Mind Your Own Business

Hillybird

I have a big problem with what I think is called Mind Your Own Business.  When I lived in Hampshire I tried to grow it to line hanging baskets with as my father does.  Now I live in Cornwall and it is all over the garden and I can't get rid of it, even the chickens don't seem to like it.  Our garden is south facing but has quite a lot of shade due to large sycamore trees (we live in a conservation area so can't do anything about them).  Can anyone suggest a way to reduce it.  I have started scraping it off along with some of the soil but this means losing topsoil.  I would be grateful for any ideas.  Thanks

Dovefromabove

Info on control of Mind your own business can be found here  http://apps.rhs.org.uk/advicesearch/profile.aspx?pid=348

To avoid charges of plagiarism and also to avoid running into copyright issues it's accepted practise to post a link to information on another site, or credit the author's original work. 

nutcutlet

 Nice one Dove.

Most of us just put in the link Edd. 

Dovefromabove

Whoops! typo alert - 'accepted practice' not practise 

Roger Brook

I have an unusual problem with helxine! I must have a sensitivity to it acquired when handling it years ago. I have only have to think of it and I get a headache. I think it is called a psychosomatic reaction. I have a pang in my head writing about it now.

I expect some of you will describe some of my comments as a headache. I have only recently discovered your forum and I find it a real friendly place.

 

nutcutlet

We have a saying in this house Roger,

All symptoms are from the neck up until proved otherwise.

Roger Brook

Thanks nutcutlet, I am reassured I might be normal. I agree with Verdun about glyphosate, the trouble is when the helxine is entwined with other things

Carefully direct glyphosate with your sprayer if the weed  is growing underneath shrubs or between plants! Many gardeners do not realise if their wanted plants have died down and are dormant at this time of year and the weeds are still green and  growing you can safely and effectively spray them although you will have to wait six weeks or more for them to die

nutcutlet

I often use glyphosate in winter, it's very good where cow parsley has seeded within deciduous shrubs. Unfortunately by other meadow menace, hogweed, (not giant) is deciduous - more or less

evo 2

I had myob, or baby's tears in my lawn. Nothing  I tried killed it and I was faced with successively digging up  part of the lawn each time it came back. But finally I found that ammonium sulphamate does the trick and kills this pernicious little blighter , no problem. Its not licensed in the EU as a weedkiller, but can be bought online as a compost accelerant.

 

Obelixx

It may also be worth seeing if the canopy of the sycamores can be raised to let in more light and air and water to the ground below.    It would simply involve removing some of the lower branches and would not harm the health or the look of the trees.

The RHS is always happy for people to quote info from its articles and research as long as they get a credit.