Another 2-3 year delay on a bit of construction ...
By mrv
17 comments
I’m sipping a coffee this morning (actually my fourth) … it’s been a bit of a rubbish week all in all.
Actually I really shouldn’t say that … but owing to the niceness of the weather, I’ve hardly been able to get any work done. As some of you may know, I work as a gardener locally in the Old Coulsdon/Caterham area. I have a few left over concreting patio jobs to do – but its just too hot to keep a cement mix for more than a few minutes.
Over the last few weeks all I seem to have done is battle with Ivy … another blog to follow on that evil menace! I’m going to be giving some of you a stiff finger wagging and making you feel guilty – and for many of you, I believe I shall have cries of support … I intend to start a campaign next year called kill your Ivy before it kills you or your neighbour. I shall try to think of a suitable acronym.
Anyway, I digress.
As a gardener I do battle not only with taming our own beast of a garden, I resolve other peoples, shall we say, problems. In our own garden I have to control the full set of pests – ground elder, brambles (although I do cultivate some in a hidden spot for eating), nettles, bind weed – in fact pretty much the full set. I won’t go into the the evils of the rubble six inches below the surface that is the minimum of 3 feet deep in heavy clay.
Our garden is tough work and has taken a good few years to gradually break the back of.
One of the last places to tame is a place we call ‘The Mound’. When we first bought the place the mound sat in the North corner. I tried to dig it down – but I hit a cast iron bed frame and other twisted metal springs and possibly and old matress. What isn’t metal consist of rubble, weeds, clay and other stuff.
We decided that as it faces south and sheltered from the north we can use it’s bulk to create some good screening and place a seating area in front of it. So, with that in mind I had a tap about in front of it with a pick axe in February to see what I’ll be dealing with next year and start making some plans.
Well … we had a very large tent up from the middle of June that was in front of the mound we had a fantastic weekend long Bar-B-Q – the reason for the tent was because of the cold and wind that we had. Earlier this week my son James and I took down the tent and packed it away … I didn’t really pay much attention at all to what was going on behind it. I casually asked my son “Give the mound a hack back before the weekend would you?”. Shearing back the mound makes it look half decent and James takes this as his routine job in the garden.
On Thursday morning I was having a cuppa and considering ‘The Mound’ and planting it … as you do. I noticed a patch of weed coming up in front of it near where I had been digging ealier in the year. I wandered over to take a look …
Just two words: Japanese Knotweed.
Well, that just shows how long the rhizomes can be dormant for – they say at least 20 years – I have never previously dug that patch of ground, so that’s a least a decade – but at a guess I would say it hasn’t been touched for 30.
So, I can’t build there for at least 2-3 years until I have treated it with chemicals for the period (following the Governments guidelines to the letter).
Fortunately … there are no buildings within 50 feet so with a bit of luck I’ll be able to get it under control and kill it quite quickly.
10 Jul, 2010
4 likes
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Comments
I'm not going to even venture out again until about 5 ish ... perfect cold beer time then, I think.
I'm going to try stealth instead of hard work as far as this is concerned. The plan is let it get a bit taller, cut it down leaving the hollow canes exposed and then filling them with Glyphosate at about 10X normal mix strength (of course taking full advantage of eating the bits we cut off before we poison it - apparently tastes like a cross between rhubarb and asparagus and makes a good pie).
After injecting, the regrowth can then be sprayed later in the year ... repeating the injection/spraying process in subsequent years.
I'm going to put a photo guide together for publishing as I do it.
10 Jul, 2010
Sounds like a lof of hard work Mrv, good luck! I will be having a few cold beers myself tonight and will blame it on the heat...:o)
10 Jul, 2010
I don't envy you. It looks like a lot of hard work . cold beer sounds a good idea I think i will be off for a pint of the black stuff and think about your hard work..
10 Jul, 2010
Give me 10 mins and I'll nip over and join you :) Enjoy!
10 Jul, 2010
Should I order two ;I wont worry if you don't come it wont go to wast
10 Jul, 2010
:)
10 Jul, 2010
You've got my support; ivy is a pain. My neighbour actually planted the stuff - hard to believe- and I am constantly pulling it off the fence and away from my house. His ivy brought down his fence and because I didn't want my garden over run with his ivy I had to put up a new fence.
Looking forward to your blog on how to deal with ivy and in the meantime good luck with the knotweed.
10 Jul, 2010
I paid lots of money for new fencing and my neighbour plants ivy up it, damaging it ....
Good luck with the ivy and the knotweed... interesting blog...
10 Jul, 2010
I just knew I would get a reaction to Ivy :-)
In the last few weeks I have genuinely cut away enough Ivy from 2 gardens to have filled a couple of skips. It really tests my resolve for not using herbicides (other than topically for very specific problems - like knotweed).
Two weeks ago I was at a client's - my second visit I think. I was clearing a mess at the back when I had a voice shout over the fence -"When ya going to do something about that ***effing*** ivy?" I replied, "My name is Mark, pleased to meet you." ... the reply was silence ... for a while. "It's ruining my fence". "Oh, is it?, Pop round and let me show you something" I replied.
I all fairness he popped round - albeit looking for a fight :)
It didn't take me long to show him where the Ivy was growing from - his garden.
"Now." I said. "First things first, that is NOT your fence, It's my clients and YOUR ivy is destroying it ... not only that but you see these 2 beech trees with at least a ton at the top of each one that's YOUR Ivy too." He wasn't ammused, making a lot of excuses.
"Now, I suggest that you don't swear at me over the fence, if you do you will find that a couple of tree surgeons and a fencing guy will turn up to sort it out ... and you'll get a bill for at least 3 grand with enough photographic and expert testimony to get it into court if you don't pay."
He did say sorry . . . so I nipped round and sawed out the main stem for him and showed him how to inject herbicide.
My client was quite pleased ... she's had trouble with him since she moved in 10 years ago.
The lessons are, I guess;
1) that a plant is a living and wild thing and it will do whatever it can to take over and colonise. You don't buy a dog without knowing how to train and look after it and stop it wildly propagating.
2) Don't throw stones if you live in a glass house.
3) Never pee a gardener off that has easy access to Japanese Knotweed rhizomes that can easily get his hand into your garden through a hole in a fence that your ivy has caused :) (only kidding).
12 Jul, 2010
Have you ever thought about taking up writing ?
You tell a real good story. :0))
15 Jul, 2010
Well thank you kindly, Valadel :-) It's probably because I like a good natter - some people would say gossip, but you know ...
Glad you liked it
16 Jul, 2010
I do too, thats probably why I like your tales. :o))
Look forward to more !
16 Jul, 2010
Well if this wind and rain keeps up you'll probably get one sooner rather than later :)
16 Jul, 2010
LOL !
16 Jul, 2010
You certainly do tell a good tale, now about Ivy.....I am one f those people that PLANT it....... I keep it well under control, in fact I wrote a blog about it some time back, feel free to read said blog !!!
24 Jul, 2010
I shall have a look out for your blog :o) A responsible Ivy grower - excellent :)
29 Jul, 2010
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Ooh thats depressing. The temperature here is 31C, and I'm just trying to stay alive. Even to think of hard work is too much for me.
You need lots of energy, muscle, determination and most of all good health to tackle that lot. Good luck.
10 Jul, 2010