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You are viewing a single post made by chelle in the thread called HELP! Thistle and other weeds taking over LARGE daylily bed!.
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Aug 21, 2013 9:23 AM CST
Name: Michele Roth
N.E. Indiana - Zone 5b, and F (Zone 9b)
I'm always on my way out the door..
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Hi, Ann. Welcome! to ATP!

I'm in much the same situation here. The way I've handled it before (and had great results) is to -

Go ahead and mulch it. Chop down or pull away any major weeds so you'll have space between plants, but get some coarse mulch down. Pile it at least 4" deep in between your daylilies. This will allow moisture to settle into the soil, making it easier to pull the big weeds out later, and it'll smother new sprouts and seedlings. Once the weather cools and your soil is moist dig out any weeds that are still showing, trying to get as much root as possible with each one. Then make certain the newly weeded section is recovered with mulch. Continue down the line, a bit at a time. Don't try to tackle the whole bed it in a single day, just do sections at a time...it's more apt to be done well if you concentrate on smaller bits in each session than if you feel pressed to have it all shined-up in a day.

If you absolutely feel that you want to risk using Roundup again, perhaps for a particularly troublesome weed, just put a dribble in a disposable plastic cup and carefully paint it on the weed's leaves with an artist's brush. To me this takes more time than it's usually worth, but I know that those hateful thistles can be a real bear!

The number one best tip that I've learned and can pass along is to keep some coarse mulch handy at all times. If you have to drop what you're doing to go round some up, the weeds will get away from you again. If you keep the soil covered at all times, weeds will be few and far between...mostly popping up just in the center of your plants rather than everywhere you look. Smiling
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