Landscaping: wiregrass

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dmichellea Crownsville, MD October 25, 2009 03:43 PM	OK... today is the fourth occasion that I have literally injured myself trying to weed this frickin' (I can think of other words I'd like to use) wiregrass... does anyone have any suggestions (other than lighter fluid and a match) to deal with this stuff? I have 4 beds that are suffocating with it (new home). also, where the heck does it come from? i'm originally from va. beach (zone 8), now in annapolis, md (zone 7) and can't remember ever having to deal with it! THANKS!!! View Larger
Smokey_SC Piedmont, SC (Zone 7b) October 26, 2009 02:49 PM	Round-up, Round-up, Round-up and then more Round-up!!!!!!!
flowerjen central, NJ (Zone 6b) November 19, 2009 02:41 PM	I never heard of wiregrass, but I second the Round Up solution.
Gymgirl SE Houston (Hobby), TX (Zone 9a) November 20, 2009 12:36 PM	Roundup, and THEN smother it with a layer of dark plastic garbage bags on top. Weigh em down so they don't blow away. With No sun, hopefully the Roundup will take care of the rest.
bellieg Virginia Beach, VA November 20, 2009 12:45 PM	this what I would do, take some of the dirt out and do lasagna garden. There is a long thread how it is done. It might be in the garden design. Too much roundup is not good. Check it out. What part of Va, Beach did you come from? We live in the Kempsville area. Belle
shrubbs Beavertown, PA (Zone 5b) November 20, 2009 03:01 PM	bellieg is on the right track Too much Round Up leaves a large amount of salts in the soil which then creates what some people call "dead soil" (basically soil that is contaminated). The BEST thing to do is constantly weed or replace all of the soil (and even this option may not keep the grass out of the planting bed). In the spring it is good to use a pre-emergent herbicide and then cover it with mulch. This will not stop existing weeds, but if the wiregrass (I am not familiar with this name) is an annual grass then the pre-emergent will stop the seeds from germinating. I do not think you have Wiregrass (Aristida stricta) because it should not be growing so far north, but you may have Bermudagrass or Wire Grass (Cynodon dactylon) which can be found in Central NJ planting beds (worked landscaping for 8 years in Central NJ). If it is Bermudagrass then you are in for some fun because Bermudagrass is a perennial grass which means you have to get all of the root system. We always had to remove as much of the area as possible out of the planting bed. If it is a Sedge grass then forget Round Up. I have tried Round Up on Sedge and it just turns purple and grows some more.
bellieg Virginia Beach, VA November 20, 2009 03:13 PM	It isvery hard to get rid od bermuda grass but if you do lasagna you can get rid of some. Belle
shrubbs Beavertown, PA (Zone 5b) November 20, 2009 04:49 PM	What do you mean by "do lasagna"? I have never heard of this.
bellieg Virginia Beach, VA November 20, 2009 05:01 PM	There is a thread on beginner flower forum called the lasagna garden brigade. it describes how to do lasagna gardening in depth. It is too long to explain it here. It a method where you layer cardboard/newspaper, dirt, mulch, and compost. My gardens are lasagna method and I do not have weeds. You will learn a lot from everyone who posted. Belle
flowerjen central, NJ (Zone 6b) November 20, 2009 06:14 PM	Here's the link for pt1 http://davesgarden.com/community/forums/t/1030412/
shrubbs Beavertown, PA (Zone 5b) November 20, 2009 07:16 PM	Ah ... yes ... I have heard of this method. There are a number of people in this region that practice this technique. Now I can put a name to it. Thanks for the info.

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