What can I do about Bermuda buttercup? It covers my backyard!!
by
MiTmite9
+2
Bermuda buttercup (Oxalis pes-caprae) covers my back yard. How do I get rid of this "sourgrass"? I have tried weedwhacking, but the plants have tiny bulblets and chopping things off at the surface is only a temporary fix. When I pull by hand, the intense labor is daunting. We will never use pesticides. Any tips? Maybe I can smother this weed, without sterilizing my soil? Thanks in advance for any suggestions/advice.
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Oh no- thats a hard one- http://www.sfgate.com/homeandgarden/goldengategardener/article/Stopping-oxalis-is-no-small-task-2616233.php good luck!
Thank you, Hillela, for your sympathy and the link to the article on Bermuda buttercup/Oxalis pos-caprae. I did comment on that article---very interesting reading----because the author wrote that using pesticides might be okay. Using pesticides is never okay. My yard has next to NO HONEYBEES anymore. So depressing. We have pesticide use worldwide to thank for lack of bees of all species and butterflies as well.
I don't have these but I do have other equally noxis weeds. I have successfully killed them by covering with cardboard the covering the cardboard with mulch. Then you can hand pull any that escape. I live in zone 3 and it takes aout 2 summers to kill everything under the cardboard. Use just plain brown cardboard and after the two years you can dig in both the cardboard and the mulch. The worms love it and it's good for the soil. Win. Win. Any good organic mulch is ok. Some mulches break down faster than the cardboard so may have to be renewd depending on the mulch used. I got a lot of cardboard from furniture and appliance stores. They are usually only too happy to give it away.
Good Luck
Thank you, Elaine. I will have to try this method.
I don't think people give Zoysia grass its due. It spreads and will choke out anything and grubs and moles hate it. How fast it spreads in your yard depends on how many plugs you use. It is more expensive than regular seed grass but if you get it started you can take plugs of your own out of the growing area and start plugging other areas faster.