Re: CULT: Weeding

>The dilemma I am facing is how to pull the dandelions without disturbing the
>rhizomes which are just now beginning to put out new growth.

I've tried two strategies (short of digging clumps and removing 
dandelions from the iris root mass) with varying degrees of success.  If 
the dandelions aren't huge, try watering the clump heavily to soften the 
soil as much as possible.  Wait a couple hours, then grab as many of the 
dandy leaves as close to the wet ground as possible and pull straight up, 
slowly.  If you can work your fingers under the "bulb" of the dandy just 
below the leaves, your chances of extricating the entire tap root are 
pretty good.

If the dandelion is large, your best bet might be to *very carefully* 
paint as many of its leaves as possible with RoundUp using a small 
paintbrush.  Be aware, however, that a single drop of RoundUp trickling 
onto a rz can cause rather grotesque malformations and discolorations in 
the current year's blooms.

Good luck!

Laurie


-----------------
laurief@paulbunyan.net
http://www.geocities.com/lfandjg/
http://www.angelfire.com/mn3/shadowood/irisintro.html
USDA zone 3b, AHS zone 4 - northern MN
acidic clay soil

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