have periwinkle in the circle under the tree. Of course, this does not stop the upstarts. I would give up the ground cover if you think this cardboard/newspaper and mulch method would help me. What are your thoughts?
I feel sure that spraying the sprouts would harm the tree, and I do not want to do that.
Thanks to you and any other readers who have suggestions.
Christine
Christine,
Cardboard and mulch will work, but you still have to be out there, it’s an organic approach and will only work for so long before you need to re do it.
A neighbor shared a formula for an “organic” herbicide.
1 gallon of white vinegar
2 cups of magnesium sulphate,
Epsom Salts
1/4 cup of blue Dawn dish washing
liquid. Mix well.
There are some weeds & brushes & VINES that can NOT be controlled very well organically.
It does work but it’s a constant fight.
Let’s be realistic. It doesn’t really work without a LOT of EXTRA work.
If I’m doing that much work I want it to WORK !!
I put brush killer in a spray bottle & get on my hands & knees shoot every bit of those VINES.
I come back a week later & get any that I may have missed.
I constantly check for this CREEPY CRAWLERS & hit them fast.
I use a strong dose that is SYSTEMIC with extra soap added.
I don’t have any VINES creeping into my garden anymore.
Do it right & get it DONE.
phil
Hi Mike, love your emails. I have been fighting nutgrass in one of my flower beds for years. Will your cardboard method work for nutgrass as well?
Curious if this method will work on the dreaded Trumpet Vine? I have one long bed in my backyard that is home to this vicious pest, and while I’m glad it hasn’t taken over the rest of my yard yet or even the other beds in the backyard, it has killed several large beautiful shrubs in that bed. I used to have 7-8 bushes and shrubs in that bed (a couple gorgeous weigelas, two butterfly bushes, two vibernums, a clematis and a hosta). I now have 1 viburnum and the hosta. That’s it. And the stupid trumpet vine lives on.
I did not plant this thing, and I don’t know where it came from. I don’t see it prominently in any of my neighbors gardens.
I have read so many remedies online and otherwise to try to eradicate this nuisance. I’ve used a vinegar mixture, I’ve cut every single little shoot that I can find down below the soil and painted the cuts with full-strength undilluted roundup, I’ve tried Preen… all to no avail.
I have never put cardboard or paper over it, but if you think this will work to kill this malicious murderer of all my gorgeous plants, please let me know and I will absolutely try it! If you don’t think this will work, but know of some other method of assassinating this dictator of my backyard, please, please, please let me know!!!
Thank you so much for any help you can offer. I’m so sick of standing at that bed, cursing that blasted vine, and mourning over all the beautiful plants I’ve lost. I would like to replace many of the ones I lost, but I’m not about to do that until I know they won’t be susceptible to this evil again!
Melissa,
The solution is simple, just eliminate the sunlight as described in this post and it should work just fine. Be diligent about keeping up with any new sprouts.
I’ll give it a shot. Thanks!
REally ???
You’re going to put cardboard over your bushes ???
Get some 6mil black plastic & cover it for about 30 days.
This will keep the sunlight out.
Then pull it out or just have a controlled BURN.
Then clean it all out.
As the new growth starts…. use systemic weed killer & stray every inch of that aera.
Check it out after about 2 weeks to see if there’s any ew growth.
If there is, spray again.
You can always replace any of those shrubs that were burned.
After all, the way they were, you couldn’t enjoy them anyway.
Good luck. & be careful with fire & brush killer. Phil
Mike,
What about Cat brier? We have been pulling it out of trees and bushes in our old (new to us) home. Cut it and in a day or two there is a new shoot with the thorns growing rapidly! Nasty stuff!
The tubers are so entwined with the roots of the good plants that it is impossible to dig up.
I’d treat it just like we are doing with the morning glory.
Will this destroy nutgrass. I cant grow anything in garden area because it chokes my plants out.
Ray,
If you use cardboard I think it should work fine.
Working on the morning glories! Have a friend who thinks they are lovely! Duh! Not a Gardner!
How can I kill thistle? I am from N.C. And thought kudze was bad but now live in Virginia and thistle is horrible! It will grow from ashes!
Thanks,
Anne
Anne,
Treat the thistle just as you would the morning glories.
Hi Mike, I have been fighting wild morning glory for about 5 or 6 years. I pull them up, mow them , and even use a weed eater on them ,but they still come back. I’m going to do what you said this summer and pray they don’t come back Thank you Mike.
You guys must not have an English type garden. There is no space to pull them out and lay them down in my garden.
I have these nasty wild morning glories throughout my lawn, not in my flower beds. Any suggestions on how to rid my beautiful lawn of these nasty things? Cardboard and mulch won’t work, it would kill out the grass. 🙁
Same here.
Vinegar or hot water!
Good Morning, Mike
In previous videos, you mentioned that Top Soil does not have any nutrients.
I have always used Top Soil where I plant flowers into ( in 3 different places ) and then place pine nuggets over all of the beds, once the flowers are placed . My natural soil has a lot of clay . Would a respected brand, such as Scotts Top Soil yield better nutrtion ?
I have not had satisfactory growth for the past 3 years and prior to that , have had spectacular displays of beautiful and colorful flowers.
I have tried to determine what causes the lackluster flower growth and have had no luck !
30 years ago , I used to plant flowers in a mix of 1/3s Peatmoss , top soil , and one other I cannot * remember ..
( * I fell and broke my neck in 2 places and 11 days later had a stroke, and that has left me with some memory deficits , but happily my inability to write and spell is finally returning…YEA ! )….and then had lovely, healthy and a great abudance of posies.
Any suggestions, Mike ?
Peat moss, topsoil and natural pine mulch! Has made my garden grow BEAUTIFULLY every year! Hope his helps!!
I have wild onion taking over my property. I have searched the internet for a remedy and based on what I have seen I might as well surrender. I have a feeling that the developer of an effective selective herbicide will become very wealthy if it takes care of the entire plant (including bulblets and seeds). Of course if it works too well in California where I live, it will be outlawed.
John,
There are products on the market that control nut sedge which also has a bublette. Might be worth a try. Exact product name I can’t think of at the moment. Bassogran???????????
The name of the company is IMAGE.
They produce a product for different weeds. One of them is just for NUT GRASS.
I had to spray in the spring again, because of seeds in the soil.
I use a spray bottle & get down on my knees so I don’t miss any.
That will help control the spray.
You can by it at lowe’s or Home depot.
Good luck, Phil
Eat them !!!
Thank you Mike. Just noticed an I missing where you say Pam and keep under if you do tis it will work
jihad Allan: My reply is “ha!” I love your sense of umor.
Jeannie
THE PROBLEM THAT I HAVE IS HONEYSUCKLE & BRIARS . THEY ARE FAR MORE INVASIVE THAN MORNING GLORIES . THE ONLYWAY THAT I HAVE FOUND TO HELP CONTROL THEM IS ROUNDUP .IF YOU CAN FENCE IT ,YOU CAN PUT GOATS IN TO TAKE CARE OF THEM BUT THEY LOVE EVERYTHING ELSE TOO.
Anyone ever dealt with Japaneses Knotwood? that stuff is like bamboo in that it can send shoots up through concrete! It’s taken me 6 years to erradicate a patch in my lawn around a tree and that was by digging down ever spring to remove the rhisomes/roots.
Adam,
This method will work but in a lawn it’s not practical. When dealing with a rhizome problem a non selective herbicide is the most effective. Non selective meaning that it will also kill the grass so you would have to re-seed that area.
This came just in time. I tried newspaper, unsuccessfully, in the past. Thank you for the instructions…I was doing it wrong. Do you also use weed killer? Thanks, Debra
Debra,
If you do this as I’ve outlined it here you shouldn’t need a weed killer.
One of the better ways to get the weeds out is to employ some of the best garden helpers available, earth worms! This isn’t high speed or high tech, but it works. Set it up this spring and by fall, or next spring, you will have weed free, “plowed” garden soil. Get a large quantity of coffee grounds … save your own or visit a restaurant. Buy a 50 # bag of corn “screenings”, or cracked corn. Spread the combined worm food over the area you want to reclaim … whether it is knocking down weeds or prepping an area for a new garden. Cover the space with 4-mill plastic and throw a sheet, or sheets, of plywood on top. Weigh it all down with what you have, concrete blocks, old tires on rims, logs, a ’64 Corvair.
The worms will eat the coffee grounds, the corn, and anything else that looks edible such as weed roots. Anything the worms miss will be done in by a few hundred billion micro-organisms. They are the kin folk of the itty bitty beasties that ate dinosaur carcases a few million years ago. The offending weed crop doesn’t have a chance!
I like the way you think. Believe I will try this! Thanks.
I have wild onion or garlic envading my flower beds by the thousands. What is the best way to get it under control? They do not respond to round up or image.
Julia,
Just treat them just like we are the morning glory in this example.
This sounds great. But what about other weeds and grass? And what about my perennials?
Thanks for all your good advice. Wyoming has weeds too!
You’re from Wyoming. I am also which is why I want to share this funny little story with you. I went to the library in Rock Springs figuring I’d find a book on plants that will tell me which plants do the best for our location. I found a book that fit the bill perfectly so I checked it out. I started reading it the second I got home and was floored by the very first sentence. It said, “Think of sagebrush as bushes and dandelions as flowers.” Facepalm…
That will work, but it’s much easier to just pull them off the plants and WIPE them with a sponge full of weed-b-gone. Just don’t drip any on the good plants. However, if the morning glory has been there for several years, it has dropped tons of seeds, so until all the new germinations are also done away with, the problem will persist. Once you start the elimination process, NEVER let them go to seed again.
Great idea, we learned something along those lines in Master Gardener class. In my garden there are two weeds that are most annoying, both of which I am tackling this year head-on. One is crabgrass, which has spread into some of my planting areas(I have rocks/boulders terracing with planting beds around them, and lawn all around), another is called Creeping Woodsorrel, which looks like a purple clover(sometimes light green)with tiny yellow flowers. Both have roots that spread like crazy and are deeeep. This year I gave my entire garden a stern talking to…that any plant harboring a fugitive will be likely be removed, so don’t do it!. I also gave up the idea of trying to save all the plants(my garden has self sewn plants all over the place, a bit much really) and have been taking all excess out to concentrate on the issues.
Crabgrass: I dig it up, can go a foot or so deep, and follow the roots and remove. It’s like a white, fat root system, like a cancer. When it hides under a plant, I have to remove the plant and remove the crabgrass roots from it, not that hard really. It was in a Hot Lips sage plant, dug it up, dipped the root ball in a bucket of water to remove dirt, the crabgrass was obvious and removed it, divided the plant into three while I was there, and replanted. Plant did not miss a beat. All three blooming well.
Creeping woodsorrel is worse. It has purple roots and if you spray the plant, the roots only get larger and stronger!!!! So, digging and removing the long tangled roots, all the way down and remove all traces of the plant, as it will regrow, like crabgrass, from a tiny piece left there. Must remove before flowering, as the flowers put out a lot of seeds, which are flung into the air forcefully, and spread far. It also thrives on dry soil, which is harder to dig them out of. Of course we have clay!!!
Any plants I find that I cannot remove will get the cardboard treatment. It’s just harder on hillsides, with rocks and tons of different plants.
Thanks for your fun tips….I always enjoy gardening info!
I have tried using black plastic, and it does not work. The children run across it and puncture tiny holes for the sunlight to enter. The cardboard/mulch method is doubly beneficial here in drought ridden California, controlling both weeds and moisture.
Hi Mike. This sounds great, but I have so many established flowers that I don’t have a 24″ square patch. But I have so many wild morning glories that by I can’t keep up with them! URGH!!! if I do this with a smaller space and put the cardboard right up tight around my established plants, will this work without killing the plants I want?
I do know that Roundup does not kill bindweed… It just knocked it back for a short time, then it grew back even more vigorously!
“Mail carrier” is the generic term, but I call myself a mailma’am
Will this work with salt grass. It is slowly creeping into may yard from the neighbors and I can’t get rid of it. I covered it with 6 inches of straw last year and it is peeking through already. It is a constant battle. Thanks Mike for all you do. I will tell my friends about you.
Pat
Pat,
This will certainly work better than straw. The secret to this is to prevent the weeds from receiving any sunlight. Without sunlight they just can’t function well for long.
I have a 200′ long fence line next to a farm field. It would be impossible to do that treatment for an area that size and the MGs grow across the field, through the fence and wrap around all of my shrubs and plants. I don’t like to use sprays but I may sneak out and put preen on the area between the fence and the place that they plant their crops in.
Molly,
Preen is not going to work for you in this situation. Preen is a pre-emergent herbicide that only controls weed seed. You first have to use a non selective herbicide to get rid of the top growth and the roots as well. Then preen can help with seeds. But in your case I think I’d spray, then keep the area cultivated.
I use cardboard/mulch in my newer flower beds and it works great. I especially noticed a huge increase in the number of earthworms this spring.
My problems are in my older perinnial beds; like the iris, phlox, daffodils, bee balm. Things that spread. There really is no way to get cardboard in between the stalks, so I mostly just heavily mulch. I am plagued by bermuda grass. It literally wraps its roots around the bulbs. Wild chives are also a problem, everything in my yard is covered with them. And last but not least, is there a way to remove Virginia Creeper from my 20year old forsythia bushes! It’s smothering them. The ground around the bushes is like a thick mat of creeper roots/vines. I’m thinking about pulling them out completely. Help!
Carrie,
Think about that Virgina creeper. It is orginating from several single roots. Simply cut it off at the ground, dig out the roots and what’s up in the plants will die.
Hi,
Would the cardboard method work for getting rid of “fake sunflowers”? I’m not sure what their real name is…but they spread like wild fire. They are very tall, bloom in the late summer/fall and have yellow flowers in clumps. They look like a daisy flower, but also tall like a sunflower.
I can’t seem to get them under control. It was one of my planting mistakes that has taken over large parts of my garden.
It should. It basically smothers whatever is underneath it. Just make sure to overlap or the smallest hole will let stuff grow up through it. It may take awhile though. Plan on covering it and leaving it as is for most of the summer. The cardboard will break down and you can turn it into the soil next spring, lay down new cardboard and mulch, and then plant new items as recommended in the article. If you don’t use enough mulch, you will end up with pieces of cardboard blowing around your yard. Also remember to remove all tape or labels! (I made that mistake once).
If you choose to leave it as is for now and lay the cardboard in the fall, make sure to cut the flowers before they reseed the area.
I have one flower bed that is overrun with mint. With all the rain we have had winter-spring, it is ridiculous!!! I had some temporary success with newspaper on the mint. I am going to try again and smother it! My question: The mint is tall. DO I CUT IT BACK TO HANDLE THE COVERING BETTER?
Louise,
Another option is to cut the mint down, work the soil, then put down a heavy under layer of newspaper or cardboard then lots of mulch.
Please can you add the botanical word to the common name of the plants so that people not familiar with the common english term can understand which is the mentioned plant. Thank you, I really appreciate your newsletter, sincerely Giovanni R.Santelli
Giovanni,
This is really a great suggestion. I try to keep things down to earth so most don’t get confused or feel overwhelmed, but botanical names of plants are much more important than common names because the botanical name doesn’t change by region as is often the case with common names.
Hi Mike,
My problem is violets in the lawn and vegetable and flower gardens any ideas I have to many for carsboard
Brian,
Treating your lawn will take care of that problem and repeated cultivation in the garden should do the trick. But over weeks of time.
Thank you, Mike. I have this beautiful flower growing in my yard, but it literally takes over every plant I have. Thank you for posting a remedy. You’re the best.
I so enjoy reading all your helpful info. I wonder if you would answer a question for me. I take my plants in to overwinter them. They have white fly. Ugh. I tried spraying them with a water and Dawn solution. Then followed by spraying them with a water and alcohol mixture. The problem is better but they’re still there. Any suggestions? Thanks, Dede
Dede,
You can try neem oil or an insecticidal soap. Read the label to make sure it’s safe on the plants you have.
What’s wrong with wild morning glory? It sounds delightful. Having a more natural garden can be nice. Ok you don’t want it in the plants you are growing for sale but in other areas, what is the harm?
We call it evening damnation at our house. The wild stuff will kill everything, it climbs and pushes everything to death.
I just spent the last 2 weekends digging Morning glory roots out of my garden, they creep over from the neighbors yard and now half my garden is planted. So that method isn’t an option for me. I just try to control them by digging them up by the roots as they return.
i posted this earlier Mike but i must of done something wrong as i don’t see it….so i will try again I push wooden canes into the ground verticly where the bindweed is coming up…it will climb the canes then i brush round up or some other herbicied on it … and then cover with two black garbage bags it doesnt look great but it’s better then having bindweed ….i very much enjoy reading your posts…hope i did this right
opps i did it wrong again my third try at posting this…Mike I push bambo canes onto the ground verticly where ever the bindweed is coming up…when lots of it grows around the bambo cane i brush round up or other herbaside on it then tie two black garbage bags over it …doesn’t look pretty but it’s better then having bindweed…enjoy all your posts
Tony,
Your method will work if you are diligent. Truly, most serious weed issues are the result of folks not getting out there soon enough and not sticking with it on a regular basis.
Thank you for this organic and sound advice – this will work on any stubborn perennial weed. I have used this method successfully for many years. Instead of preen, there are organic alternatives made from corn to prevent weeds from germinating.
I’ve heard that Preen is not good for the birds – and we need them for pollinating so non-chemical weed control might be better.
Hello Mike, Do you have any ideas on how to remove quack grass. Is is winding it’s roots around my perennial flowers and this year I’m thinking of digging up all my flowers and trying to replant but it would be quite a task. My Shasta Daisy’s are the worst. Any ideas? Thank You!
Have a Happy Easter!
Janet,
Quack grass is difficult. Newspaper and lots of cardboard might help, but the problem is the quack comes up inside of perennials. One method would be to take the bed section by section, remove the perennials, divide as needed and replant in an area that is free of quack grass.
Me? I’d treat those areas after the plants have been removed with an generic herbicide that contains glysophate. Wait 7 days and treat again until all of the quack is gone.
The organic option is to clear an area and till, let dry, re-till, let dry and keep repeating the process. Or cover the area with cardboard and mulch and just leave undisturbed for weeks if not months.
What a great idea. My daughter has done that when she made new beds in her back yard. She did it in the fall with a layer of cardboard, a layer of newspaper and then the mulch. The next spring she not only had gotten rid of the weeds and grass..she had a wonderful start on a new part of her garden. She just dug in and planted. Will try it for the pesky vines. Love reading your ideas
I planted some pretty pink primroses and later found them invading everywhere. The roots go sideways underground and they are in the daylilies growing around them and up into the clumps.
I am interested in the weed smothering you described where there are permanent plantings or shrubs, but in the daylilies I will be forced to dig them up and replant to get out the spread of primroses.
I had no idea they would invade and take over where not wanted. I wish the seed packet would have mentioned it…………….haha. not going to happen.
Several years ago I planted several blue Morning Glory seeds between my Hibiscus plants.
Every year I have spectacular display of 6-8 ft tall pink hibiscus flowers followed by numerous
blue Morning Glories later in the season.
It’s realy glorious show.
The Glories reseed themselves and they don’t bother hibiscus.
Probably my Morning Glories are not considered wild.
Am I correct?
Greg,
You are correct. Wild morning glory do flower, but it’s nothing spectacular.
Is it possible to put the cardboard or newspaper too thick?
Margaret,
I guess it could be possible, but I think even three layers of cardboard which is way more than you’d ever need, still would do no harm.
I have a question hopefully you can answer. 3 years ago I planted about 30 Leyland Cypress Trees. They were about a foot tall and grew beautifully to about 6 ft. now. We’ve had a very bad winter this year and now as I look at them they are pretty brown. I gave them some Miricle Grow for evergreens and watering, but they still look bad. I’m thinking they are dead, but when I scratch a little on the bark I still see green underneath. Anything else I can do to save them? And thanks for the advice on the weeds. My neighbor loves to feed her birds (finches) thistle and I can never get them out of my rose garden 🙁
Thanks,
Kathy
Thanks!
Kathy,
As long as the tissue below the bark is still green your trees have plenty of hope. They are evergreens, they won’t respond quickly, but as long as that tissue remains green for the next few weeks they should come back just fine.
When I bought this house, someone had put down heavy black plastic and covered it in 6″ of 1-2″ river rock. I think that was in 2000 or 2001. Over the years the wind has blown the dirt in so you can imagine how dense this area is with dirt and rock. I am now removing the rock and plastic. Under the plastic the morning glory roots are vibrant and healthy. So I don’t think smothering it is going to work. Last year, my first year here, I pulled and pulled every time I saw some. I think all you can do is pull it constantly until you weaken the root system to where it will die off.
Kamarie,
The reason the roots are vibrant and healthy is because the top of the plants are getting plenty of sunlight. If you eliminate the sunlight, this process works.
I have same issue. An area was covered in black plastic and mulch. I removed a section to check the soil and the Wild morning glories where thriving very well under the black let in no sunlight plastic. Those MG are growing everywhere strangling everything Btw I am in Utah
JD,
Black ground cover fabric can and will let light through if it’s not covered with an adequate amount of mulch. See this; https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2012/06/weed-control-facts/
I think it might be important to add that this can take some time. And, making a hole and planting through the mulch and cardboard works, but not until everything has sat tight for a few weeks or
more. Otherwise, cardboard works great…and its cheap! Good advice.
mike this is how i deal with bind weed..I put tall wooden canes where ever I have bindweed , verticly in the ground…it will climb up the canes in stead of your plants …I then very carefully paint round up or any other herbicied on it… I tie two black garbage bags over it…..A bit unsightly but desperate times call for desperate measures…give it a go…Mary
How do I kill off weeds commonly called white top (they have clusters of white flower buds when full growth) / unbeknownst to me when i was pulling and whacking them I was only causing the weeds to grow their roots horizontally out thus spreading even faster and now 2/3 of my lawn is unindated with these nasty things. I’m ready to till the whole yard under and lay new sod but is there another way?
Steve,
In a lawn it’s easy to control any weed that is in the broadleaf family. Just about any weed and feed will work. Putting in sod is a terrible option in my opinion. More here about that https://mikesbackyardnursery.com/2014/02/lawn-installation-hand-seeding-hydro-seeding-or-sod-which-is-better/
You can also spot treat your lawn, selectively spraying the areas that are invaded then only re-seeding those areas. But I would first call out a lawn spray company, show them the problem and ask them if they can fix it. They have a lot of options that you and I don’t. If they don’t guarantee their work don’t hire them. Most do have a guarantee.
Steve, Research White Top, a black mustard, on the internet. There are only 2 or 3 chemicals known to kill it. None of them are available where I live. (In N CA)
There is a documented case of one with a 15 foot long root in OR! It is horrible stuff!!
The cardboard method does help if the White Top isn’t already growing in with extablished plants, but since these plants will travel sideways under things it is very hard to stop it. I have found shoots that traveled 2-3 feet under the cardboard.
I pull the tender shoots and try to weed eat the rest before they flower. The flowers will continue to mature after being cut off if you don’t get them soon enough.
I am slowly gaining on them, but it has been 6 years that I have been working on getting rid of them. The flower beds and lawn are the hardest places to try to control it in because you can’t spray, and you can’t put down cardboard. Good Luck!
Mike,
Love your posts. Any advice for getting rid of “pricker bushes”(not sure of their real name (red single stalk stems))? These have taken over a slope in my backyard. I’ve pulled them out (with thick gloves), but can’t get all the roots and they just come back! I really don’t want to use herbicide.
Any help?
Thanks!
Greg
Greg,
Do exactly as I’ve described in this post, cardboard and mulch.
Thanks for the good message. I am building a propagation system a little different and smaller than you recommend as I do not plan to sell plants. I want to propagate for myself and only a few dozen at a time. Would you be interested in posting my experience…..assuming it is successful and at the end of this season? No charge.
First of all, I love all the tips and great information you share with us! I really appreciate all of your time and efforts. We downsized and bought a 1980’s house a year ago and the yard was basically a clean slate. I saved all my moving boxes and laid them in my new “flower beds to be” and covered it with good mulch, Best grass/weed killer available! My dear hubby loves grass and has nursed our lawn until it is one of the prettiest on our street. He has really had a battle with the wild violets, but faithfully sprayed them with 2,4-D Amine Weed Killer. At present, he is slowly winning the battle! I’m very proud of him. Glad to be among so many enjoying spring!
Does this work on horsetail as well as morning glory? I have both in my garden.
Carla,
It should. Horsetail has very deep roots. I just shared a pdf about horsetail in another comment.
Mike, I should have said I have several tracks of the pine trees. I feel very self conscious about asking this question about pine needles, but that is why you are the teacher and I am not.
I live in Caulfield,Missouri. What is the best mulch for this area? I am blessed with 2-5 acres of pine trees and have10-15 inches under the trees of needles (at least 50 years worth) and have seen you mention using pine needles. Down here that isn’t what pine needles are used for and do you have to let them set awhile before they are used as mulch in the flower beds? How would I do it?
Gayla,
I often mention pine bark mulch is just the bark of pine trees that is removed before the trees are cut into lumber. But pine needles are used as a mulch. I don’t think you need let them sit long. It really takes them a long time to break down so using them right away shouldn’t be an issue.
I have a MAJOR problem with Horsetail Grass …. HELP
How do I get rid of it.
Thanks
Darrell
Darrell,
Horse tail is very difficult and most sprays don’t faze it. I’d say a nice heavy layer of cardboard then mulch. More here http://agcrops.osu.edu/specialists/weeds/other-weeds/equisetum.pdf
HI Mike and Gang, thanks for the above tip. I have used this method to kill thistle weeds etc and it works great. Plus I use the same process to kill grass to start up a new garden bed. Will this work on wild violets? Since I have so many, I have been trying to use chemical spray i.e. round up. I’ve had to apply it at least 3-4 times to get it to work. Problem is that it also kill everything near it. Last year I tried to use a professional, but they could not get the job done. Please advise because I really could use your help honest advise. Thanks Ken Wisniewski
HI Mike and Gang, thanks for the above tip. I have used this method to kill thistle weeds etc and it works great. Plus I use the same process to kill grass to start up a new garden bed. Will this work on wild violets? Since I have so many, I have been trying to use chemical spray i.e. round up. I’ve had to apply it at least 3-4 times to get it to work. Problem is that it also kill everything near it. Last year I tried to use a professional, but they could not get the job done. Please advise because I really could use your help honest advise. Thanks Ken Wisniewski
Ken,
Based on what you’ve written it sounds like the cardboard would be the way to go. As mentioned in another comment, you can get lots of cardboard from auto body shops.
I have used newspaper for years. I hate to weed! Recently I have been using shredded paper also. All winter when I sort old paper and sensitive material that I don’t want I shred it, then in the spring it is easy to spread around current growing plants. I wet it down and put mulch on top and it is weed free!!!
Another thing people might be interested in is banana peels around roses. I had a friend who worked for Perkins, they used banana peel in the soil around the rose plants. So now all winter when we eat bananas I cut up the peels in small pieces, freeze them on a tray then store them in zip-lock bags. This spring when I refreshed my flower beds around my roses and before I put my shredded paper and mulch on, I spread the peeling pieces all around my rose bushes and worked them into the soil. This will contribute to awesome roses all summer. Worked last year and I know it will do the same this year!
Mike,
Good tips. Wouldn’t black plastic work well for blocking the sunlight? And what about spraying the leaves with a systemic herbicide after they have been isolated from the plants they were growing on. We had Wild Morning Glory or Bindweed in our backyard at our old place before we bought this home … So another solution could be to move.
Thanks again for the inspiration.
Dale
Dale,
The plastic will work, but really only for a while. Eventually you have weeds growing through it then a mess trying to get the plastic out. You can treat the weeds with a post emergent herbicide if they are isolated from the plants.
I so agree with Mike on this one. There is nothing heavier than old weed screen that mulch has turned to soil on top of it and roots are holding on. There’ll never be another inch of that stuff here.
Here is how i deal with words like mailman or mailwoman;
mailwo/man hu/wo/man (human) etc.
“mail carrier” is easy, and we’ve been human beings “forever”; I don’t have problem with it 🙂
People! human beings were created by God as,…..MAN. Man has, and always should be a real term for people. Use “wo” MAN when necessary to distinguish. If you don’t want the “wo” added, just cover it with carboard. Just DO NOT use weed barrier. Stay down and dirty…….in the garden!
Mike and everyone else,
This works like a charm. When we moved to our home, there were no flower beds. I laid out my planting areas with a waterhose then covered the grass with cardboard (body shops have very large pieces of cardboard) and then added about 3-4 inches of mulch. As I added plants to the areas, I just cut a hole thru the cardboard and into the soil (put the dirt on a tarp, not on weedfree mulch) with my spade, planted my plant and reapplied clean mulch. I was basically weed free for about 3 years at which time I re-applied cardboard. And an added benefit, the worms love cardboard and come and “till” up the soil under it!
Thanks for the idea about those pesty vines! I struggle with bind weed in a couple of areas so will do this specifically over it.
I am a member of Mike’s Backyard Grower’s. If you are wondering if Mike’s backyard Growing System is worth the $$, (I also was on the fence) you won’t be disappointed. It costs very little and you will be blown away by the wealth of free information! It is worth the money!
For the Wild Morning glories and such, I cut it off leaving a number a number of feet of leaves, roll it into a circle,cover it with a black plastic dish I get from take out, weight it with a rock, and pull mulch up around it to secure. Those dishes are also useful for collecting snails, used upside down. This is easier for old gardeners.