Subject: Re: Use hot water to kill weeds?

From: [email-masked] (Paul Dineen)
Date: 10 Mar 1995 19:39:33 GMT

Jeffrey S. Ertel ([email-masked]) wrote:
: What Kay suggests will work with some plants but not others.
: Some of the groundcovers that spread with rhizomes will not be
: able to come up through the fabrics and those that spread with
: stolons will not be able to root through it.  I don't like to
: use fabrics with groundcovers.  If you have a current weed
: problem you could use soil solarization to sterilize the area
: prior to planting the groundcover.

: Rototill the area and then cover it with clear plastic for
: about six weeks during the summer.  You need to bury the edges
: of the plastic around the edge of the bed.  With the windy
: conditions you describe, you will need to use a fairly heavy
: grade of plastic and even then you may need to replace it a
: couple of times if it rips.  I have made repairs with clear
: packing tape.

: What kind of groundcover were you thinking of using?

  I weed situation in this area *seems* to be under control.  We've
  cut holes for ~30 plants we've planted in this (950 sf) area, without
  weeds poking out much at all.  I'm concerned because weeds were
  running wild in that area before we got around to developing that
  part of the lot (relatively new construction).  I'm worried about
  The Return of the Killer Weeds if I take up the fabric and bark.
  Weeds are under pretty good control throughout the lot not what
  we have no more bare dirt areas left - maybe that was causing the
  weed infestation.  But, I still wonder how many dormant weed seeds
  are still down there.

  I'll think/ask more about the suggestions I've rcd so far, but my
  current inclination is to take up the fabric in sections and plant
  ground covers.  Since it's a large area and I have lots of other
  work to do in the yard, I might spread the task of planting these
  groundcovers over about 3 years.

  Here's what groundcovers I can remember planting in this area so far:
     o yellow & pink iceplant (like how this is dense and crowds out weeds!)
     o creeping potentilla (not dense:  quickly shoots out long stems low
       to the ground.  looks good, but not as good a weed barrier)
     o sweet woodruff (for looks, not good barrier)
     o dragon's blood sedum

  I planted this stuff last spring, and didn't buy tons of it, so it 
  currently covers a very small percentage of the area.