Grass infesting flower plants.

by Dan Zebula
(Warren, Mi, Macomb)

I have a grouping of garden phlox (tall) that is infested with lawn grass. outside of digging up the plant, separating the stems and removing the grass, what are any other options? I've condisered brushing the grass blades with a product such as Round-up being careful not to get any of it on the phlox. Would this partial exposure to the grass be enough to kill it?
Thanks


Doug says grass and weeds in perennial flowers is an ongoing problem of maintenance and yes, it does get away from all of us every now and then (even the most dedicated of weeders).

Will Roundup work? Yes, if brushed on the leaves it will work.

The main question though is whether - given the new data on Roundup that's emerging about the effects on the environment - whether you want it in your garden. I no longer use it or recommend it other than to eliminate noxious weeds such as poison-ivy where the impact of the weed is higher than the impact of the chemical. For general garden use, I don't use it.

I do the maintenance or I pay the price and do the digging.

I know this stance and advice isn't popular with people who want an "easy" way to garden but there are decisions we all make and if you decide it's OK to use a pollutant in your garden (and more importantly support the polluting industry that produces it) in order to make your gardening a bit easier, then I suggest your priorities are a bit sideways.

And I hear a "little bit won't hurt or make a difference" all the time. Frankly, it's all the little bits that add up to make a difference in our own backyards and eventually on the industrial level.

But if it's a legal product in your area (it's not here in Ontario for cosmetic purposes) then you "can" use it this way and yes it will work.