Hello dear forum community!
Since I have already received so much great help here during our house construction, I would like to use your expertise again for my personal nightmare project.
Current status: The house is built, and we are happily living in it. The garden is showing its best greenery. Weeds of all kinds (nettles, thistles, grasses, etc.) are spreading over more than 600sqm (about 6,460 sq ft). Fortunately, so are my dahlias. The garden still needs to be raised by roughly 100 cubic meters (about 3,530 cubic feet) in total. The soil will be delivered from another construction site in the next days/weeks. It is good topsoil on which the lawn has been growing (and maintained).
What I am planning: I want to start by pulling out as many weeds as possible from the weed-covered area. Once the new soil arrives, it will be spread on top and hopefully smother the rest.
Problem: But since I’m not relying on luck, quite a lot of weeds will probably regrow or be brought in again. Since most of the area is meant to become lawn, I want to leave as little weed as possible there. I’m relaxed about the flower beds—I will just keep pulling weeds there. But for the lawn... I would like to significantly reduce the weeds beforehand to ensure a good base.
But how do I do this? We have already considered chemical weed control. However, we have three tigers and a toddler. I would rather not poison my whole crew. The neighbor’s cat should also remain unharmed. Covering the entire 600 sqm (about 6,460 sq ft) is not really an option either.
Help!!!
Since I have already received so much great help here during our house construction, I would like to use your expertise again for my personal nightmare project.
Current status: The house is built, and we are happily living in it. The garden is showing its best greenery. Weeds of all kinds (nettles, thistles, grasses, etc.) are spreading over more than 600sqm (about 6,460 sq ft). Fortunately, so are my dahlias. The garden still needs to be raised by roughly 100 cubic meters (about 3,530 cubic feet) in total. The soil will be delivered from another construction site in the next days/weeks. It is good topsoil on which the lawn has been growing (and maintained).
What I am planning: I want to start by pulling out as many weeds as possible from the weed-covered area. Once the new soil arrives, it will be spread on top and hopefully smother the rest.
Problem: But since I’m not relying on luck, quite a lot of weeds will probably regrow or be brought in again. Since most of the area is meant to become lawn, I want to leave as little weed as possible there. I’m relaxed about the flower beds—I will just keep pulling weeds there. But for the lawn... I would like to significantly reduce the weeds beforehand to ensure a good base.
But how do I do this? We have already considered chemical weed control. However, we have three tigers and a toddler. I would rather not poison my whole crew. The neighbor’s cat should also remain unharmed. Covering the entire 600 sqm (about 6,460 sq ft) is not really an option either.
Help!!!
Just for your information, I checked with my chemist. Glyphosate is not entirely harmless to animals. It should have been washed off by rain at least once, and after that, animals should not nibble on the plants.
I can keep my cats away from it, but we have wild rabbits here. Even though I curse those pests daily because of the nibbled plants, I don’t want to see them suffer from poisoning. So the only option is to pull the plants out, dig up the soil, and hope for the best.
I can keep my cats away from it, but we have wild rabbits here. Even though I curse those pests daily because of the nibbled plants, I don’t want to see them suffer from poisoning. So the only option is to pull the plants out, dig up the soil, and hope for the best.
B
Bieber081527 Jul 2017 14:56Evolith schrieb:
600sqm. [...] The garden still needs to be raised by about 100m³. Am I understanding correctly that on 600 m² (6460 sq ft) of ground you want to add 100 m³ (3530 cubic feet) of soil? That would create an additional height of around 17 cm (6.7 inches), or slightly less if the extra soil settles over time.100 m³ (3530 cubic feet) would be roughly 1000 wheelbarrow loads. But nothing will get burnt out, you won’t move that fast :P.
Regarding weeds:
If you want to use herbicide, it’s best to apply it now directly onto the leaves. There are also herbicides without glyphosate; I believe the main difference is the long-term effect (which might not even be necessary for you).
Otherwise: pull them out, including the roots, before they flower. Shred and compost, or spread the shredded material directly as mulch.
If the lawn is mowed regularly, weeds tend to be suppressed quite quickly. You just need to keep an eye on the other areas. Either apply a thick layer of mulch or (better?) plant ground cover.
On fallow land, you could also sow green manure crops (lupins, phacelia, etc.).
And then the classic advice number one: start by planting potatoes :P
K
Knallkörper27 Jul 2017 17:21Bieber0815 schrieb:
100 m³ (130 cubic yards) is about 1000 wheelbarrow loads. But nothing will get heated up, you won’t move that fast. I started spreading my 30 cubic meters (39 cubic yards) with a wheelbarrow in spring. After 2 hours and hardly any progress, I called a landscaping contractor. He started the next morning and finished by 2 p.m. The surface was also quite smooth and, above all, less compacted. It cost 350 euros and saved me about 3 weekends of work.
Some things just aren’t worth it.
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Bieber081527 Jul 2017 19:50By the way, I tried "Bayer Long-Term Weed Control Permaclean" (contains glyphosate) at our place... It's quite effective against grasses, and there was also some effect on thistles. Sorrel is not affected at all.