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Little-TON - Colorado

We are challenged to kill weeds....mostly those dang THISTLE, and R fav morning glory with a bunch of other B's that I am tired of pulling.....I'm ready to declare them food so they stop growing..... I hate using CHEMs....but enough is enough.....I need to get the upper hand.....organically.... or if need be .....phasers set on kill.......stun no longer works......DaWiz is Pi....$$ ...Yo i know this is a family site

6/29/2006 12:59:28 AM

ENGLAND

Wiz. Just one product to invest in here and that is Roundup. If weeds are close to or in amongst plants you want to keep, i guess Pumpkin plants are such plants here, just use a decorators paint brush and/or roller to apply the diluted Roundup concentrate. DO NOT use Roundup in early morning or during the day as this will cause the Roundup to fume in warm to hot weather and affect surrounding plants. Apply the Roundup as late in the evening as possible as this will allow the weeds to take the application into the leaf and stem system also translocating into the root system. If you have weeds that have already grown to maturity and have shed their Seeds then wait for the flush of Seedlings to get enough leaf area and treat with Roundup to prevent even further infestation.

Thistles, Nettles, Brambles and other tough to kill and/or deep and big rooted Weeds may require more than one treatment to get the job done.

I know i am not Steve but thought i would answer and give MHO anyway.

Regards
Mike

6/29/2006 5:36:44 AM

I assume this is the patch at the nursery,,

since the plants must be small they can be covered fairly easy,if you elect to use roundup and are worried about overspray, "non chemical" option would be to "torch" them with a propane burner just hit them with the flames and they will wither and die in a couple of days

6/29/2006 6:34:04 AM

http://www.flameengineering.com/Vapor_Torch_Kits.html

VT 3-30 C – 500,000 BTU – The "Original Red Dragon Torch Kit"

Just don't hit your plants with it or burn down the house.

6/29/2006 7:00:17 AM

Nashville, TN

I too have resorted to 'chemical means'... But have found that Roundup seems to be losing it's effectiveness on everthing but the grassy weeds...

For the Broadleafs - 2-4-D ... will kill in 48 hours.. If you're afraid that you oversprayed - just check your Plants every 1 hour (after spraying) for 6 hours... Any leaf showing signs of Blackness/wilting - cut off... As long as the 2-4-D is not allowed to pass through the plants vascular system further than one or two leaves.. You'll be fine..

I also use the barrier method for 'full season' weed control.. I recycle the Paper feed bags - and put old hay/ light covering of barn waste over the top.. You can use Newspapers + mulch/straw as well...

good luck!

6/29/2006 7:21:17 AM

New Salisbury IN

Dont use 2-4-D anyware near Pumpkins

6/29/2006 8:29:55 AM

Little-TON - Colorado

I think I know about the 2-4-D experience in an old sprayer. I like the flame thrower idea but we got concerns over a fire ban and dry weeds..... All Thanks for the help....We got big weeds and little weeds, lots a weeds....The Thistles seem to be the worst since their roots go down who knows how far. Ill just keep sprayin at night at the Nursery......as far as at home.....it still looks bad most of it is not coming back

6/29/2006 8:35:28 AM

"goat on a rope" hmmm,,,I suppose putting them in the sun on a anchor post is out of the question,,,

6/29/2006 12:26:56 PM

Nashville, TN

I've had good luck with a Roundup + 2-4-D - using around pumpkins and my squash....Roundup gets the grassy weeds - 2-4-D gets everything else!

But I've got 'Good Aim'... Unlike the men in my household who can't seem to hit the toilet first thing in the morning..LOL!!2

6/29/2006 1:21:16 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Is the area tilled? There are several herbicides used by commercial growers that could be used. Getting them is in small enough quanities for a small patch is another story . Type Pumpkin Herbicide in to google once. Preen would also do if the area is well cultivated.

6/29/2006 2:03:53 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

2-4-D around pumpkins equals death to your pumpkins...Stopping telling others to use it......

6/29/2006 2:05:15 PM

[email protected]

NO 2,4-d....period end of conversation.

It sounds like we're past the point of using a scuffle hoe???

There are some non-chemical non-selective herbicides.

Scythe is potassium salts of fatty acids. It doesn't kill roots of established perennial weeds right away, but through repeated use even thistle will give up eventually. Smells funny but it works fast! Treated weeds growing in full sun often keel over while you watch (Oxalis, Clover & Spurge notably).

Acetic acid (Hi-Test Vinegar) herbicides are the same thing but watch out for the eyes. Nasty burns to the cornea can result in blindness.

Propane torches are effective but pricey & somewhat dangerous.

My recommendation goes toward good old fashioned Roundup. Spray at low pressure with a coarse nozzle in the still of the early morning or late afternoon. No harm comes to you, the environment or the plants when used as directed.

Work in a way that you don't box yourself into a corner & don't walk on it. Use a spray dye indicator for large areas so you don't miss or repeat areas. Don't use more or less concentrate than the targeted weeds require according to the very lengthy label.

6/29/2006 2:48:49 PM

Lexington, Ky

Maybe someone got it right or just got lucky but in helping a fellow grower whom was desperate for weed control in his patch, laid down a healty dose of 2-4-d. I requested help here for him and ALL the advice said HELL NO to 2-4-d. I passed the replies to him and he still went with it. Believe it or not, he has very healty plants and hardly a weed. I helped him administer the lethal dose so I know it went down. This guy doesn't own a tiller nor has it been tilled...I see this patch everyday, it looks great. His patch has received ample rain since the application so I'm certain that the product has long since made it to the root zone.

I am watching this patch with much interest. I have always thought that I would be able to tell him "I told you so"...but as of today, it's looking like he's gonna be the one to make me eat crow!

For what it's worth, the seeds went in the ground the same day the 2-4-d was applied.

Jamie

6/29/2006 7:03:40 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Wow, Thanks for all the posts.......Area width of the patches X 3 is about 27'X 27'. We sprayed RoundUp on two, but since it was late in the season we let them go a few days then started wacking em off. The dirt is very dark, void of a lot of moisture but once drenched pretty good I was able to rototill it and finally get about 8-10" of tilth. We have hauled in 20-30 wheelbarrow loads of pond sludge, very black but clayish. Owner gave us about a yard each of compost....we dont want to bug him too much as he does have business to run and we look at this as a great gift. But the ole thistles and morning glories are growing up thru the tilled soil. I shoveled them down and pulled out some 10" roots. We have hit the surrounding area with round up again and had many days over 90. The Mglories dont like the stuff but the thistle and some others take big doses.

6/29/2006 7:26:32 PM

Little-TON - Colorado

Continued. I guess I hear some spray ahead of the plants and Ill stay with the roundup....but in the surronding area's for next years patches......probably 10-15 more the same size....for the kids field punkins and several giant patches hopefully with a 4H club, I want to start killing them weeds and keeping the seeds out of our new patches this year. Ya know 1 year of seeds....5 years of weeds. But I took out some big genetic 4' monster thistle last night...Felt real good.

6/29/2006 7:31:00 PM

Anamosa, IA [email protected]

I am having some success by chopping the weeds off at ground level with a gas powered weed eater. It uses up the string fast, and I have to clean the diort out of the spool frequently. Then I scrape the surface with a hoe and then hit them with a pointed hoe to till things up. Then I mulch around the plants with grass clippings. Grass clippings really holds the weeds down, and holds in moisture as well. Any weeds that come up through the clippings are real easy to pull. I use Roundup preplant and again when the plants are small and can be covered with a bucket. This time of year I keep the Roundup well away from the plants, and spray only when there is no wind.

6/30/2006 2:32:33 AM

Nashville, TN

**LOL - Only if you hit 'em Baby!!!

I've got 2 dozen GP/GS plants - over 2 dozen 'lesser maxima' plants and 1/2 acre of Gourds/commercial pumpkins... Been using Round-up + 2-4-D around them all summer ....It's all in the AIM of the user! **grin**

Jim Falls, Wisconsin

2-4-D around pumpkins equals death to your pumpkins...Stopping telling others to use

6/30/2006 10:38:35 AM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

Good luck with that scienceteacher....When you grow pumpkins for a living, I will listen to your advice. When your patch turns to mush and your leaves curl up and show chlorosis...I do not want to hear anything from you.

6/30/2006 10:45:20 AM

Nashville, TN

Boy, Shannon, you're in a rather neg. mood today...

BTW - ROUNDUP will also kill Maximas.. Just not as swiftly..

I've been using Roundup on the fencelines - which have tons of 'volunteer Gourds' from plants years ago... Yep, Roundup sure does kill 'em - when you HIT THEM!

If the label says it'll kill Broadleafs - generally it's toxic to Pumkins/Maximas as well...

Basically - just be careful where you aim... Regardless of which herbicide you use...

6/30/2006 12:55:21 PM

Menomonie, WI ([email protected])

2-4-D is a very volatile herbicide that has been known to destroy foliage from as far as 250 yards away. Aim has nothing to do with it. My negative mood comes from my attempt to not get other new growers to try your method of weed control. When you have been around long enough you will realize your posts are read by thousands of other growers. Many of them take advice from the internet, just like they listen to the news. This based on an opinion on something they heard with out all the facts. Tremor works in the Agricultural Chemical Business. If he says do not use 2-4-D around a pumpkin. He knows what he is talking about, because his lively hood depends on it. If he gives a customer the wrong advice legal ramnifications can and do occur. Herbicides are wonderful tools when used in the correct way.

6/30/2006 1:19:40 PM

Indiana

Ive got a torch and it works great then hoe up close

6/30/2006 1:26:03 PM

ENGLAND

Most folks know how much i even detest typing 2-4-D (that hurt) let alone discussing the darn stuff. I spent a conciderable amount of my spare time some years ago spraying Roundup & Paraquat but i totally refused to go anywhere near 2-4-D when asked to use it. Steve & Shannons' comments cover what i was going to add to this thread. I'm out.

Mike

6/30/2006 1:35:40 PM

Follansbee, Wv

Buy a goat and name him 2,4-D :)

Or better yet, get busy pulling. Weeding is a part of gardening, always has been, always will be, whether your growing pumpkins or peas.

Even the most persistant weed roots will not survive repeated defoliation. It simply takes time.

6/30/2006 1:49:09 PM