Asparagus Advice Please

Yes I understand about glyphosate .....Yes, it is still available here. As a first year treatment it is very effective and I think very important. As a point of context, when I started an asparagus bed it was riddled with nettles and bindweed.....I know of no other one off treatment to eradicate these weeds. The result was well worth while. I would certainly repeat the process again.
I established an asparagus bed eliminating perennial weeds from the start....I actually did most of it prior to planting but any emerging weeds after planting were sprayed and by the end of the first summer all traces of them were eradicated. Thereafter an annual mulch was enough to keep the beds free of weeds. The bed has been in place for many years, free of any beetle or other pest damage, and without the need to use any tools for weeding.
Stakes, canes, were inserted at planting time or soon thereafter without any adverse effects but stakes, esp on windy sites, were important. Besides supported asparagus plants look impressive.
Each to his own......it’s what makes gardening fascinating

 

Each to his own, yes, but when giving advice to gardeners just starting out, there's no room for assumptions and ambiguity

 

Absolutely clear in my advice noisette....neither assumptions nor ambiguity

 

Ah? So blanket-spraying a bed of asparagus in full growth with glyphosate is a good idea?

 

On the subject of asparagus, I have a bed that is 4 years old and I need to move it. Obviously I cannot avoid hurting the roots so if I do damage some, does it mean that I needed bother re-planting in the new area?

I need to move it because it is too small and I also have seedlings to add to the planned new bed.

 

I've not picked any Vince i'm leaving it for another year or so

 

I wont be using any chemicals on Veg I want to eat one day,

Beatles yea they are killed on the spot if I see any but will keep an eye on them.

weeds...god dam things they are rampant here and it will be a case of just trying to keep a control of them if I can.

So should I be thinking of planting some more in the bed? I have no ideal how many there are left or do they spread on there own after a while?

 

I have moved asparagus Canadian Lori Worked for me.
I think timing may be everything....viz., when dormant but when soil is warm in both donor and recipient sites.
My feeling though is maybe plant new crowns

 

The crowns get bigger and bigger with time, lr69. That's why you leave them for the first couple of years. If you've planted as per recommended spacings, there's nothing to be gained by cramming more plants in. I sympathise.. it does seem a long wait for the first plateful, but it's worth it. Hang on in there :-) And yes, they do self-sow. Although they're sold as male plants you usually get some females that produce berries...cue the birds-!

 

ahhh right so berry ones are female I get loads of birds around here will they just eat the berrys? or the plant/stalks as well

 

Quite right you are too not to use any chemicals on things you want to eat later. I have the greatest of difficulty understanding the reason many are so happy to use them anywhere near edibles.

 

I never use chemicals of any sort on edibles. No slug pellets, no sprays and no artificial fertilisers.
However, using glyphosate to eradicate weeds long before asparagus is remotely edible is, to me, a practical and realistic choice.
Here, the bed was cleared of perennial weeds the season before asparagus was planted, then they were treated again during the first year of growth. Asparagus would be at least 2 or 3 years later before they were eaten. No perennial weeds.....very little annual weeds thanks to generous mulching....have occurred to compete. A healthy, weed free crop.
The alternative is to endlessly hand weed every year ......a chore to say the least and likely to damage young asparagus growth. For me, the amount of time thus spent weeding is not practical.
Glyphosate is likely to be banned anyway so hand weeding will be the only option in a year or so.

 

Just the berries, I think. I've never known a problem with birds eating the shoots. Slugs and snails are a bit partial to them, though.

 

Apparently, one of the black marks against glyphosate is it's perceived persistence in the soil.
Annual weeds can be controlled by mulching. That has the double advantage of 'blanching' the stems, if white asparagus is preferred.

 

Not only its persistence in the soil. Various tests that have been made on plants exposed to it that havent been killed of have shown high amounts of it still present in those plants years later. These amounts are so high that its recommended that they are washed and peeled, and in some cases, even that does not remove enough to get within recommended limits. Therefore, its best to be on the safe side and not use it at all.