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Infestation of small weeds #431463

Asked October 15, 2017, 6:39 PM EDT

I am am attaching photos of these small green weeds that have suddenly appeared all over my gardens - every place there is dirt. The pictures show the larger ones and the smaller ones and show their spread. What can I spray them with to kill them and make sure that they don't come back.

Clackamas County Oregon

Expert Response

Thank you for your question about weeds.  So, weeds are only plants in places we don't want them!  And weeds (plants, in general) are opportunistic: they'll germinate and grow wherever no other plant is competing with them for water, sun and nutrients (food).  So, you can spray these, but, I assure you, other ones will follow them in short order.  With rain in sight, herbicides are just going to wash off.  One organic spray is vinegar, which is acidic, available, and effective on small plants such as these, but ineffective on ones with taproots (such as dandelions and broad leaved plantain) and ones with 'leathery' leaves (such as ivy and blackberries.)

I don't know what you're planning for this soil in the spring and summer, but, rather than spraying them with a short-term 'remedy,' why not consider covering the soil so seeds (they come in the air and are lurking in the soil already) can't germinate--or, if they do, there's no sun to reach them?  You can cover them with cardboard, mulch, straw (not hay; it has seeds), a cover crop (such as crimson clover, which restores nitrogen to the soil) or plastic (effective, but hard on the valuable soil microbes.)  So, while it's still relatively dry, rake or hoe these seedlings to disrupt the roots, and then cover the space for the winter.  If you plant a cover crop, be sure to rake or till it in the spring before it sets seed heads, or your garden will have lots of clover!

Hope this is helpful.  Good luck!
An Ask Extension Expert Replied October 16, 2017, 7:11 PM EDT
Can you tell me by looking at the photos I sent in the earlier question, what this is? It has never appeared in my garden ever and we are suddenly infested with them in several beds that are not even close to each other. Thank you.
The Question Asker Replied October 19, 2017, 5:32 PM EDT
I can't see the leaves very well, but it appears to be a shiny geranium (Geranium lucidum) described in this article.  Hope this is helpful.
An Ask Extension Expert Replied October 19, 2017, 6:28 PM EDT

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