Getting rid of horse poop weeds

railsplitter

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Horse poop is a terrible fertilizer because they (horses) only have 1 stomach (as opposed to cows who have 2). The seed of anything they eat is not killed when passing through their digestive system the way it is with cows, so horse poop usually contains crapload of weed seed.

So with that said, someone decided about 10 years ago to spread horse poop on a 1/4 acre area of our property. It was an area we used to garden on, but the soil had became poor and they thought the horse poop would help (doh!!). So long story short, this area is eat up with weeds that come back every year. The other bad part is that they germinate at different times all throughout the summer, so that means there is always an abundance of different weeds at different stages of growth all summer long. You can plow everything up, but then something else just pops up the following week.

Everyone told me initially just to use round-up but I wasn't crazy about using it on ground that I'd be eating out of. I turn-plow it every fall and try to do so in the summer to stay ahead of the weeds in hopes of keeping them from germinating, but they always get ahead of me.

I thought about repeatedly burning the area and then overseeding it with just grass or a cover crop. But, the lady at the co-op extension said that really wouldn't help, and that round-up is the only way. She said round-up goes away fast and doesn't pollute the ground.

Anybody got any other ideas, or should I just hit it with round-up and move on? Like I said earlier, I don't mind round-up except for using it on an area I'll be eating from.

My end goal for now is to get rid of the weeds and plant grass or a cover crop for now, with the hopes of using it as a garden again later on.
 
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I have had good luck on small plots with covering it w black plastic for several weeks, then turn he soil and plant a cover of rye grass that can be turned under later. I have heard this called solarizing.

I am also not comfortable with RoundUp, esp in an area used for food.
 
First sorry to say weed seeds pass right on through cows as well maybe not as many but they still do. Reason you should compost the manure and let it heat cycle to kill some of them.

With that said best to keep exsisting weeds from going to seeds adding to the problem adding more seed to the soil. Mow them off before seed heads get mature. Keeping the area covered with something dense as a cover crop or multch works well if you keep something there year round to choke out the weeds but soon as it gets light down to the soil the weeds are going to start coming back so its a race to get cover up first before weeds same thing happens when you plow it you bring some others seeds to the top and no ground cover lets them take off and grow. Rolling it flat and putting black plastic over for about 2 weeks is another way to kill what is there with out herbicide use and depending size of area might be a good way to kill whats there and get a cover crop started. First step would be a soil test if its really poor or something out of line best to take care of that first.
 
I have had good luck on small plots with covering it w black plastic for several weeks, then turn he soil and plant a cover of rye grass that can be turned under later. I have heard this called solarizing.

I am also not comfortable with RoundUp, esp in an area used for food.
I've done this with some old pool covers I keep just for the occasion. It kills the hell out of vegetation.
 
What’s a good ratio for the dawn and vinegar or does it really matter. Also will the mix work on tougher weeds like dog fennel. We have a lot of that and some thistle in our pasture I need to take care of.
 
I have had good luck on small plots with covering it w black plastic for several weeks, then turn he soil and plant a cover of rye grass that can be turned under later. I have heard this called solarizing.

I am also not comfortable with RoundUp, esp in an area used for food.
I've done this with some old pool covers I keep just for the occasion. It kills the hell out of vegetation.
You need to let the soil get to a high temp to kill the seeds, check on line for the required temperature.
 
If you plant a cover crop, be sure to plow it under before they get to seeds
 
What’s a good ratio for the dawn and vinegar or does it really matter. Also will the mix work on tougher weeds like dog fennel. We have a lot of that and some thistle in our pasture I need to take care of.

One gallon white vinegar, one cup of salt, 1-2 tablespoon dish washing liquid. Mix the vinegar and salt till dissolved then mix in the soap.
 
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You need to let the soil get to a high temp to kill the seeds, check on line for the required temperature.
Not sure where you live, but this week has to be providing the temps needed.

I found about solarization by accident while opening the pool in late May one year. Pulled the cover over on the grass for a few hours and when we folded it up, it was brown and dead as door nails.
 
I thought about repeatedly burning the area and then overseeding it with just grass or a cover crop. But, the lady at the co-op extension said that really wouldn't help, and that round-up is the only way. She said round-up goes away fast and doesn't pollute the ground.

Bullshite.

Burn-offs work well. Do a test...

Burn a 20' x 20' section of your property, making sure you get absolutely everything within that area. After you burn it off, water the hell out of it. Give it a couple days. Overseed.

I guarantee you'll have some of the greenest grass you've ever seen.

I don't know where some of these folks get the crazy idea that burn-offs "won't work"....nature proves otherwise. Just google images of growth after a forest/wildland fire.
 
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Not sure where you live, but this week has to be providing the temps needed.
I found about solarization by accident while opening the pool in late May one year. Pulled the cover over on the grass for a few hours and when we folded it up, it was brown and dead as door nails.
I discovered it's a great way to kill crabgrass/weeds in a bermuda lawn. Cover it for a day or two, then move it over. Afterwards mow it low and water. It'll come back thick, green and weed free.
 
One gallon white vinegar, one cup of salt, 1-2 tablespoon dish washing liquid. Mix the vinegar and salt till dissolved then mix in the soap.
Thanks... Will need to try that.
How much area should that be spread over? Will the salt be a problem for future gardening?
 
You should take a soil test first before you do anything. The pH of the soil directly controls which plants are able to grow. You may be able to remove some of the weeds by adding the proper amounts of lime. If you go the chemical route Grazeon and Remedy is the only way to go.

Cover crops are also good. There is a type of mustard that acts as a natural type roundup when turned back into the soil. Some cover crops are also legumes and add nitrogen back to your soil.
 
If you go the chemical route Grazeon and Remedy is the only way to go.

I agree with the other advice but becareful with grazeon and wouldn’t recommend it for a garden area. Only use it on something you plan to stay in grass for a while. It stays around for a while for broad leaf weed treatment which is a pro and con. We sprayed a hayfield to clean it up worked great. Fast forward 2 years dad decided to plant the 10 acre field in soybeans after not thinking about the grazeon treatment before right off and no bueno. Pretty stand of soybeans that came up to about 3 inches leaves curled and died from residual left in soil we were left scratching our head what happened until light bulb went off and looked at his records and the rep confirmed it. Just be sure you read the label and understand how long it stays around.
 
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