Anyone else having massive problems with weeds this year?

[craz07]

Weeds in the driveway, on the sidewalk, by the porch, by the house, pretty much everywhere.  What the hecks going on this year. I've tried pulling the larger ones, now I think its time to go to the bleach...

[cpxxx]

No but my gardener does.

[craz07]

well ask him what he does to take care of them

[craz07]

I thinks its time for the "the only good weed is a weed thats dead" product

[craz07]

problem is my house is owned by my elderly parents and i do all the yardwork, I don't have a gardener to help me or give me tips, I'm all on my own as far as taking care of the property - any tips would be appreciated

[Curval]

Mix a gallon of white vinegar with a cup of table salt and 1 tablespoon of dishwashing liquid. The dishwashing liquid makes the solution stick to the vegetation.  Mix well but do NOT use this on the lawn, it will kill anything and everything, including your grass.  Works well on areas that you want to knock out the weeds for a long time. 

Alternatively you can just pour boiling water on the weeds growing in cracks etc.  Quick cheap way to kill em.

[craz07]

my sister put a bleach solution on all the weeds in the driveway which is working, all the weeds are now dead but i just went on a yanking spree along the sidewalk and everywhere she missed... I'm thinking this is gonna be an all summer affair...

[DaCoon]

Most gardeners use either round up or spectacide products for spraying, some others just use their weed-eater.  Be careful of loose rocks and gravel if using weed-eater.

[Bizman]

Most gardeners use either round up or spectacide products for spraying, some others just use their weed-eater.  Be careful of loose rocks and gravel if using weed-eater.

Just for information, they've already forbidden glyphosate in many countries and the number is increasing, the reason being it can cause cancer and other possibly unwanted diseases. A flame thrower is one option yet not mentioned here, they're made also for weeding purposes.

Another solution might be to make the seams grow moss instead of weed. For that purpose you'd have to make the soil between the stones more acid. Buttermilk works well and it's probably the most natural ingredient you can find for that purpose! There's plenty of advice for substituting weed with moss like this one: http://homeguides.sfgate.com/grow-moss-between-flagstones-39335.html

[Meatwad]

Glyphosate and crop oil

[BuckShot]

my sister put a bleach solution on all the weeds in the driveway which is working, all the weeds are now dead but i just went on a yanking spree along the sidewalk and everywhere she missed... I'm thinking this is gonna be an all summer affair...

I'd leave those dead weeds to wear away or hit them with the trimmer (weed-wacka). If you pull them, the cracks in the driveway could get worse, brick spaces will widen, or the bricks will sink if the root mass is big enough.

I like that moss idea, I'll have to try that. My woods is covered with moss. A slurry of shredded moss and buttermilk works too. I've seen moss covered flower pots done like that.

[guncrasher]

buy a goat.



semp

[Ripsnort]

Lots of weed in WA state. Legal

[ghi]

 I just watched this story  about giant hogweed found in Michigan; I  had no clue this weed is so dangerous, we have it here in southern Ontario also ,in many more US states, UK, most Europe; can cause painful deep skin burning and blindness;   
https://www.google.com/search?q=giant+hogweed&hl=en-GB&rlz=1T4GGNI_en-GBCA515CA515&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI-q-UpbuTxwIVAhCSCh0tvA2a&biw=1178&bih=646



"Don't touch this plant; you could go blind"
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/05/blinding-plant-michigan/31125003/

[Bizman]

I just watched this story  about giant hogweed found in Michigan; I  had no clue this weed is so dangerous, we have it here in southern Ontario also ,in many more US states, UK, most Europe; can cause painful deep skin burning and blindness;   
https://www.google.com/search?q=giant+hogweed&hl=en-GB&rlz=1T4GGNI_en-GBCA515CA515&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0CAcQ_AUoAWoVChMI-q-UpbuTxwIVAhCSCh0tvA2a&biw=1178&bih=646



"Don't touch this plant; you could go blind"
http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2015/08/05/blinding-plant-michigan/31125003/

Yep, that's a nuisance here too. It doesn't belong to our native flora, it has gone wild from gardens. Another foreign plant that has become a threat to our roadside growth is the bigleaf lupine.