Help with bindi and stuff

Discussion in 'Planting, growing, nurturing Plants' started by JoanVL, Oct 13, 2007.

  1. JoanVL

    JoanVL Junior Member

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    Our drought ridden yard is full of prickly things. One type has a single prickly sphere surrounded by a circle of fernlike leaves, flat on the ground. The other puts out a huge ganglion of creeping stems with clover-type leaves, with little yellow flowers and little spherical prickle balls. Don't know the real name of either.

    Anyway, my own solution is to ignore the things and wear sandals: there are too many to pull out. My partner thinks differently - he says he's going to spray - chemicals!!! Obviously I've got to think of an organic solution to the bindi or whatever it is - quickly. Any ideas???

    (PS he won't spray anything without my agreement, but I could do without the pressure, and I feel guilty when the little kids from next door come round to see the chooks, play in our little grove of fruit trees, and pick the mulberries, and end up with prickles in their feet)
     
  2. pebble

    pebble Junior Member

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    Location:
    inland Otago, NZ
    Climate:
    Inland maritime/hot/dry/frosty
    Knowing the botanical names of each plant would be very useful in terms of finding a solution. Can you put up some photos that could be ID-ed?
     
  3. paradisi

    paradisi Junior Member

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    if you're getting the bindis in your feet its too late to do anything proper this year.

    boiling water will kill the plants and stop them setting more seeds. next year or whenever they start to grow again hit them with boiling water before they set seed and keep doing this until all of the seed in the ground has sprouted and been killed by you and your jug.
     
  4. kathleenmc

    kathleenmc Junior Member

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    Hiya Joan.....

    The thing about permaculture...for me...is too observe, contemplate and then ask....what is happening to make this a problem....you said
    so there is...no moisture....the prickles are in because of two main factors....compacted earth and no nutrients. When I came into possession of my suburban backyard it was full of bindies. I waited for a rain event and afterwards forked holes into the soil, watered in some nutrients and sowed another type of grass that was hardier. (rye) The bindies have now dissappeared. It does sound like it is too late for you if you are walking already on prickly things....but you may have to rethink what you want to have in the yard....can you afford to water the grass, are you allowed? You also need to look at how far down you mow....leaving the grass a little longer makes for a much healthier grass.

    Cheers Kathleen
     
  5. JoanVL

    JoanVL Junior Member

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    Thanks for those answers. We are not allowed to water our grass, but I save grey water in buckets from the kitchen so I can use that anywhere. We don't often mow because my husband has bad knees and it hurts him. I always offer but he inisists on doing it. We do a high cut. I tried the boiling water thing once, but the patch seems to stay dead for everything then.I think I'll do it again though, anyway.
     

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