How can I weed at age 76 with lousy knees?

I don't know all about the vinegar and salt - I'm sure I've seen it somewhere before. But I think there are other concoctions that work better. I saw them in Pinterest. If you go to Pinterest and do a search for Gardening or even weed killer - you should have several things to look at and see if you can save yourself some work and save your knees (BTW - I've heard recently that there is a non-invasive technique doctors are using to help with the knee pain. I am all for anything non invasive and if, by chance, you would have something that they could fix - you would feel better.) My pinterest name is Hazel if you want to look it up there about the weed killing but please search other boards and see if that helps. I'm sorry - I feel like I need to apologize for all the "advice" I give. I am a retired social worker and can't seem to break the career of helping people. :) God's Blessings to you!!

Hi! when my husband developed knee trouble he was going to therapy where they recommended strengthening the legs overall (like from thigh squats and leg lifts) in order to keep the knees from misaligning or giving out. I am betting that gardening offers a lot of leg strengthening activity... I wish you blessings and health!

raised beds will certainly help, then you can weed while sitting on a stool. any way to push the schedule of that up? vinegar and salt will really kill the soil for a while.

Once you kill the weeds with a vinegar/salt solution, anything planted in this bed will die. The salt will remain in the ground. If you are planning on raised beds,

Take your good plants out of the ground and put them in flowerpots for the duration. NOW place at least four layers of newspapers over the weedy flower bed. Let the weeds die underneath the newspaper layers. After about six weeks, make sure no weeds are popping up.

Then add your topsoil/compost layers to the level of raised beds that you planned. When the raised beds are completed, replant your good plants that you put in the flowerpots. Space your plants well. Its easier to weed around larger evenly spaced plants than a lot of small plants.

I have lupus and I am sometimes in a lot of pain. I always use a garden bench on wheels and excellent ergonomic tools when I need to weed.

if you can get help getting the good plants out just put sheets of black plastic over the rest for a while that will kill the weeds

I agree most of the time epsomsalts and vinegars are used to kill patio weeds...not in flower beds. You will be building p salts in your soil...it does not disapate quickly. remove your prized plants and wet down the area place corrugated cardboard and then plastic and cook that area. For 3-4 weeks then replace your plants. Use more cardboard over the empty spots and cover w mulch.

I got a load of mulch that had so many weed seeds in it that I just wanted to burn the place down...I feel your pain.

The best thing I found to protect my knees and double sciatica I get a piece of the good 4 inches thick foam 20 by 36 and sit sideway its good protection for the cold ground and this way I can do all my outside work without having to beg anybody to help me I've been doing it for 5 years this way and I have a very big area to take care of I'm 76 I had my sciatica solve last year what a salvation and now my knee seams to be better

Hi Lynn So sorry for you I know the feeling I had it for 5 years tried everything accupuncture, Chiro, exercices, shot in the spine and finally the doctor for the spine told me there is nothing more I can do for you You should try surgery and I said at my age and he said what if you live till 90 the pain killer didn't work much he said go see and you can decide after there is always a free consultation for this

and do not forget the exercices for that to me was making it worst every time they sent me for therapy I was getting so much worst unbelievable so finally I went to see DrKamal Kalia for newrosurgical and what a relief... its unbelievable he remove all the arthritis around the fourth and the fift and the inside the nerve was all squished he clean that all took just a few minutes a little cut of about one inch and a half to 2 inches and he said you can go home now be careful for a couple of week and resume your activities unbelievable I do not know why they did not tell me that sooner so now its up to you you can try to find a good neurosurgeon in your area or come and have my doctor do it for you I'm in Massachusetts and myMiracle Doc is Kamal K. Kalia 175 Carew St in Springfield Ma his phone No.is 413 452-6650 I was so much in pain that I tried everything Nothing help so I wish you good luck and a good doc. like I had Lisette

I can't believe it I gave you a long answer and it disappear I "ll try again I'll make it shorter...I know what you mean about pain I had it for 5 years so I hope my answer will help you it sad to say but every doctor try to get all they could out of you so they send you for therapy shot of cortisone pain killer etc etc...but believe me if you have the double sciatica you need to see a neuro surgeon I was lucky my spine doctor sent me to Kamal K. Kalia in Springfield a wonderful doctor that gave me my life back and it took a few minutes a little cut in your back they remove the arthritis around the fourth and the fifth and the middle he told me that the nerves was all squished that's why the exercices were so painful it was aggravating the nerves and made it worst and believe me when he was finish with the surgery he came and told me you can go home now and I said where is the wheel chair he said you can walk just go slow to get up and oh miracle I walk home I was without pain after almost a year I'm still amaze if you need any more info just ask again I wish you all the luck in the world Lisette

I have a garden stool I sit on to weed my garden, it is also a tool box so I can carry my small tools around. I also got some round raised beds from the dollar store, they cost about $3 each, I got some potting soil so it was weed free. Dig up the plants you want to keep and put them in the new beds. Burdock is in invasive species up here so we can get special weed killer from the Forestry up here.,

Many churches have committees who do work for the elderly or those with some physical limitations. Try calling around and see if those in your area do. Lots of teens need service hours and this is one way they get them, besides the joy of helping others.

I am not tilling my soil any longer as it just creates more weeds/grass. I have turned to "flaming" my weeds. I bought a Mini Dragon Weed Torch that I hook up to a 1 lb propane cylinder. They have a bigger variety but I cannot carry around a 20 lb cylinder. My nurseryman does the same thing. You just hold the torch over the weeds -- no need to crisp them and in a few hours you will see the weeds starting to die. Google weed flaming or Red Dragon products -- there are videos you can view.