weed control
#1
weed control
Hi all, We planted 10 Thuja (sp) grn giant bushes along our grass wood line in back to hopefully supply some privacy down the road. Needless to say the weeds are pretty thick in that area and we have to constantly wack back the weeds. Is there a weed killer (THAT WORKS) that we can use that will kill the weeds without harming the bushes ?? At $50 a pop we are talking about $500 worth of new bushes. Thanks in advance for any suggestions.
#3
Group Moderator
A pre-emergent applied early in the spring would be safe on your already established plants. For more immediate help you can spray with a grass and weed killing herbicide. You will have to be careful NOT to get any overspray on your thuja. I would avoid using a herbicide that advertises long lasting protection as they contain chemicals that can leech into the soil or move with heavy rain. But any brand with glyphosate as it's active ingredient will be safe on your plants as long as you don't hit them with the spray.
#4
We had considered that...but to be honest we have never had very good results with mulch being much of a weed deterrent around here (Midwest). I'm sure of course that it must help a little, but we have used it in several different places and the pesky little B@#$%&DS still wind up growing up through the mulch. I've heard there is some mulch that has a weed deterrent in it......but again to be honest i'm not sure I want to buy into that claim just yet.
#6
Forum Topic Moderator
You can lay down landscape cloth as a barrier to slow down the weeds. The thicker the mulch is the more effective it is at holding back the weeds. I'm not sure anything short of concrete will stop the weeds long term.
#7
Member
I would go with post#3. Don't pump up the sprayer too much. Adjust the nozzle for larger drops, not a fine spray. Not on a windy day. I would hoe a one foot circle around the shrub, before you start the spray routine. Once every two weeks or so should do it. BTW....how did you keep the deer away ?
#8
Thank You for your suggestion. Good question on the deer control. I'll try to be short. One of our worse fears was the deer having a feast on our $$$$. Supposedly these Thuja Green Giants are while not absolutely deer proof, they are suppose to be somewhat deer resistant. In other words....most "EXPERTS" seem to suggest that deer just don't like the Thujas unless they are starving and theres nothing else to eat. Anyway, I started out by spraying them every few weeks with "Deer Out"