Organic Weed Control- Help!

[justgardens]

I have a very good client who had me design and install a large English style landscape. Many flowering shrubs and perennial mix throughout. She won't let me lay a hand on it to maintain it. What can I use for a weed control and pre-emergent weed control. I'm thinking VooDoo may be a big help for me here.

[justgardens]

What I mean is she wants me to maintain it but.....won't let me use Roundup or Treflan. I need some good organic alternatives to these products.

[Bill Schwab]

Have you introduced her to our good friend from the south, Manuel Labor?

[VoodooChile]

Yeah Bill, Manuel's a part of it...

Well-sited, happy plants another essential ingredient...

Minimized soil disturbance...good mulch...

and yeah, a pre-emergent like corn gluten meal, a by-product of the corn milling industry that produces an enzyme that inhibits root-cell division as it decomposes, thus preventing a high-percentage of germinated weed-seeds from establishing, can be another useful tool. Also provides nitrogen, causing a nice Spring "green-up" on lawns, and lush vegetative growth in perennials.

One caveat, when covered with mulch, corn-gluten decomposes anaerobically, producing a odor to best the most putrid roadkill...yummy!:chef:

[Greensmith]

One of my customers insisted on corn gluten this year. She called me back last week and I have to say the yard was the most disgusting smell possible. The entire lawn area smelled like rotting deer carcass on the side of the ditch, holy crap bad . She was not upset with me as she did spec it, but jeez I will think twice about using this product again.

[TrickyDick]

I have used it but I heard of very mixed results with corn gluten.

What do you mean when you say large? Good mulch and ground cover are key, as is regular hand weeding. For open areas you can use a vinegar solution in a sprayer as a "natural" weed killer.

[VoodooChile]

Wow this is an old thread...I can't remember the last time I saw justgardens around here.

The super vinegar solutions give good burn-down on tender succulent foliage, and will kill seedlings, but any established weed will require multiple well-timed applications to result in eradication.

Something we are doing more and more is newspaper and cardboard mulching, as an alternative to Manuel-weeding. Anybody else doing this, and what kind of results are you getting?

[teddy123]

I have used corn gluten as a pre-emergent an dI have never had a problem with smell one good plus is that it does add nitrogen to the soil. The more you use it the longer it works for. As for an herbicide try Burnout the concentrated works best than the ready to use.

[sandim]

I was going to suggest what teddy did. Burnout is a natural version of round-up. Works pretty well.
Other than that, I agree with the rest. Manuel.

[Greensmith]

Wow this is an old thread...I can't remember the last time I saw justgardens around here.

The super vinegar solutions give good burn-down on tender succulent foliage, and will kill seedlings, but any established weed will require multiple well-timed applications to result in eradication.

Something we are doing more and more is newspaper and cardboard mulching, as an alternative to Manuel-weeding. Anybody else doing this, and what kind of results are you getting?

Sorry, I searched for smelly corn gluten and it was mentioned in this thread.