We are currently still living in our rental apartment, and since we planted the balcony for the first time, we have been having trouble with weeds. They grow out of the joints between the tiles.
It seems to us that the individual tiles were not laid very carefully, and the gaps between the tiles, especially along the outer edges and near the railing, are quite large.
Today, when I was setting up the umbrella and moving two larger plant pots apart, I was almost shocked. There’s what looks like half a wild meadow growing there! These strange weed creatures, see photo, have extremely thick stems and roots.
And quite unpleasant: many small gray creatures live there, strange woodlice that quickly ran back into the joints.
My quick attempt with my joint cleaner was unsuccessful; I can’t reach the roots at all.
In general, it’s a futile effort: I pull weeds about twice a week, but dandelions and chives (yes, really!) keep growing between the joints. Especially the chives, I can’t get rid of them with the joint cleaner.
Last year I already went to a garden center looking for a weed killer, but somehow they didn’t want to sell me anything suitable. It might be tricky on a balcony with children around, etc. I think I will go to a proper hardware store early tomorrow to get some kind of chemical treatment. Do you have any tips? Also happy to hear about special tools or materials that can be applied into the joints.
It seems to us that the individual tiles were not laid very carefully, and the gaps between the tiles, especially along the outer edges and near the railing, are quite large.
Today, when I was setting up the umbrella and moving two larger plant pots apart, I was almost shocked. There’s what looks like half a wild meadow growing there! These strange weed creatures, see photo, have extremely thick stems and roots.
And quite unpleasant: many small gray creatures live there, strange woodlice that quickly ran back into the joints.
My quick attempt with my joint cleaner was unsuccessful; I can’t reach the roots at all.
In general, it’s a futile effort: I pull weeds about twice a week, but dandelions and chives (yes, really!) keep growing between the joints. Especially the chives, I can’t get rid of them with the joint cleaner.
Last year I already went to a garden center looking for a weed killer, but somehow they didn’t want to sell me anything suitable. It might be tricky on a balcony with children around, etc. I think I will go to a proper hardware store early tomorrow to get some kind of chemical treatment. Do you have any tips? Also happy to hear about special tools or materials that can be applied into the joints.
K
Knallkörper6 Jul 2017 18:12Glyphosate is really the least of the problems here. Every wood-burning stove is more harmful to the next generation.
Stefan G. schrieb:
Thanks first of all.
So far, I have tried Banvel M. It worked on the spots to some extent, but unfortunately, it also severely damages the lawn. I think I will try glyphosate. We do pull the weeds by hand as well, but they just keep coming back, increasingly in concentrated patches.Then just leave it be. Regularly mowing overgrown weeds is a much smaller problem than applying chemicals in the garden.
Knallkörper schrieb:
Glyphosate is really the least of our worries here. Any wood-burning stove is more harmful to future generations. I can hardly imagine that the long-term effects of glyphosate in groundwater can already be assessed. I also find it strange to justify one environmental sin by saying it is smaller than another one that is completely unrelated. That would be like saying that stealing is okay because at least I haven’t killed anyone.
77.willo schrieb:
Then just leave it there. Regularly mowing weeds is definitely a much smaller problem than applying chemicals in the garden.Well, those things grow so fast and are already sticking out above the lawn after 2 days. Not very attractive visually, and I don’t feel like mowing every other day. My robot mower is still on its way, but it’s not supposed to “have to” deal with the weeds.
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