ive got this weed in my garden,its there all year round really
it looks like "DOC LEAF" to me big leaves that just grow in my flower bed
Click to view attachmentClick to view attachment

when i pull it out it has very small sharp bristles on its underside

it flowers purple in the summer so a little looks quite nice
but it takes over and i end up ripping it up to let the other flowers and bulbs grow
i think it has a very large root thing going on,as when i manage to pull them out totally, i can see a root network thing going on,and it only grows in the flower bed ...not grown into the grass at all
at some point i intend on digging the area up and keeping the bulbs for next year and just staring afresh.and doing a slightly raised bed to make the soil deeper for a start as its full of roots due to next doors trees along the fence

but i dont want this bloody weed to come back
whats the best way to totally get rid of it without ruining the soil?
do i buy that black matting material pin this down and put some new soil/compost on top ?

many thanks
TB

I have some of this stuff popping up in my garden too. I have stayed on top of it by pulling it up regularly, it doesnt seem to have big roots as i can usually pull em and the roots come up too. I know that's not a satisfactory way of ridding myself of it but I don't want to use any weedkillers if I can help it.

The point you make about putting black plastic down is a good idea. But my understanding is that you simply put it there to deprive the weeds of light so they die off then you take up the plastic and can dig the soil over.

Thanks EO
i was hoping you'd pop in for a look
i think thats how the black matting would work,cover the area and let it die off then replenish the soil
and have something decent to grow in for next year
ive got my own composter here and intend turning it over ready for next year and turning into the soil
any tips on that EO?...or anyone
its been going for about 2 yrs now and was hoping i could use it in the garden turning it in?

many thanks

i havnt a clue bout gardens m8, i havnt even got one

I have used my homemade compost as a mulch, putting some on top of the soil over the winter, it will improve the nutrient quality of the soil ready for next years planting. I also dig some into the soil when I am planting in spring.

edit to add my compost bin seems to have acquired some perlite,(from chucking used allmix on it) it spills out through all the holes not the most stealthy way of getting rid of old compost.

no worries NB.....

and thanks EO
ive got tomorrow off so hopefully the weather will be good
at least i'll go dig the bulbs up ...and go get some black mesh material to try to kill it off
then i'll start looking into the compost
need to kill the weed off first
many thanks
TB

I think its horse radish but it looks like doc, but horse raddish looks like doc with a deep root. The white fleshed roots should have a pungent flavour. Made into sause.

That would be Comfrey and you will not get rid of it unless you dig VERY deep,i come across it often in my line and its a pain,tried digging some out last year and went down nearly 2ft but hey it still comes back!!!!

Linky thing.

thanks iceman ...i may try a bit ,...i love horse raddish

but if it is comfrey davyboy sounds a pain to get rid of but there is plenty in the composter ...black matting help discourage it?

thanks for the link also
shows a price of £3.95....if anyone wants any for free PM me...i got loads for free

Horseradish. Hot enough for ye?

Compo heap should be happy. An old bin would make a very fine compost tea. There is a thread somewhere Ot mentions bocking comfry, it has very high mineral content and is good for soil.

Still, tbh I cant positively id that for you.

There is one way to deal with it and that is with a systemic weed killer like glyphosphate,eg roundup neat painted onto the leaves in the spring.

Hi davyboy
would it be worth trying to kill it off with the black matting over the winter and what grows back then paint the leaves next spring hopefully nothing
i'm gonna have a dig and go to town tomorrow weather permitting so if i got the worst of it removed then the black matting...hopefully it wouldn't survive

the thing is it only grows wheres there's soil ...not on the grass,not in the ivy bushes, just the soil

You can try bagging it but it will come up else where,just live with it during the winter and when it pops its head through in the spring zap it,and it will grow into the lawns if left unchecked.

not to sure about this but I thought comfry was nitrogen fixer and benifits the soil by bringing nutes and minerals to the surface ?

Yeah thats comfrey alright!
Makes a lovely liquid fertiliser, some organic gardeners grow a patch of it.

Did you put down the membrane yet TB?
Dunno if you have many birds around your way, but membrane puts a physical barrier between them and the worms Then again, if your garden backs onto a vast wooded glade I wouldnt worry too much!

From what Ive seen of comfrey it seems to mostly spread by seed - I suspect that your patch has been full of the seeds and they just keep coming through, so once youve dealt with the 'mother' plants so long as you catch the young ones before they flower and seed they should disappear eventually A nice thick mulch would go a long way to help as well.

hi schmuck
thanks for your input
i have now covered the area
i sprayed round up on them and covered them with the membrane

we do get quite a bit of wildlife in our back garden as there are protected tree's at the back
theres still plenty of grass for the birds to feed from too

oh and theres another patch i've not started on yet
Thanks again