# keeping weeds and grass out



## sbaxters4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Ok this may have been covered elsewhere but I'll ask agian for clearity sake.... How do you keep grass and other unsightly weeds from growing in your layout? I have edging in and wood mulch around everything but am forever having to pull encrouching grass and other unwanted growths from my garden area around my layout! Any ideas???


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## Totalwrecker (Feb 26, 2009)

Most folks put down weed cloth BEFORE laying track... 

For the grass (what ever that is!!! lol) I'd suggest boarder boards deeper than the root system, you'll still need to trim with an edger, but is should be above ground rather than below... 

Down here I water the weeds... anything for some green! 

You'll probably get a resounding chorus for Roundup as an after the fact cure.


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## SE18 (Feb 21, 2008)

ive used propane torch but the grass always comes back (but never grows where I want it to grow). Roundup works but takes a while to take effect and I don't know if it poisons the ground or groundwater; preen prevents grass from growing; as do agressive ground covers like some sedums


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

This has been coved before...but, Round Up is a realivity safe herbicide, and has no activity in the ground. It kills what green plants that it contacts. Preen is a granular premerge that keeps seed from germating.


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## Bob in Kalamazoo (Apr 2, 2009)

So if I have ground covers that I'm trying to encourage, will the Preen keep it from spreading or does ground cover spread through the roots. I know very little about the stuff that grows in my railroad.
Bob in Kalamazoo


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## sbaxters4 (Jan 2, 2008)

Thanks for the input guys... I use Preen that includes a fertilizer for flowers and it does seem to help some but along the edges of my garden where the grass grows right up to the edging I ALWAYS have clumps of grass in the mulch that I have to spray with some killer or another. I was wondering if there was something that someone knew of that could be used as kind of barrier to keep grass from making its way into the layout. You know like the kind of thing Teminex has that is supposed to keep bugs from getting into your house.... only for grass and weeds. But then that would make gardening too much fun and more people would do it then.....


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## Treeman (Jan 6, 2008)

Preen keeps seeds from germinating. Grass and many ground covers spread from rhizomes, like coming up from spreading roots.


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

I have brand new good weed cloth and Preen and still have wild grasses coming up and its not even a month old. 
More Preen I guess. 
We have had lots of rain and cool weather which is bad for me.


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

Marty

Preen is a pre emergent and works only on seeds to keep them from germinating. That grass spreads by runners (rhizomes) so preen wont work on them

My experience with weed cloth has been that it only delays the spread of grasses which eventuall find their way through. When that happens the weed cloth is a pain making grass and other weeds hard to remove. 

There is no easy solution though Roundup does have a place on large areas that are desired to be kept bare. 

I find the easiest approach for me is to mechanically remove the grass and weeds each spring applying a layer of mulch after. Then i use a torch (a cane like gadget that a small cylinder of propane is attached to) to spot burn the weeds during the season. I walk around the garden with the torch every 2-3 weeks and it does the job pretty well. 

Regards ... Doug


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## GG (Jan 1, 2009)

Doug, where did you buy your torch?

gg


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## NTCGRR (Jan 2, 2008)

I guess its time for us to move to the moon.


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## Dougald (Jan 2, 2008)

I bought my "weed wand" at Lee Valley Tools but am not certain they still carry them. They are available from Vesey's Seeds http://www.veseys.com/ca/en/store/tools/cultivatingweed/weedwand What I like so much about the weed wand is that I can apply a very small spot of heat to kill vegetation without having to bend over or crawl on my hands and knees. It is also especially useful for walkways and patios where tenacious weeds grow in the cracks. It is truely a blessing to not have to poison the ground or to chance poisoning useful vegetation all around.

But, spot weed control does depend on getting most of the weeds out roots and all at the start of the season and as Marty has shown here, that is not a trifling matter especially on a large railroad.

Regards ... Doug


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## Trains (Jan 2, 2008)

Weed cloth and round up, works for me.


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## CCSII (Jan 3, 2008)

I find the best way to keep anything from growing is to purchase it. Find someone to sell you weeds and grass (preferably at an exorbitant price) and I can practically guarantee you it will be dead this year.


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