Weeds in Iris Beds
#1
Member
Thread Starter
Weeds in Iris Beds
Are there any weed killers which are safe to use for killing weeds in iris beds?
#2
Group Moderator
The waxy leaves of iris don't absorb herbicides as well as most weeds. I just use a glyphos (standard Roundup) based weed killer for spot treatment. It will kill iris if you spray them hard but if you get the tip of your sprayer close to the weeds and minimize the spray that hits the iris they will survive. If you've let your flower bed totally go and just want to hose it the I don't know of anything that will only kill weeds and not the flowers.
#3
Check out Preen, it's a somewhat natural weed preventer and is very safe to use on most plants/flowers.
#4
Member
My wife is a big believer in Preen, but, as mentioned, it's for preventative applications, and I don't think is going to do much if anything for weeds that are actively growing. I don't recall ever using Roundup for spot applications, but have heard a couple people suggest wearing rubber gloves and applying it with a paint brush to specific weeds.
#5
Forum Topic Moderator
I generally lay newsprint down and then mulch around my irises. That takes care of most of the weeds although there are some that will need to be pulled from time to time. Once the iris get dense they pretty much crowd out most of the weeds.
#6
Mulch is the ultimate weed block. Every 3-4 years we lay down 25 yards of mulch to all our perennial beds in the early spring before anything comes up and rarely have to do any weeding.
But it takes a good 4-6" of mulch to keep everything under control!
But it takes a good 4-6" of mulch to keep everything under control!