Hog it out, rake it up, and plant some kind of quick groundcover to act as
a smother crop for a couple months. That ought to keep germinated seed/roots
at bay. To go in and plant a permanent groundcover right after removal, is
too optimistic, and too hard to weed around when babies start showing up.
Basically ,this approach tries to get conditions good for germination, but
bad for sustained growth. A crop of buckwheat/soybean, etc. can hit 3 feet
high in aprox 4-5weeks. This creates alot of shade( if planted densely
enough) that inhibits any babies that might get a starrt.
Certainly the plot needs to be looked after to spot the lucky ones that
show up.
After a couple plantings and mowings, i'd say that the area is ready for
some kind of permanent landscaping.
.... and of course, amend the soil as needed, to get conditions favorable for
the covercrops.
Has your neighbor a "weed flamer"?
bille
Behalf Of Cyndi Norman
Sent: Wednesday, February 12, 2003 6:01 PM
To: OGL@LSV.UKY.EDU
Subject: Getting rid of Pampas Grass
I have the best neighbor! He recently took out about a dozen mature Pampas
Grass specimums
Thanks,
Cyndi
____________________________________________________________________________
___
Petaluma, California Zone 9 USDA; Zone 15 Sunset Western Garden
Guide
Chemically sensitive/disabled - Organic Gardening only by choice and
neccessity
____________________________________________________________________________
___
"There's nothing wrong with me. Maybe there's Cyndi
Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG)
cyndi@tikvah.com
http://www.tikvah.com/
_________________ Owner of the Immune Website & Lists
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I have the best neighbor! He recently took out about a dozen mature Pampas
Grass specimums (Cortaderia selloana and/or Cortaderia jubata) with a
backhoe and asked me to give him alternatives to Roundup to keep them from
coming back. That's what he'd normally use but he knows it makes me ill.
Doing a quick internet search I see that large plants must be removed
mechanically (as he did) and for prevention you have two choices: Roundup
or mechanical removal when they are young. Appearently the plant produces
tons of seeds that can germinate in just about any conditions. And if you
pull up a plant and the roots touch the soil, it can regrow.
If you're not familar with Pampas Grass, it's an ornamental grass that is
one of the most noxious and environmentally disruptive weeds in
California and other warm-winter areas. http://www.nps.gov/redw/pampas.htm
Before I go back to him saying the solution is tedious mechanical removal
on a regular basis, I'd like to hear from others who have dealt with the
problem successfully. Of course the Roundup would have to be applied
regularly too so the workload with early pulling isn't too much more, but
it would be nice to present him with a variety of options. It would be
much too much work for me to offer to do this for him in case anyone is
thinking of suggesting it (it's a big area--maybe 500-1000 sf but with a
larger area where the plants can regrow).
Thanks,
Cyndi
_______________________________________________________________________________
Petaluma, California Zone 9 USDA; Zone 15 Sunset Western Garden Guide
Chemically sensitive/disabled - Organic Gardening only by choice and neccessity
_______________________________________________________________________________
"There's nothing wrong with me. Maybe there's Cyndi Norman
something wrong with the universe." (ST:TNG) cyndi@tikvah.com
http://www.tikvah.com/
_________________ Owner of the Immune Website & Lists http://www.immuneweb.org/
billevans wrote:
One method sometimes used here is to set fire to the clumps during
winter when there is a lot of dry old growth. Finishes them off usually
without need for any digging and gets rid of the seed.
Moira
--
Tony & Moira Ryan,
Wainuiomata, North Island, NZ. Pictures of our garden at:-
http://mywebpages.comcast.net/cherie1/Garden/TonyandMoira/index.htm
