How to Remove Perennial Weeds like Quack Grass and Creeping Bellflower - Zone 3 Alberta Gardening

[@johnwilcox4078]

I have been battling creeping bellflower in my raspberries for two years now. There are no shortcuts like you said. I use a garden fork and loosen as deep as 1'. Then I sift the dirt carefully, removing all the rhizomes, some go way deep and are the size of small carrots, these must be found and removed. But I am winning! Growing conditions have greatly improved. When they take over, nothing else grows. I am convincined creeping bellflower is the most evil of all the invasive weeds, but they can be defeated!

[@Jannietime1]

It's very satisfying to watch you get those weeds out, totally and completely!! :)

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

If only they stayed removed!!

[@rosemarythyme6351]

You are spot on for rotor tilling and crab grass! Excellent info on perennial weed removal. It is grunt work, but your garden will thank you for it.

[@scientificexplorergirl3374]

Glad to hear your straightforward message! Too many videos with "easy fixes" that offer no real solutions to the problem. Thank you!

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

I’m glad I could help. There really aren’t any quick fixes when it come to weeding. Just good honest hard work.

[@abbeydoo]

Very informative - wonderful visual

[@shafeequrrehman6545]

Very informative

[@MoparSmith1]

One of my new favorite hobbies is using an eye dropper thing I bought with Round-Up in it. I use it in the yard not the garden. Its very satisfying to sniper 20 or 30 weeds in the yard with an eye dropper.

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

Way to go!

[@captaincrunch8464]

Awesome great to see someone not using crap like roundup

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

While it has its place sometimes it just takes some good grunt labour to get the weeds out.

[@ledzepcleo]

Thank you I have an organic garden and I appreciate your suggestions.

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

Its a lot of work to keep the weeds down without chemicals, but it's worth it.

[@marypassmore3315]

Can you talk about Creeping Charlie? How to get rid if it! Or maybe you have already. We're in Ontario. Thanks ...

[@Cherylsgirls]

Thanks for this information. Sad to say I’m quite familiar with these weeds lol, but it was still interesting. I was hoping that you might have some ideas on how to control quack grass that is spreading in the lawn. I can’t dig it up like if it was in the flowerbed. Any suggestions?

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

Short of digging it out there really isn't a solution. You can't even use a herbicide as most herbicide is either a broadleaf or grass specific. There isn't one that can detect quackgrass specifically out of fescue (lawn grass) that I'm aware of. The only real way that I can see if total wipeout of the lawn and starting again. I will ask around and see if I'm missing something.

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

The only thing I could think of is to painstakingly go to each plant of quack grass and paint each leaf with gylphosate (roundup). That way you can selectively kill only the quackgrass.

[@seanrice7511]

@@BroadMeadowFarm just spent 4 hours today “painting “ the quack grass in my dad’s lawn. However, we used a roundup concentrate, only partially diluted and with dish soap as a surfactant. Last, we used a grabber tool like to get things from high places. Used varnish cloth zip tied to each side, and sprayed the chemical onto the pads every so often. Then we went through and then pinched each blade and stem and pulled up and it wiped the chemical on each blade as best we could. Wish us luck, we hope to see the results in a week or so. We let the grass get taller and kept it watered and fertilized so that the quack was significantly higher than the KBG.

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

@@seanrice7511 keep me posted. I haven’t been patient enough to try this method, but in theory it makes sense.

[@seanrice7511]

@@BroadMeadowFarm so far so good! Most of the quack grass we painted with the concentrate is either injured or dead, at least the part above the ground. We are going to cut one notch down on the mower and give a light fertilizer and decent irrigation prior to the weekend to help any good grass out. And I think we just plan on doing it again in about a month on ones that are still popping up. We shall see.

[@ConnahJay]

Ahhh I'm getting anxiety from just watching you weed quack grass!!! I hate that stuff!

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

Quack grass is the worst!!!

[@andreaberryman5354]

Don't use a shovel because it will cut the rhizomes. I have quackgrass, bellflower, bugloss, thistle and skeletonweed coming from BOTH neighbor's yards. I want to sue. I really do. I told my neighbor I would weed her yard-oh how DARE I! Then threatens to sue for putting Roundup on MY yucca in MY yard. I'm just trying to have a nice yard...

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

I do have to agree with the shovel cutting the quack grass. Unfortunately when your ground is very hard there isn’t the ability to loosen the ground well without risk. A spade fork is a good alternative but our quack grass was so thick it was worth the risk of breaking those rhizomes.

[@lindacollinson764]

Are you making headway with the quack grass and Canada thistle?

[@BroadMeadowFarm]

In a way yes. We sold our property and are building up a new one that is a completely bare acreage so I’ve given my weed issue to the new owners. I guess we took the extreme route to weed control. ;)