How can you tell if a weed plant is dead?
If the stems are brown, brittle and snap off easily rather than being green and pliable, then it is dead.
Can you tell me of a safe weedkiller for our lawn? We have a small grandson, dog and a tortoise (who grazes in the garden).
This article should help: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/organic/homemade-pet-friendly-weed-killer.htm
What is the most effective, yet pet friendly, method to eliminate weeds without ruining the grass?
Here is an article that you may find helpful: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/organic/homemade-pet-friendly-weed-killer.htm
I thought I did everything right like always. I've had a great garden, but this year can't keep grass from growing in my garden. What can I use that will not affect my garden? I pull it by hand and in two days, it's right back.
In the future, you may want to consider using landscaping cloth in your garden to keep the grass and weeds down. For now, you can lay newspaper down around the plants you want to keep and, if you can, lay mulch down on top of the newspaper.
I am from the Montreal, Canada area and I would like to know what household products I can use on my lawn to kill the weeds permanently without killing my grass. Most of the household recipes I have seen are not good for the lawn. All commercial products have been outlawed for two years already.
Here is an article that you may find helpful: https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/special/organic/homemade-pet-friendly-weed-killer.htm
You mention on your site the following: How to kill a tree with salt. . . In wars past, salting the earth was how traitors were punished. Land that has salt added to it will not support life, even tree life. Be aware though that salting will end up killing trees, grass and any vegetative life in the immediate area. Also, it may be quite some time before anything else grows there. My question is, how do I prepare the salt to be applied to my garden? What are the practical applications of this method? I have a garden that is full of brambles, nettles and all sorts of mess. We want to pave over it, but first we have to kill it.
You only have to lay the salt down and water just a little to get it into the soil. The plants will start to die in a few days. You need to be careful though, any runoff into flower beds you want to keep will kill the plants there too.
How do I kill grass that has crept into my plant and ground cover area? I don't want to kill the plants, but it's overtaking that area. Is there a product I can use?
Most grass in garden beds can be easily pulled up (though it may be time consuming) and followed with the addition of a 1/2" thick layer of (moist) newspaper topped with 2" mulch. You can also use a non-selective herbicide, such as glyphosate (Round-up), which has the potential to kill any plant on contact. However, with care this can be used as a spot spray in flower beds, avoiding contact with desirable plants. Don't do this on a windy day. If feasible, you might want to cover your plants with trash bags while you spray, and for about half-an-hour after. It will dry rather quickly, kill the grass, and will not stay in the soil.