Hey, I resemble that picture!!! I think I didn't get the Snapshot down in time in a few places and the crabgrass is about to carry me away. After bloom in a place or two we're going to spray the heck out of things and see what we can beat into submission.

Janet

I see why you need the new sprayer. The only thing here that looks like that is the area where we dug everything last fall and moved it to the yard. The only thing left is the first time bloomers this year. Thankfully, the earlier applied chemicals has made that stretch doable. BUT, the rest of the area looks just like that and got sprayed a day or two ago. I challenge anyone to be organic when trying to grow in a field. If you are organic, then you have to be very young to tolerate the massive weeding involved.

Brooke

Yikes! Seedlings and weedlings. I hope you get some drop-dead gorgeous blooms from those babies to make all that spraying and weeding worth it!

Laurel

Now that's daunting. Reminds me of the nightmares I have whenever we're gone on vacation - I'm always afraid of what I'll find when I get home. Why are the weeds so much worse on the far side? I want to do whatever you did on the NEAR side of the pic.
Kathy

Looks like HARD WORK to me....I see NO PIDDLING there!
My arms are hurting now!
Nancy

It was a piddle free morning for mee too. I got the rest of my seedlings in the ground. There are about 80 or so between the hosta and the strawberries.

Edward

{{gwi:633993}}

Am I missing sumpin here???? When you guys say growing in a field....How big an area are you talking about? I must not be understanding...I don't use anything but mulch and my beds stay almost weed free...I don't use chemicals to control weeds. I DO use RU when making a large bed to start with...wiping out weeds/grass...whatever is in the way. The I plant and right away mulch the beds...now. none of these are "Fields"...at least not what I picture as a Field...in my mind. I am talking about ..what I consider very Large beds though...IE 12 feet X 200 feet.....6 feet x 95 feet....12 feet x 30 feet...etc
I think what I am failing to understand is the time it takes to weed and the cost of the chemicals add up to alot more then what Mulch costs...so I must be missing something...in the equation...please enlighten my limited brain cells....Thanks Guy's!

Rick (Pondering and Piddling) Again........... :)

Field - a large area that has never been used for anything except to graze cows, horses, mules, deer, rabbits, raccoons, skunks, whatever - not just in my lifetime, but since earth was created.

Round Up is wonderful to eliminate what is up and growing -it does nothing for the seeds that have been laying there for years, just waiting for the proper time to germinate - and germinate they will - each time the earth is disturbed, whether you are planting or digging something out to throw away. Of course you also have the generous birds and vegetable eating animals to redistribute the weed seeds they ingest.

I have a large garden which surrounds my house. I have a field where the seedlings grow. I will be happy to buy the mulch if anyone wants to apply it to the seedlings in the field - and also help pull the weeds that arrive in the mulch.

Brooke

Well Brooke...it sounds to me...like you must not get good mulch...LOL I have used a good hardwood mulch for years..never have weed problems..and find it very relaxing to spread..also knowing my back will not ache from bending over pulling weeds when I want to be seeing the beauty of the gardens,,not from an upside down view...LOL I guess square foot wise..ones field must be anothers gardens beds...oh well..I guess each to his/her own...thanks for your explaining...the "Field"...I'll just stick to spreading the mulch...making the roots temps..constant and the moisture balanced...and things weed free...with a nice look too...:)

Rick

Field- 5 acres or more

Patch-5 acres or less.

These are KY definations. Usually tobacco and strawberries are planted in patches, for some reason, no matter how many acres are involved. We have a field of corn but a patch of sweet corn.

I have what I consider a daylily patch. I haven't measured it in a while but I'd guesstimate it at about three quarters of an acre. I don't normally mulch because I need to dig in the early spring and other times during the year and mulch keeps my clay loam soil wetter a lot longer. Therefore I have difficulties with weeds and have to resort to inorganic means of weed control. With a full time job I just don't have the time to spend pulling weeds.

I took the Fusilade to some areas of grass just last night. I'm trying to do a quick run through of the blocks before scapes get really heavy with buds. Right now we're making rather slow progress, only half a block a night. I'd better quit piddling cause the blooms are about to catch me.

Royce, the front part of that bed looks real good. We'll expect another picture in a couple weeks to see the "after" effects.

Janet

Rick,
Tell me about your hardwood mulch. Is there a brand name? How thick is it after you put it down? And how much does it cost? Is this the same as cedar mulch?
I use pine straw. It enriches the soil as it breaks down. It helps to slow down the weeds, but doesn't stop them completely.
I've tried cedar mulch and it's about the same as pine straw, but costs more.
I've tried preemergents, and they work ... for about a month.
By this time of the year, I'm sick of pulling weeds. We spray most of our yard, but I don't like to do my flower beds because of the over-spray. Some plants, especially my crinums, hate weed killer and will pout all summer if it gets near them. So, I'm open to suggestions.
Kathy

Silly me. The first thing I thought of was how lucky you are to have so much space! I think on these patches and fields you'd have to resort to some chemical help. Just my thoughts. And probably keep after it.

I'm with Brooke in that I'm totally convinced some of my mulch brought in weed seeds. I had the best crop of chickweed ever. Add to that the seeds the birds bring in, the wind brings in, etc....and it's never ending.

Although I have found...but it takes time (of which there is never enough)...that if I spread a layer of newspaper (nice and thick), wet it and then put mulch down, I have far less weeds BUT...I still get weeds. They like to grow in the mulch. They're usually pretty easy to pull, but they are there.

Oh yes...and there are the "weeds" of my own making (since I planted them originally), the rose of sharon seedlings, the maple seedlings and the oakes (from my neighbor, thank you) which arrive every year. And others which I can't think of at this moment.

I think I will never be weed-free, but such is life.

Edward, I still see some grass. Looks like a good area for daylilies. Good for you for working instead of piddling.

Regarding chemicals, mulch, etc.: I use mulch (pine needles) for mulch on established daylilies and it works reasonably well. The area I showed in the picture above is an area where seeds were planted in April, I think. I suppose an area could be mulched prior to seed germination, but I think it would be difficult to mulch well enough to control weeds, without harming the daylily seed germination. Even now, the seedlings are so small, it is not easy to mulch them, without covering some. I am considering weeding the somewhat clear area again, and trying to mulch with pine needles.

When I said the mulch works reasonably well, the exception is nut sedge. I think that stuff will grow through asphalt. I also have a few weeds with thorns that are strong enough to push through the mulch, but they are few enough that I just hand pull them (while wearing gloves).

The somewhat cleared area in the foreground is an area where I did pull the weeds and grass.

My situation now is: It is so hot here that I work only in the early morning and very late afternoon. Of course, part of that potential work time has to be spent roaming and looking. Also, do things like pick strawberries and blueberries. Strawberries are ending, but blueberries are beginning. One super aggravation is that fire ants seem to be all over the seedling area. They must have some kind of symbiotic relationship with the weeds. I pull a weed and a couple of dozen fire ants come running out, not counting the half dozen clinging to my hands. So  I use RU to initially clear an area, mulch established daylilies, spray for nut sedge and muddle along, trying to figure out what to do with the seedling patch, in which 2,000 seeds were planted. Oh yeah, yesterday afternoon and this morning, I planted 139 seeds from pods just collected.

Janet I always wondered why you called your daylily area the "patch" - now I know. Forgive this ole girl from IN, we never did patches up there. I guess I have a daylily patch in the field.

gonegardening - I have used the newspaper mulch trick in several of the new areas IN the garden but not in (tada) the patch. It has helped tame some really nasty areas and to improve the soil in some hard clay. The seedlings are planted too close together to make it doable. Ditto for mulching the newly planted out seedlings - I would end up with more on the newly sprouted seedlings than around them. I must remember to tell hubby that the mulching we did yesterday and this a.m. was relaxing since we still have about 2/3 the garden left to mulch.

Rick are using bagged or bulk mulch? How far apart are you planting your seedlings and at what age do you apply the mulch? Do you direct sow the seeds or are you transplanting seedlings to your beds? If I can grow several thousand seedlings with no chemicals and only have to apply mulch, I want the acreage right next to you. Might even talk Royce into moving north of the Mason-Dixon particularly if you don't have nutsedge up there.

Brooke

Kathy,
Let me see if I can answer your questions and not miss any...LOL I am no typist..for sure.
Yes, I use Zeager Mulch...I use a few of their products..at my home and for my work.
I put it down between 3-4 inches thick..trying to stay close to 3.
I will gice you a link to this particular products site...but even in just my area there are over 12 places that sell a very similiar product and most use a very similiar method to make it. It composts at high temps..180 degrees or so in the piles.thus NO weed seeds at all. No insects either..to hot to live in it. Cost will very on transportation, but I get a very good wholesale price for it.
To see details please just check out their site and it will answer most of your other questions.
http://www.zeager.com/landscapingproducts.htm

Thus the reason I aksed what you guy's call a "Field"..if doing 5 acres..i'm sure it might prove to costly...but for an acre or so..I think well worth the cost and not having to use chemicals..JMHO
Each to their own..but I don't like having to weed...at all.
I am also not saying some of you may use an mulch that has brought in weeds and such..but I KNOW what I use...does NOT...for sure. Yes, You can and will get a bird that "Drops" a seed here and there..and yes, a chipper that buries a little cluster of seeds it might gather..and yup even a squirrel that may bury a acorn here and there...but other wise no weed problems.

Brooke..no bags..wouldn't come close to covering the areas I must use it on.I buy it Bulk...Tri-axle loads and on ocassion live-bottom tractor trailer loads, mostly for large jobs when needed.
To best answer your Daylily questions...I'm not into the Seedling beds, yet..I grow only about 800 different daylilies and a few hundred other trees/shrubs/perennials I just got into Daylilies a few years back..thus just making new seedling beds this year for future crosses...I'm a newbie to Daylilies..but by no means a newbie to plants..I am Retired Army and I am a landscaper/hardscaper now that I have retired...I am not real familiar with the terms you guys use on here..thus I have to ask many questions..but some things relate in my work with what we do with daylilies..thus...why I asked why you guy's weed so much and use chemicals all the time to control weeds...now that I understand you have 5 plus acres of field grown Daylilies I can see the need....But I still don't see why you must spend so much time weeding...I really don't...Sorry
So..anyway I hope some of you guy's find the info on the Mulch site I posted, interesting and worthwhile..I know it saves my back..alot of pain and gives me more time to enjoy what I grow..not ...weed it..LOL

Enjoy, Rick
PS...now if you can tell me how to rid what lawn I have of weeds..I'll be a Happy Camper..too...:)

Psst, Rick - if it's green and you mow it, IT'S ALL LAWN!

Seriously, though, if you run across an organic way to get rid of creeping charlie without killing the grass, I'll give you ANY daylily I have that you want! (And I wish I had something really marvelous to share - I've got all oldies so far - so I might even have to import some new ones to give you a better choice.) I haven't found anything organic that will get rid of CC without killing the whole lawn. (On the worst patches we've tried vinegar, soap-based products, boiling water, and my husband has leveled various vehement imprecations against it as well - i.e. cursed it back to the pit from whence it came.)

And on a different topic, HUNDREDS of seedlings, THOUSANDS of seedlings! What a vision! A few days ago my DH and I were talking about what we'd do for a job if we could change careers. I said something about starting my own small nursery, with vague visions of offering daylilies as a specialty. If I want to hybridize my own, I can see I'll have to acquire a LEEETLE more real estate, LOL!

Laurel

Hi Rick,
Thanks for the link and explanation. I've never seen Zeager Mulch down here, but I will start asking about it at the nurseries. They may have it and I've never noticed it. I wish I had about a ton of it!
Kathy