What to do about weeds in middle of bushes......

[Miss Mary]

I have pesty weeds that grow right out of the middle of barberry shrubs, hosta's, perennials, etc. I just keep cutting them out, since I'm reluctant to spray roundup so close to plants/shrubs' roots. A few of these plants are near my dog's area, so I'll skip the roundup there. But can I safely spray these weeds if I get close down to the weeds' roots?

Thanks!

[CajunMama]

Preene has a product called Preen & Green. It's a weed preventer and fertilizer for flower beds and shrubs. I think they make just a weed preventer also. I got mine at Walmart or Home Depot.

[ColdFront77]

Preen & Green has been advertised on The Weather Channel for years. I might have seen it this season, not sure.

[breeze]

Preen & Green would be a lot better than RoundUp. I use
RoundUp just for patches of weeds and grass, but, make
sure you're about 1-2 foot away from the base of a bush
or plant, as it will soak into the roots and kill it. Another
tried-and-true method I use - crawling on my knees and
plucking the weeds up from the root! Oh, my aching back!

Good luck, Miss Mary!

[Miss Mary]

Thanks all! These weeds come right out of the middle of the shrubs, very frustrating. The barberry have thorns as you know so getting in there to pull out weeds is not fun. I'll look into the weed and preen. I could try it on spot and see what happens.

Apreciate the responses!

[petal*pusher]

Hate to tell ya Miss Mary....but Breeze is right! Pulling those pesky weeds out (make SURE you get all of the roots!) right at the base of your bushes/hosta is the ONLY sure-fire way to get rid of 'em!

The product Preen is made only to PREVENT GERMINATION of any seeds.......meaning that it will not be any good to get rid of the CURRENT problem of established weeds!! So sorry!! The Preen 'n Green has added nutrients to help established plants AFTER removing the weeds, plus not let any weed-seed germinate.

This gardenin' stuff is a LOT of work.....but the pay-offs are wonderful!

I've been in the U.P. here in Mi. for several days....wondering how my gardens look with all the rain here in S.E. Michigan while I was gone......I put Preen on 2 new perennial gardens just before I left.......hope it worked!......p

[Miss Mary]

I had a feeling I was stuck with these darn weeds!!! Sigh. Thing is if I neglect weeding out front for a week or so, they're taller than the shrub. And of course that looks terrible! I'm smack between two perfect yards, homes, etc. Very, very immuculate families - so I'm always trying to at least look presentable!!! Yardwise. Inside - I pull that together a few times a year! I always chuckle though, when our street was still in the building stage, our builder knew the one home would always be super clean for a walk thru (other house was still empty). He knew not to call me, unless I had 24 hours notice!

So now you can see why I wanted to blast these weeds away. Oh well, it's okay - been pulling them out for years anyway.

[breeze]

LoL, Miss Mary, I am right on Main Street, in our small
town. I have always lived farther out in the country,
with that "Oh well, none will see this, anyway" attitude,
but, now, everyone sees my front yard! And, we're
all so close together, the neighbors up the side street
see the back! So, I'm having to be on top of my
landscaping abilities, as, I am now open view to the public!
Darn, I have to work harder, now!

[craigGP]

don't be afraid of roundup if you keep it off the leaves of non-target plants. the chemical does not absorb thru the bark or roots. it must go in thru the leaf. thus, if you have a woody plant with a weed in the middle of it and you can safely spray the weed without hitting leaves of good plants, go for it. spray vines on the trunk of a tree... when the chemical hits soil, it binds to the soil particle and changes form, no longer active once dry. also it doesn't take lots of chemical to kill. just coat the leaves of the target plant and it will be a goner in 7-10 days. if you are careful and accurate with the spray, roundup is a useful tool in the garden.

[Bestofour]

The only thing about using Roundup is you have to be soooo careful. I speak from experience here. When I'm being as careful as I can be, a few days later I'll notice a dead spot where I didn't want one. If the shrub is big, it doesn't seem to hurt it, but that Roundup sometimes ends up and kills something by mistake. A little gust of wind or a little twitch of the hand and something you want alive is a gonner. I too, just try with gloves on, to pull the weeds out by the root. Maybe we should all just try having a weed garden. Then maybe flowers will grow up in the middle of the weeds.