Thursday, May 08, 2014

Snowmelt on Aspen Hill


4 comments:

Mr. Ed said...

Today's cover shot: Last week's snowfall turns into water under the bridge.....


Carol - Left over from yesterday:

According to what you sent, the problem is probably due to the fact that the bluebells reproduce multiple ways. That doesn’t mean you can’t get rid of them. It just means that you'd have to be more aggressive. You’ll need to pull out or kill every bluebell plant…. and every new one that comes in to replace it. Basically anytime something new crops up, and they will because of the seeds and bulbs, you’ll need to kill it. I would add Casoron to the arsenal. It is a pre-emergent that would keep the seeds and bulbs from sprouting. After you have sprayed, pulled or dug out as many of the bluebells as you can, put down a heavy layer of Casoron. Get the high strength stuff from a nursery or fertilizer supplier and not the weak stuff from Freddy’s or the hardware or home improvement stores. Al’s Garden Center, possibly Dennis’, or Woodburn Fertilizer should have what you need. The good stuff is about ten times the strength. Casoron needs moisture to work so water it in. An application typically lasts four to six months then it needs to be repeated. The down side would be if you have any other bulbs in the bed because they won’t sprout and Casoron will kill their roots. You could always dig those up and transplant them elsewhere temporarily but make sure you’re not transplanting bluebell bulbs too.

I have pretty much the same problem with blackberries and I control them with the sprays and the casoron. I’ve been doing it for five years now & they keep sprouting from the seeds. Blackberry seeds can be in the ground for 10 years and still sprout. They also send out runners but don’t produce bulbs like the bluebells do. I spray anything new on a once-a-month basis during the growing season.

One other option you have would be to “NUKE” the bluebell plants with BOILING water poured directly onto them. That’s also going to kill any friendly plants in the “pour” zone.... and you can’t just do it once. You’ll have to do it with every new plant that shows its little head. That works even for dandilions and they have a root that goes down a foot or more. Judging from what that article says, no matter what you do, you can’t be timid with them. You need to temporarily turn their ground into a “sterile” zone to get rid of them.

carol said...

Mr. Ed....thanks for the info!!
Another article I read on them mentioned the boiling water too but they also said it would never reach the roots or runners. I will go to Ptld Nursery and ask them about the heavy duty Caseron as well as any advise they can give on the problem. I don't mind the plants in certain places, but they don't STAY in those places, they put those runners out and away they go. GRRRR
At least Caseron does not hurt woody plants, I wouldn't want to lose my Rhodies and Azaleas in the back. I will have to be careful around the Dahlias tho.

Mr. Ed said...

Carol - Be very careful around the Dahlias. I would transplant them to a different area until you get rid of the bluebells. But, be very aggressive & keep repeating the attack. You also might ask Portland Nursery about using Spectracide rather than Roundup or Crossbow. It also is very good but just has a different chemical as its active ingredient.

When I spray I use a lot of spray barriers on plants I want to keep. I wrap them in plastic or shield them with a barrier of cardboard while I spray next to them. Once the spraying is done you can safely take the barrier away. I even use plastic buckets upside down over plants to protect them but a cardboard box will also work just as well. With the exception of Casoron, everything I use is applied directly to green foliage and becomes inert in the soil so there's no long-lasting affect.

carol said...

Ah, putting a box or pail over the neighboring plants is a great idea..thanks! I only have one place that has the Dahlia's close (smothered) by the Bluebells. I can't even see the Dahlia's yet so will dig at the Bluebells until I'm sure where the Dahlia starts coming up (if they are yet).