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NEED WEEDING TIPS

Harli

By Harli

Washington, United States Us

What a morning! You may have thought I was kidding when I said I had never pulled weeds before. Boy those suckers are tough! I can do a bit at a time with a fork thing with a long handle but I think I need some other tools as well. Anyway can you suggest some basic tools I should get. I have to sit if I start breathing hard because I just got out of the hospital with a clot in my lung , so I had a lawn chair on the sidewalk. However!
The back legs were in the dirt and it tipped me back up against the house and I couldn't get up. I tried everything! I pushed with my cane, tried rocking the chair, even got my cane hooked around a branch to pull, but my right arm is weak from the stroke last year, so I finally just sat there and cried. Then I took my cane and kept knocking on the window and making my dog Rusty bark to make my husband or son wake up and see what it was, since they both work nights. That was a very long hour, and I told Dh we gotta come up with some kind system. It's funny now, but it was sad at the time realizing I'll never be the person I used to be. Can you give me some weeding tips please. Do I try and pull them, or dig under them. Should I use weed killer.



Rusty

Answers

 

You poor thing! Have you got over it yet? Not a good idea to try to use weedkiller if you can't get close to the weed and at the same time shield the other plants - you'd end up killing everything in the garden! I agree with Buzzbee on growing plants close together - weeds then have difficulty getting a grip. Also grow some ground cover after you have got someone else to get all the weeds out. (or see idea later on) Try Vincas and Ajugas, Cotoneaster also has a prostrate variety. Lamium comes in lovely silver coloured leaves or there's a variegated one. Thyme also makes a mat and you can get golden leaved ones as well as green and variegated. It has mauve flowers in the summer and attracts bees and butterflies. Good luck - and don't try to do too much at once! I know it's tempting but think of your health first. By the way, instead of sitting, is it possible for you to have a kneeling stool - there's one that has handles so you can push yourself up from the kneeling position. It turns upside down and makes a seat. Then you could get down to the weeding with a narrow bladed trowel to dig the blighters out! It is definitely better to dig rather than pull, so you get the roots out too.

12 Mar, 2008

 

Spritzhenry ~ Thanks for your concern and the ideas. Im thinking that's why the previous owner had so many ground cover plants.
I can't get the kneeling stool as I can't get on my knees as they've both been implanted with titanium. Getting old isn't for sissys, ha ha

13 Mar, 2008

 

Titanium knees!! Harli, you are a Bionic Woman - well nearly ;o )
Lots of people with movement limitations garden, it truly is the past time for everyone.
I found an American site that might help you (there is an affiliated site for those in the UK with the same sort of difficulties)

http://www.gardentoolsforallseasons.com/disabled%20gardening.php

Copy and paste this into your browser and have a look. I'm not saying buy from this site (I have no connection to it) but it might give you a few ideas from looking at their products of how you can garden safely and comfortably.
Good luck Harli

13 Mar, 2008

 

HI HARLI,JUST TO SAY I AGREE WITH MOST OF THE G O Y MEMBERS .THE MORE GROUND COVER YOU HAVE ..THE LESS ROOM THERE IS FOR WEEDS. TRY SOMETHING LIKE WILD GERANIUMS AND ALLYSUM ALSO MAYBE CROCOSMIA AS THESE WILL SOON COVER A FAIR AREA IN NO TIME AND THEY COME EVERY YEAR WITH NO FUSS OR PAMPERING,I WISH YOU GOOD LUCK ,AND REMEMBER A LITTLE WORK IN EARLY SPRING SAVES A LOT IN THE GROWING SEASON .

13 Mar, 2008

Sid
Sid
 

Hi Harli - everyone has given you really good advice here. My mum has a thingy she hangs round her neck - if she has a fall when no one is about, she presses a button on it and gets to speak directly to some nice people from Social Services who can alert a family member to help her, or if they can't get anyone, they send an ambulance. She's never needed it yet, but it gives her a bit more confidence. Don't know if that sort of service is available in USA??

Re tools, my favourite tool is a wooden handled garden hoe. I don't like bending coz it starts off my sciatica - with a hoe, you don't need to bend and my wooden one is really light. I can use it to cover quite big areas eg in my veggy patch. To use it, you just skim the blade through the top millimetre or so of soil and it cuts off the weeds just below the surface.

With bigger weeds, I stick a trowel in next to the roots to loosen them and then pull the blighters!

Nice doggy by the way!

13 Mar, 2008

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