Weeds

[GardeningCacti]

Hello everyone! Hope someone can help me. I am looking for a tool that I can use, a specific name of it, or some way/ method of doing it.. I do not want to use pesticides and damage the roses. Plus, it would cost too much.

Basically, I have to regularly cut/pull weeds from under rose bushes. These are next to sections of grass that gets watered often. The grass gets watered and so do the weeds.. not sure how they just keep on growing seeing they get pulled out by the bucketfulls every month. I should mention the dirt the weeds grow in is very lose and the weeds are not hard to pull out at all, there are just so many of them and it gets tiring being on my knees or crouching all the time.

Anyway, I haven't measured but it is probably close to 100x2 feet of dirt under the rose bushes that I have to remove weeds from, maybe a little longer.

thanks everyone!

God bless

 

[Oliver Buckle]

One of my first jobs was a student Summer job as a gardener at BP's HQ. we started every morning by hoeing the surrounding rose beds. Lets be a bit specific, the hoe I am talking about has a lightweight blade and a eight foot handle, not the heavy duty sort of thing used for digging.
Like this, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-890...44-830e-5ef912362f35&pd_rd_i=B000PJ8FGC&psc=1
Make sure the blade is fastened to the handle with rivets, they make handles that will fit interchangeable heads, my experience is they don't last ten minutes. Hoe more regularly than once a month, don't let the weeds get big. You can create a tilth of loose soil and chop the weeds up into it. The tilth will also protect the soil from evaporation and also suppress weeds to some extent, a bit like a mulch, over time it improves the ground. Once you have got that tilth you can hoe over quickly once or twice a week with very little effort and catch the weeds as little two leaves which die easily and add to the soil. I am 79 now, and can still maintain quite a large area, getting on my knees to weed would kill me

 

[GardeningCacti]

One of my first jobs was a student Summer job as a gardener at BP's HQ. we started every morning by hoeing the surrounding rose beds. Lets be a bit specific, the hoe I am talking about has a lightweight blade and a eight foot handle, not the heavy duty sort of thing used for digging.
Like this, https://www.amazon.co.uk/Draper-890...44-830e-5ef912362f35&pd_rd_i=B000PJ8FGC&psc=1
Make sure the blade is fastened to the handle with rivets, they make handles that will fit interchangeable heads, my experience is they don't last ten minutes. Hoe more regularly than once a month, don't let the weeds get big. You can create a tilth of loose soil and chop the weeds up into it. The tilth will also protect the soil from evaporation and also suppress weeds to some extent, a bit like a mulch, over time it improves the ground. Once you have got that tilth you can hoe over quickly once or twice a week with very little effort and catch the weeds as little two leaves which die easily and add to the soil. I am 79 now, and can still maintain quite a large area, getting on my knees to weed would kill me

thank you so much for taking the time. The method you explained sounds great! I will get a good lightweight hoe like you explained ASAP. wow! 79 yo. and still out and about. My grandpa was in his early 80s before he passed and was still independent and walked and moved on his own. Guess the key is staying active throughout life. I will try and do as much, God willing. Take care!

 

[Chuck]

https://www.siteone.com/pt-oh1-fg-p...d=lia|siteone_2023_ProTrade-LongHandle_XXXXX|{adgroup}|google&ds_k=&xmid=xm_%ebuy!_%25epid!_%ecid!&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote83HGWDmNE79YFG3bjqFqrDcaYoRjkItY3-366MADbgnQnRBUADHpQaAgRdEALw_wcB

These things make weeding super easy, especially in soft soil. I can weed a 1/4 acre vegetable garden in less than 2 hours. With your amount of area I would guess about 20 minutes. You never have to even bend over. I have had the same one for 20+ years. It is the most used of all my gardening tools. Their common name is Hula Hoe or Stirrup Hoe.

 

[Meadowlark]

Over 230 years behind these three replies and make mine an endorsement of Oliver's tilth method and Chuck's hula hoe.

 

[FromCali]

Is there no other option like mulch or ground covers so that weeding can be reduced?

 

[Meadowlark]

Is there no other option like mulch or ground covers so that weeding can be reduced?

... I am looking for a tool that I can use, a specific name of it, or some way/ method of doing it.. I do not want to use pesticides and damage the roses. Plus, it would cost too much.

The Op asked about a tool and a method of using it...both were recommended. Both can last a lifetime and cost very little compared to bringing in mulch.

 

[GardeningCacti]

Is there no other option like mulch or ground covers so that weeding can be reduced?

https://www.siteone.com/pt-oh1-fg-p...d=lia|siteone_2023_ProTrade-LongHandle_XXXXX|{adgroup}|google&ds_k=&xmid=xm_%ebuy!_%25epid!_%ecid!&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote83HGWDmNE79YFG3bjqFqrDcaYoRjkItY3-366MADbgnQnRBUADHpQaAgRdEALw_wcB

These things make weeding super easy, especially in soft soil. I can weed a 1/4 acre vegetable garden in less than 2 hours. With your amount of area I would guess about 20 minutes. You never have to even bend over. I have had the same one for 20+ years. It is the most used of all my gardening tools. Their common name is Hula Hoe or Stirrup Hoe.

wow thanks, I bought

https://www.siteone.com/pt-oh1-fg-p...d=lia|siteone_2023_ProTrade-LongHandle_XXXXX|{adgroup}|google&ds_k=&xmid=xm_%ebuy!_%25epid!_%ecid!&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote83HGWDmNE79YFG3bjqFqrDcaYoRjkItY3-366MADbgnQnRBUADHpQaAgRdEALw_wcB

These things make weeding super easy, especially in soft soil. I can weed a 1/4 acre vegetable garden in less than 2 hours. With your amount of area I would guess about 20 minutes. You never have to even bend over. I have had the same one for 20+ years. It is the most used of all my gardening tools. Their common name is Hula Hoe or Stirrup Hoe.

wow thanks! I went to the local hardware store and bout a good hoe like Oliver Buckle said and one of these stirrup hoes. Should make weeding that area a lot easier. thanks everyone!

 

[GardeningCacti]

Is there no other option like mulch or ground covers so that weeding can be reduced?

interesting. There is a chance the grass near the rose bushes is removed and replaced with some type of xeriscaping in the next couple years. The conversion would cost quite a bit of money so we will see. Hopefully the roses arent removed. I looked on google maps and the area is actually a little over 200 ft long, whoops. Theres a few separate sections. The price would be high to bring in mulch. It is at a church you see. If the conversion to xeriscaping doesn't go through I might inquire about bringing in mulch or something to keep the weeds down. thanks

 

[FromCali]

interesting. There is a chance the grass near the rose bushes is removed and replaced with some type of xeriscaping in the next couple years. The conversion would cost quite a bit of money so we will see. Hopefully the roses arent removed. I looked on google maps and the area is actually a little over 200 ft long, whoops. Theres a few separate sections. The price would be high to bring in mulch. It is at a church you see. If the conversion to xeriscaping doesn't go through I might inquire about bringing in mulch or something to keep the weeds down. thanks

What do you think about collecting fallen leaves this fall and use them as mulch after using mover to break them a bit?

 

[Avocado]

Long ago, I purchased a Craftsman hoe from Sears. When my son, who was around 10 years old at the time, was playing with the hoe, he accidentally broke it near the neck. Since it was a Craftsman product, I went to Sears and got a free replacement.

Now, you can find Craftsman hoes at Lowe’s, but they no longer offer a lifetime warranty—only 15 years. However, you can purchase Husky brand hoes from Home Depot, and they come with a lifetime warranty.

 

[GardeningCacti]

Long ago, I purchased a Craftsman hoe from Sears. When my son, who was around 10 years old at the time, was playing with the hoe, he accidentally broke it near the neck. Since it was a Craftsman product, I went to Sears and got a free replacement.

Now, you can find Craftsman hoes at Lowe’s, but they no longer offer a lifetime warranty—only 15 years. However, you can purchase Husky brand hoes from Home Depot, and they come with a lifetime warranty.

lifetime warranty sounds nice. I'll take a look at their Husky hoe selection next time I go to a Home Depot. Maybe I'll find something that handles better than what I got. The tools I bought only cost about 22 and 23 bucks each, they're light and seem well built. It was sort of an emergency, I needed to cut the weeds ASAP. You might have read on another reply I posted here it is church grounds I do the gardening at. Closest home depot is 1 hour drive away. thanks for the reply!

 

[Oliver Buckle]

I do mulch sometimes, after a while weeds start to grow on the mulch. As soon as I see those little two leaves I hoe the mulch in. Mulch does suppress weeds for a bit (Anything other than concrete only suppresses them for a bit, and as soon as you get a crack ...) but the main pont of mulch to my way of thinking is to add stuff to the soil.
I recently replaced my hoe, the handle broke and I couldn't find a replacement, The old hoe is one I got from my father, and he got it from my mother's father, it probably wasn't new when he got it, and it must be well over a hundred years old. Comparing it with the new one the new one has a stainless sheet blade thoroughly welded to the swan neck, which in turn is welded to the handle fitting. It is all very well made and looks like it will last a fair while.
The old one, on the other hand, is made from one piece of forged metal, a hundred years of continuous use have reduced the size of the blade considerably and the blade is twisted in relation to the handle slightly from always being used right handed, but when I find an eight foot ash handle it will be coming back into use.

 

[Tetters]

Mulch does two jobs in one, it replenishes the soil before it breaks down but needs another layer regularly to keep it anything like effective long term. This makes the various hoes the very cheapest option, and worth having.

 

[GardeningCacti]

I do mulch sometimes, after a while weeds start to grow on the mulch. As soon as I see those little two leaves I hoe the mulch in. Mulch does suppress weeds for a bit (Anything other than concrete only suppresses them for a bit, and as soon as you get a crack ...) but the main pont of mulch to my way of thinking is to add stuff to the soil.
I recently replaced my hoe, the handle broke and I couldn't find a replacement, The old hoe is one I got from my father, and he got it from my mother's father, it probably wasn't new when he got it, and it must be well over a hundred years old. Comparing it with the new one the new one has a stainless sheet blade thoroughly welded to the swan neck, which in turn is welded to the handle fitting. It is all very well made and looks like it will last a fair while.
The old one, on the other hand, is made from one piece of forged metal, a hundred years of continuous use have reduced the size of the blade considerably and the blade is twisted in relation to the handle slightly from always being used right handed, but when I find an eight foot ash handle it will be coming back into use.

https://www.siteone.com/pt-oh1-fg-p...d=lia|siteone_2023_ProTrade-LongHandle_XXXXX|{adgroup}|google&ds_k=&xmid=xm_%ebuy!_%25epid!_%ecid!&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote83HGWDmNE79YFG3bjqFqrDcaYoRjkItY3-366MADbgnQnRBUADHpQaAgRdEALw_wcB

These things make weeding super easy, especially in soft soil. I can weed a 1/4 acre vegetable garden in less than 2 hours. With your amount of area I would guess about 20 minutes. You never have to even bend over. I have had the same one for 20+ years. It is the most used of all my gardening tools. Their common name is Hula Hoe or Stirrup Hoe.

I weeded almost the entire area yesterday using the stirrup hoe, it was a breeze compared to before. The regular backhoe Oliver Buckle recommended should come in handy to move the dirt around when needed or for something else. thanks so much!