Smother or Raking Up?

[ducks4you]

I read and hear both ways to get rid of stubborn weeds. I know that someone here posted the use of cardboard (or paper) on top (after you've removed what weeds and weed parts are left), then to cover with fresh dirt.
I have ALSO heard it's best to drag some kind of cultivator behind a riding lawn mower (or tractor--don't have one of thems yet :/ )
to kill the nasty weeds that keep coming back. What do YOU all think? The burrs in my pastures are starting to come up right now!

 

[patandchickens]

Depends on the situation. In a yard or garden, smothering is less work and quite doable. In a pasture or crop field (and, when you do own a tractor), it is often more feasible to repeatedly cultivate a large weed patch.

But, you say "burrs" -- do you mean burdock? Unless it is a large fairly pure stand (in which case, repeated cultivation during the year would work, if you feel like it and don't mind sacrificing then reseeding the area), your best bet is really to dig up the plants by hand. It works best that way.

The 3-step burdock cure:

1) remove all standing dead plants (because you don't want them reseeding!) to a burn pile or at least far away in a fallow field. Do not worry about digging -- once a burdock plant has flowered and set seed (burrs), it dies on its own anyhow, they are biennials.

2) Once the plants start growing in spring (and not too long thereafter, i.e. it is better not to wait very long) go out there with a shovel. Dig up each plant you can find -- it will just be a flat rosette of increasingly-large leaves. you needn't necessarily get the WHOLE root, but get as much as you can. It helps if you use a mill file to sharpen your shovel before you start in on this. You needn't do anything with the dug-up roots, just leave them "toes to the sky" on the ground to dry out and die.

3) Then in late summer, walk the pasture again to look for survivors trying to flower. WAIT TIL THE FLOWERS ARE OVER, AND THE BURRS ARE STARTING TO SET (but still green and flexible), then lop the stalk off at ground level (dispose of as described above) or dig up with shovel and dispose of. If you do this too early, like when the plant is still flowering, it will just throw up a new flowerstalk, closer to the ground and much much harder for you to find. (But not harder for the horses' manes to find, and it reseeds just fine!)

After a couple years of this, you can have a truly burdock-free pasture.

Good luck, have fun,

Pat

 

[ducks4you]

Thanks, Pat! Your advice is always REALLY helpful (plus you KNOW about the mane and tail burrs )--ever get 'em in your OWN HAIR?!?!
My biggest problem has the burrs that have grown up in the ruts that were left after the new fencing was installed in February 2008. BUT, I have a new weapon: my 16'2hh (that's a horse with a 5'6" back to those who don't know), Standardbred, "Bo", who likes to paw. I tie him up to get grained and groomed, then I leave him to paw, break down and even out the ground. I can move him around--he's like a machine! All that horsepower saves MY arms and back!!
...he must be using the "thinking" side of his brain... (MY homage to Clinton Anderson!!)

Anybody else? I'm open to ALL ideas--when I've eradicated them, I'll give you all a report.

 

[patandchickens]

(plus you KNOW about the mane and tail burrs )

BTW, you do know about using showsheen (or other brand of silicone grooming spray) to get the burrs out easily, yes? Saturate the affected part of the mane or tail with showsheen, let it dry, then pull the hairs out from the burrs little by little (DO NOT try to pull the burrs out of the hair, pull the hair our of the burrs, I am not certain why it makes such a huge difference but it *does*) til the burrs are free. Except if the burrs are in the forelock, don't let the showsheen dry, do it while it's still wet (yes, it gets your hands all weird), in order to have the burrs be wet and thus less likely to get splintery pieces in the horse's eyeballs, which can be expensive.

--ever get 'em in your OWN HAIR?!?!

Oh yes, not-infrequently My hair is never less than mid-back length. I try to remember to put it in a bun with a silk scarf over it if I'm cutting dead-standing burdocks, or doing stuff out in the wild part of the field, but I often end up with 'em in there anyhow

I have a new weapon: my 16'2hh (that's a horse with a 5'6" back to those who don't know), Standardbred, "Bo", who likes to paw. I tie him up to get grained and groomed, then I leave him to paw, break down and even out the ground. I can move him around--he's like a machine!

LOL, that is too funny

Good luck, have fun,

Pat, with hardly any burdocks in the pastures anymore, and the ones that *are* there are only there b/c I occasionally have a "lazy year".

 

[ducks4you]

patandchickens wrote:
Pat, with hardly any burdocks in the pastures anymore, and the ones that *are* there are only there b/c I occasionally have a "lazy year.

TOTALLY JEALOUS!!!!
I'll have to try the showsheen.

 

[vfem]

Now this is what I was suggested for the burrs in the yard. When you mow, attach extra scrap of carpet to the back of your riding mower and as it runs over the mowed area the burrs will stick to the carpet scrap... then you just throw it out!

I have not tried this, but it was suggested to me... didn't sound like a bad idea!

 

[ducks4you]

THANKS, vfem!!! ANOTHER super idea--and that's better than having them stick to my fabric garden gloves!!!
Anybody else?
**Ducks4you pulls pencil from behind wing, and writes down wonderful ideas in the duck notebook , entitled, "100 Ways to Murder Weeds"**

 

[journey11]

Hey Ducks, here's a thrifty solution to remove burrs from your horses' manes and tails.....CRISCO!! (I use off-brand shortening)

I slather my gelding's hair up with it and work it in good, then comb out starting at the ends using a large tooth comb. No pain or pulling! You can wash it out with a little Dawn when you're done if you want, but I leave it in. (He's not headed for any shows..)

 

[vfem]

THANKS, vfem!!! ANOTHER super idea--and that's better than having them stick to my fabric garden gloves!!!
Anybody else?
**Ducks4you pulls pencil from behind wing, and writes down wonderful ideas in the duck notebook , entitled, "100 Ways to Murder Weeds"**

You really should write that book! Go for it!