grass and fences

tjg911 · May 11, 2009

my garden is 30' X 40' and is organic. it is enclosed by a fence. when i put up the fence several years ago i failed to realize that it was a 4" X 4" grid (i thought it was 2" X 4") with a 1" X 4" grid from ground level up 12". after a few years the rabbits realized they could jump thru the 4" X 4" grid. i did not want to replace the fence so i wrapped it with chicken wire. that stopped the rabbits but....

so now i have 2 fences tied together, the chicken wire is on the outside and the other on the inside. the grass that grows along the fence now grows on the outside, the space between the 2 fences and the inside. it is a mess and hard to weed and keep the grass down. the grass grows to the top of the fence which is 28".

so i have to tie these 2 fences together with twine each year (which i hate having to do) and weed them once a month. i am sick and tired of the weeding. how can i stop this grass from growing? it is sending out runners into the garden.

i hate to use roundup as i am unsure if it will travel thru the grass to the roots and into the garden. i don't suppose that much would travel into the garden or how long it would last but i really don't want roundup in there. someone suggested spraying bleach on the grass. now if i did either i'd use a 2' X 3' piece of plywood to stop the overspray. i'd spray from the outside towards the garden. i'm pretty certain roundup would kill the grass but like i said i'm uncomfortable using that around the perimeter of the garden.

is there a safe, effective, organic way to kill the grass? vinegar (5%) is useless, i sprayed it as a test on weeds in walkways a few years ago and the weeds laughed at me.

tom

rxkeith · May 11, 2009

you could lay down cardboard along the perimeter, and cover it with old leaves, or straw to make it look nice. or just put rocks on top of the cardboard if it doesn't have to look nice. old carpet would work too, although not exactly organic.

keith

amideutch · May 12, 2009

Tom, have the same problem and use a weedeater on it periodically to keep the grass down. Ami

robin303 · May 12, 2009

Can't you just put both sets of wire fence on one side? Easier to weed whack. You can use small zip ties to keep it taught.

johno · May 12, 2009

6 mil black plastic under the fence, maybe a foot wide on each side of it (2' wide strips total width), will last for a long time, much longer if it is covered with a decorative mulch to keep it protected from uv rays.

tjg911 · May 12, 2009

the fence is buried 2' deep so i can not put anything under the fence.

robin, i have no idea what you mean. picture this - chicken wire 28" high tied to a welded wire fence that is 28" high, in essence it is "1" fence but the grass just grows up. there is no other side. the grass grows on the outside of the 2 tied together fences, in between them and on the other side.

on another forum 20% vinegar was suggested. anyone use that? where to buy it?

ami, you put roundup into a watering can and water it? i have 140' of fence line, that's a LOT of roundup! are you organic? if so aren't you concerned that the roundup will contaminate your garden soil?

tom

dice · May 13, 2009

You could try pouring boiling water on it (metal watering
can with a sprinkler head, maybe). Non-toxic.

amideutch · May 13, 2009

Please excuse as I forgot what forum we were in. Check out the link below. Ami

http://www.planetnatural.com/cgi-bin...ic-weed-killer

tjg911 · May 13, 2009

gee ami this is interesting. i'll give them a call. 2 bottles may do it and if this is effective i'd prefer to use it vs roundup. have you or anyone used this on grass? i wonder if it works on non-lawn grass. btw, this is not lawn grass, this stuff is hay. very stiff stalks and grows to 2'+.

tom

veggie babe · May 14, 2009

If you order it let us know if it works.

neva

amideutch · May 14, 2009

I've ordered products from these folks but not this particular product. You would need to hit your fence line with a weedeater first then apply the product. Definitely let us know how it works if you choose to try it. Ami

Blueaussi · May 14, 2009

A few years ago, Walmart was carrying an organic weed killer that smelled strongly of cloves. It worked, but it wasn't taken up by the plant, so sometimes the roots weren't killed. I'm wondering if this Planet Natural product is similar.

John3 · April 30, 2010

bump to add some info

Quote:

on another forum 20% vinegar was suggested. anyone use that? where to buy it?

I haven't tried this but the lemon is supose to up the acid

4oz lemon juice concentrate
into
1 quart white or cider vinegar
and spray - be careful as the article said it would kill other plants. If the roots are well established repeat once a month and use during hot part of day and will not work below 60 degrees. Don't ask me I don't know why.

My understanding about using bleach is that it turns into a salt - so if have a lot not good for the plants around the area.

Granite26 · April 30, 2010

I have used the weed/grass killer on planetnatural website. It knocked out the grass very fast...but not the roots. The grass grew right back as strong as ever.

amideutch · April 30, 2010

Thanks for the reply Granite26. How long did it take the grass to grow back? Ami

May 11, 2009	#1
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	grass and fences my garden is 30' X 40' and is organic. it is enclosed by a fence. when i put up the fence several years ago i failed to realize that it was a 4" X 4" grid (i thought it was 2" X 4") with a 1" X 4" grid from ground level up 12". after a few years the rabbits realized they could jump thru the 4" X 4" grid. i did not want to replace the fence so i wrapped it with chicken wire. that stopped the rabbits but.... so now i have 2 fences tied together, the chicken wire is on the outside and the other on the inside. the grass that grows along the fence now grows on the outside, the space between the 2 fences and the inside. it is a mess and hard to weed and keep the grass down. the grass grows to the top of the fence which is 28". so i have to tie these 2 fences together with twine each year (which i hate having to do) and weed them once a month. i am sick and tired of the weeding. how can i stop this grass from growing? it is sending out runners into the garden. i hate to use roundup as i am unsure if it will travel thru the grass to the roots and into the garden. i don't suppose that much would travel into the garden or how long it would last but i really don't want roundup in there. someone suggested spraying bleach on the grass. now if i did either i'd use a 2' X 3' piece of plywood to stop the overspray. i'd spray from the outside towards the garden. i'm pretty certain roundup would kill the grass but like i said i'm uncomfortable using that around the perimeter of the garden. is there a safe, effective, organic way to kill the grass? vinegar (5%) is useless, i sprayed it as a test on weeds in walkways a few years ago and the weeds laughed at me. tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

May 12, 2009	#3
amideutch Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Germany 49°26"N 07°36"E Posts: 5,041	Tom, have the same problem and use a weedeater on it periodically to keep the grass down. Ami __________________ Life's journey is not to arrive at the grave safely in a well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, totally worn out, shouting ‘...Holy Crap .....What a ride!' Last edited by amideutch; May 13, 2009 at 04:17 AM.

May 12, 2009	#5
johno Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: Arkansas zone 6b Posts: 441	6 mil black plastic under the fence, maybe a foot wide on each side of it (2' wide strips total width), will last for a long time, much longer if it is covered with a decorative mulch to keep it protected from uv rays. __________________ You create your own universe as you go along. Winston Churchill

May 12, 2009	#6
tjg911 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: zone 5b northwest connecticut Posts: 2,570	the fence is buried 2' deep so i can not put anything under the fence. robin, i have no idea what you mean. picture this - chicken wire 28" high tied to a welded wire fence that is 28" high, in essence it is "1" fence but the grass just grows up. there is no other side. the grass grows on the outside of the 2 tied together fences, in between them and on the other side. on another forum 20% vinegar was suggested. anyone use that? where to buy it? ami, you put roundup into a watering can and water it? i have 140' of fence line, that's a LOT of roundup! are you organic? if so aren't you concerned that the roundup will contaminate your garden soil? tom __________________ I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the end of the night He’s gotta be strong And he’s gotta be fast And he’s gotta be fresh from the fight I need a hero I’m holding out for a hero ‘til the morning light He’s gotta be sure And it’s gotta be soon And he’s gotta be larger than life

May 13, 2009	#7
dice Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2007 Location: PNW Posts: 4,743	You could try pouring boiling water on it (metal watering can with a sprinkler head, maybe). Non-toxic. __________________ -- alias

May 11, 2009	#2
rxkeith Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Feb 2006 Location: Back in da U.P. Posts: 1,840	you could lay down cardboard along the perimeter, and cover it with old leaves, or straw to make it look nice. or just put rocks on top of the cardboard if it doesn't have to look nice. old carpet would work too, although not exactly organic. keith

May 12, 2009	#4
robin303 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: Austin, TX Zone 8b Posts: 531	Can't you just put both sets of wire fence on one side? Easier to weed whack. You can use small zip ties to keep it taught.

May 14, 2009	#10
veggie babe Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Dec 2008 Location: east texas Posts: 686	If you order it let us know if it works. neva

May 14, 2009	#12
Blueaussi Tomatovillian™ Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: South Carolina Zone 8a Posts: 1,205	A few years ago, Walmart was carrying an organic weed killer that smelled strongly of cloves. It worked, but it wasn't taken up by the plant, so sometimes the roots weren't killed. I'm wondering if this Planet Natural product is similar.

April 30, 2010	#14
Granite26 Tomatovillian™ Join Date: May 2009 Location: Western WI Posts: 359	I have used the weed/grass killer on planetnatural website. It knocked out the grass very fast...but not the roots. The grass grew right back as strong as ever.