stupid grass

i finished my shrub and tree garden and it looks really nice except for grass popping up along the back.i ripped out all the grass,took a steel rake to it.then i layed down weed barrier fabric and lined the back along the fence with 6ft cedar posts.then lined the front with plastic edging and then added all my bags of mulch.the fence in the back is chain link.the grass is popping up along that back,probaly from the neighbors yard.the grass looks like spikes sticking out of my mulch,when i pull it out it has these super long roots which i am sure i am not getting out all the way.growing right through my weed barrier.i am tempted to get out the round up but that wont solve the problem,and i dont even know if that would kill it.how can i stop this grass.i do plan on adding more mulch this fall.

Can you post a photo of the weed? I would guess it's either quackgrass or some type of sedge (nutsedge, etc.) ... I am fighting nutgrass here in MO and it's horrendous.... I researched quackgrass which is more prevalent in the colder climates of God's Country (Minnesota, my home state-Apple Valley). If you google quackgrass, there are a lot of sprays that will kill it. I don't believe pulling it does any good as it spreads so quickly from the roots. Pretty garden too!

this will sound really funny but it works use wipeout but with a small artist paint brush putting it on the stem right as low as you can it will not take much and the reason for the low spot is so that it doesnt sway in the breeze and spread it to other stuff in about three weeks your grass problem will be gone with no damage to anything else

Green Light Wipe Out? Wow, I just read about it and it does kill nutsedge and you can buy it in a spreadable form. I haven't seen this before, wowwwww! I've been spraying the sedge with SedgeHammer very carefully so it doesn't get on anything but the grass, but I'd love to kill every bit of it by spreading it in a drop spreader. Thank you for the advice!

This message was edited Aug 20, 2009 8:57 PM

thanks for the help.i'll post a pic tomorrow.so i will probaly be fighting this forever.is there some kind of barrier i could put in the ground to block it from coming over from the neighbors yard?like along the fence put a plastic barrier in the ground.i dont know,not only do i have to fight this but also all the stupid babies the chinese elms produce.i want the elms gone but dont have the money :( looks like i'll try the products recomended,to bad i cant get the rabbits to eat this grass instead of my plants :)

one more pic from the deck-center the elms their clock is ticking

this garden i plan on making wider and do some transplanting.when i get rid of those elms i am putting in a raised flower bed,i have a ton of different kinds of lillium-lily's.and to think we have lived in this house for a year on july 22nd.

Queenbeez, your gardens are very pretty - have you done all this in a year??? Wow - you have been busy considering how cool / cold St. Paul gets. I so missssssss the Twin Cities! We are going to Duluth for a week on October 4 and I can't wait. We always stay in Eagan on our way up to visit friends - and then we take the "sentimental drive" through Apple Valley & Burnsville where we lived. Ahhhhh, Minnesooottaaaahhhhhh - how I miss that state! Trust me, quackgrass in Minnesota or nutgrass in Missouri ... I'll take the quackgrass!!!! :^) (Why were you elms not killed by dutch elm disease?)

Hansey,

Chinese elms (the ones queenbeez said were growing) aren't bothered by dutch elm disease. We lost the American elms around here years ago, but the Chinese elms are still growing like weeds.

Queenbeez, if the grass is growing in under the fence with rhizomes, you can try putting in the black landscape edging right along the fence (Im going to try it to block neighbor's zebra grass from spreading into my yard). Make sure you get the professional that goes down further than the cheap stuff. If only it worked with trumpet vine... sigh...

Rich

sorry been busy my 75 gallon fish tank leaked this weekend :( how far down do you think the edging should go?

4 inch will control most grass plants spreading, but 6 inch is better if you can find it. Good thing its not bamboo

Ouch about the fish tank.

love the red mulch makes the beds look so nice, your property looks beautifull it is obvious you love and take great care of your gardens

i'll have to see what i can find,not looking forward to getting barked at by the neighbors dogs along that fence though.i hope my trees and shrubs take off next year! i love gardening,its creating art and healthy for you.

and i love the vistitors that stop by

oh the dog thing well bring the hose with you and put it on the harder stream setting every time they come close and bark hit his with the water he will get the drift hahahahah