Coming back from a week away theres 3feet of grass in the garden,
and stinging nettles and brambles.

If I leave the grass long,
but cut back the nettles and brambles
will the grass smother them
so that next summer i can have a grass lawn?

(Most of my energy this summer will go on clearing the cellar and attic
and drainage and roofs, not digging.)


--

[george]

~ [g] ~
~ george at dicenews dot com ~
~ 07970 378 572 ~
~ www.dicegeorge.com ~
~ (c)2008 ~
~ ~

George (dicegeorge) coughed up some electrons that declared:

Coming back from a week away theres 3feet of grass in the garden,
and stinging nettles and brambles.

If I leave the grass long,
but cut back the nettles and brambles
will the grass smother them
so that next summer i can have a grass lawn?

From personal experience, probably not.

(Most of my energy this summer will go on clearing the cellar and attic
and drainage and roofs, not digging.)


Evil chemicals such as a foliage applied weedkiller may be the answer, but
the brambles will be harder. I noticed somethign in the garden centre the
other day aimed as killing brambles but I cannot recall its name, sorry.

Cheers

Tim

"George (dicegeorge)" wrote in message
...
Coming back from a week away theres 3feet of grass in the garden,
and stinging nettles and brambles.

If I leave the grass long,
but cut back the nettles and brambles
will the grass smother them
so that next summer i can have a grass lawn?

(Most of my energy this summer will go on clearing the cellar and attic
and drainage and roofs, not digging.)

Too much phosphorus, hence the nettles and brambles. I'd try cutting them
back and getting rid of the cuttings, same for the grass. Over time you'll
eventually reduce the nutrient levels and you should have less trouble.

In article ,
"George \(dicegeorge\)" writes:
Coming back from a week away theres 3feet of grass in the garden,
and stinging nettles and brambles.

Mixed or separate?

If I leave the grass long,
but cut back the nettles and brambles
will the grass smother them
so that next summer i can have a grass lawn?

Cut the grass long to start with. As it thickens out,
cut it progressively shorter. If the underlying grass
is very thin (by which I mean large areas of bare soil
with few actual grass shoots), here's a technique where
you can leave some areas long (typically an uncut line)
to go to seed, and it will help replant the thinned out
areas. I was told about this probably ~30 years ago, but
actually saw it being done in a field for the first time
this year. Of course, you could explicitly reseed too;
last couple of months have been perfect weather for this,
but mid summer could be too dry without extra watering.

If the brambles and nettles are in the grass, they'll
die out as you cut the lawn.

--
Andrew Gabriel
[email address is not usable -- followup in the newsgroup]

"George (dicegeorge)" wrote in message
...
Coming back from a week away theres 3feet of grass in the garden,
and stinging nettles and brambles.

If I leave the grass long,
but cut back the nettles and brambles
will the grass smother them
so that next summer i can have a grass lawn?

(Most of my energy this summer will go on clearing the cellar and attic
and drainage and roofs, not digging.)

If you were away for a week, and the grass is now three feet long, it must
have been 2 feet 11 inches long before you went. Maybe a regular (i.e. once
a week) mowing plan would solve the problem. With regard to the nettles and
brambles; they will die if you mow them regularly.

John

George (dicegeorge) wrote:
Coming back from a week away theres 3feet of grass in the garden,
and stinging nettles and brambles.

If I leave the grass long,
but cut back the nettles and brambles
will the grass smother them
so that next summer i can have a grass lawn?


No.

Just mow the lot. The nettles and brambles cant take it. The grass can
and will.


(Most of my energy this summer will go on clearing the cellar and attic
and drainage and roofs, not digging.)

John E wrote:
"George (dicegeorge)" wrote in message
...
Coming back from a week away theres 3feet of grass in the garden,
and stinging nettles and brambles.

If I leave the grass long,
but cut back the nettles and brambles
will the grass smother them
so that next summer i can have a grass lawn?

(Most of my energy this summer will go on clearing the cellar and attic
and drainage and roofs, not digging.)

If you were away for a week, and the grass is now three feet long, it
must have been 2 feet 11 inches long before you went. Maybe a regular
(i.e. once a week) mowing plan would solve the problem. With regard to
the nettles and brambles; they will die if you mow them regularly.

John

At this time of year 2" a week is not uncommon.
As you say only grass and low lying weeds (dandelion,daisy, clover)
survive regular mowing.

If you want really nice grass and not meadow grass, spray EVERYTHING
with HEAVY OVERDOSE of glyphosate and then plant decent seed. You will
have a sort of lawn by late summer. And a good one next year.

In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
At this time of year 2" a week is not uncommon.
As you say only grass and low lying weeds (dandelion,daisy, clover)
survive regular mowing.

If you want really nice grass and not meadow grass, spray EVERYTHING
with HEAVY OVERDOSE of glyphosate and then plant decent seed. You will
have a sort of lawn by late summer. And a good one next year.

There are selective sprays which are safe to use on grass. Grazon 90
MAPP no 13117? A mix of Clopyralid and Triclopyr manufactured by Dow.
Not likely to be found at the DIY store.

regards


--
Tim Lamb

In message on Wed, 4 Jun
2008, Tim Lamb wrote
In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes
At this time of year 2" a week is not uncommon.
As you say only grass and low lying weeds (dandelion,daisy, clover)
survive regular mowing.

If you want really nice grass and not meadow grass, spray EVERYTHING
with HEAVY OVERDOSE of glyphosate and then plant decent seed. You will
have a sort of lawn by late summer. And a good one next year.

There are selective sprays which are safe to use on grass. Grazon 90
MAPP no 13117? A mix of Clopyralid and Triclopyr manufactured by Dow.
Not likely to be found at the DIY store.
From personal experience, be extremely careful about using any killer
with Clopyralid in it - it has an extremely long (relatively) decaying
period and the cuttings from treated areas should be handled with great
care. The guidance of 2 cuttings to be removed and further cuts to be
composted for a minimum of 6-9 months is probably insufficient. There
are areas in the US where its use on gardens is prohibited to avoid
problems of cuttings entering the commercial composting/recycling chain.
I could go one but suffice it to say that we lost a full year of potato,
tomato and some bean crops in spite of following guidance rigorously.

Regards, Colin
--
Colin Brook - Winchester (UK)

Fax:+44(0)8701641293 Mobile:07976258703

In message , Colin Brook
writes
There are selective sprays which are safe to use on grass. Grazon 90
MAPP no 13117? A mix of Clopyralid and Triclopyr manufactured by Dow.
Not likely to be found at the DIY store.
From personal experience, be extremely careful about using any killer
with Clopyralid in it - it has an extremely long (relatively) decaying
period and the cuttings from treated areas should be handled with great
care. The guidance of 2 cuttings to be removed and further cuts to be
composted for a minimum of 6-9 months is probably insufficient. There
are areas in the US where its use on gardens is prohibited to avoid
problems of cuttings entering the commercial composting/recycling
chain. I could go one but suffice it to say that we lost a full year of
potato, tomato and some bean crops in spite of following guidance rigorously.

Yes. I suppose the answer is to mulch the cuttings in situ rather than
compost for use on potentially delicate plants.

I think this product is aimed at derelict areas where brambles and other
woody plants are invading. Triclopyr on its own might not do the job
(Starane) specifically Cleavers and then only when it is warm but read
the labels:-)

Large numbers of farm chemicals have been withdrawn recently. Largely
due to the cost of meeting the licence requirements and better products
coming forward.

Ten years ago, I had to worry about whether cereal straw, incorporated
in farmyard manure, was safe to supply to allotment holders.

regards

--
Tim Lamb

Tim Lamb wrote:
In message , Colin Brook
writes
There are selective sprays which are safe to use on grass. Grazon 90
MAPP no 13117? A mix of Clopyralid and Triclopyr manufactured by Dow.
Not likely to be found at the DIY store.
From personal experience, be extremely careful about using any killer
with Clopyralid in it - it has an extremely long (relatively) decaying
period and the cuttings from treated areas should be handled with
great care. The guidance of 2 cuttings to be removed and further cuts
to be composted for a minimum of 6-9 months is probably insufficient.
There are areas in the US where its use on gardens is prohibited to
avoid problems of cuttings entering the commercial
composting/recycling chain. I could go one but suffice it to say that
we lost a full year of potato, tomato and some bean crops in spite of
following guidance rigorously.

Yes. I suppose the answer is to mulch the cuttings in situ rather than
compost for use on potentially delicate plants.

I think this product is aimed at derelict areas where brambles and other
woody plants are invading. Triclopyr on its own might not do the job
(Starane) specifically Cleavers and then only when it is warm but read
the labels:-)

Large numbers of farm chemicals have been withdrawn recently. Largely
due to the cost of meeting the licence requirements and better products
coming forward.

Ten years ago, I had to worry about whether cereal straw, incorporated
in farmyard manure, was safe to supply to allotment holders.

regards

One wonders whatever happened to that useful 50's tool, the flame gun.


Not only did it kill the plants, it killed annual seeds as well.

And gave you a years grace once the soil had been rotovated

In message , The Natural
Philosopher writes

One wonders whatever happened to that useful 50's tool, the flame gun.


Not only did it kill the plants, it killed annual seeds as well.

And gave you a years grace once the soil had been rotovated

I still have one. Made the eyes water rather as does buying paraffin:-)

regards

--
Tim Lamb

On Jun 3, 6:53*pm, The Natural Philosopher wrote:
George (dicegeorge) wrote:
Coming back from a week away theres 3feet of grass in the garden,
and stinging nettles and brambles.

If I leave the grass long,
but cut back the nettles and brambles
will the grass smother them
so that next summer i can have a grass lawn?

No.

Just mow the lot. The nettles and brambles cant take it. The grass can
and will.



(Most of my energy this summer will go on clearing the cellar and attic
and drainage and roofs, not digging.)- Hide quoted text -

- Show quoted text -

Absolutely amazed in this day and age to see anyone advocating the use
of any garden chemicals. Especially for such routine use where normal
hand methods and or mowing would suffice.
Does nobody use a scythe or hand held sickle these days? I presume we
are not talking about a big area (Maybe a quarter acre or less?) and
the OP is not 80+ and infirm?
And if chemicals used where does that polluted water go?
Into ground water and eventually drinking water supplies!
God knows what allergies and diseases our great grandchildren will
have!
Even rain-water these days is polluted! By note:
We have to clear several acres of some 20+ years regrowth of alders
and small coniferous trees, previously used for field crops and are
thinking of renting or buying a rotary 'chain' 'Brush Cutter' driven
by smallish (10 to 15HP) gasoline engine. Probably take a couple of
weeks and involve some hand cutting and burning of the slash.
But chemicals; no way the quality of the water available below our 6
to 7 acres and 'down the slope' to our neighbours some of whom use
wells, would be impaired. There is a natural well near the top of the
property shown to me by a now deceased relative, where they used to
fill up to 'boil the kettle' back in the old days!
Some 30-40 years ago, the land used to be a good place to pick
blackberry, blueberry and partridge berries! Hoping that some have
survived; and will regrow. Another reason not to pollute.