Eco-friendly way to get rid of these weeds please?

Always been said, easiest way to start an argument, ask any three gardeners how to do something.

 

Thank you Palustris, that gives me hope .

 

Thank you everyone, I have definitely learned a lot

 

So, in summary, for the pernicious root-spreading weeds (horsetail, ground elder, bindweed and to a lesser extent couch grass and nettles) you have two options. (Personally, I’d not hoe these type of weeds)

Weed killer - needs to be systemic, so absorbed into the the core/roots of the plant, will need multiple applications over a period of months
Meticulous hand-weeding - ideally at least once a week, on soft soil, gently pulling upwards at the base of the above-the-surface plant, to remove as much of the root system as possible. (Not too pleasant a job with nettles, but the root-run is more likely to come up in a rather rewarding manner, to compensate!). All roots to be disposed of away from the compost heap, or you will just re-apply your weed problem when you mulch! Weeding to be continued for a period of months.

Common factors = time + persistence + accepting we aim for control, not eradication
Edited

 

Thank you Sian, I am trying not to go down the weed killer route because of my Mum's elderly cat, so will try the more regular weeding method and try to get the earth turned over more so I can get deeper, as at the moment, they snap before I get to the pesky roots!

 

Well stated @Sian in Belgium ! I might add that I once read bindweed roots can go as deep as three metres. It’s a weed of cultivated ground and I have never been able to completely eliminate it in over 40 years of gardening, reduce it yes but completely get rid of it no.

 

I try to weed right after a heavy rain. The roots seem to pull out much easier.

 

If you want deep rooting weeds. I followed a Mare's tail root down 3 metres into pure sand in one of our gardens. BUT, then we went to a Quarry in Derbyshire where the roots went over 30 metres down the quarry face.
One thing to avoid is Weed suppressing membrane. It definitely does not do what it says on the label.

 

Thank you for your comments Redwing, that's helpful, at least now I won't beat myself up when I can't get rid of it all

 

What about a layer of bark Palustris? I was going to put some down when I got the worst of it out this time, hoping it might suppress its return, naively optimistic

 

My experience with bark is that the roots tend to move more freely between the bark and the soil, spreading sideways. Adding a mulch can stop some seeds germinating but you will still get weeds growing through from roots left in the soil.

 

Thank you Andrews, that's useful to know, probably won't bother then, just more expense

 

After over 30 years of taking on overgrown allotment plots, full of pernicious perennial weeds and a vast seedbank of annual/biennual/perennial weeds, until we had 2/3 acre, I suggest learning how to live with a low level of them.

Complete eradication requires a lot of effort and may never be achieved. Hand weeding, weedkiller, mulches, hand culitivation, mechanical cultivation, etc. all make a contribution, but there's no magic bullet. But if used in conjunction with one another, they can make a big difference.

Somebody dissed rotorvating as a way to deal with bindweed, but rotorvating several times a few days apart in very hot weather will cause allmost all of the chopped up pieces of root to shrivel and die. The few bits of root that re-sprout in the loose cultivated soil are easy to remove.

So I use a bit of everything, and if an unforecast thunderstorm appears in the middle of hot weather rotorvating hedge bindweed, I'll Mypex mulch the area. And if weeds appear through the planting station perforations, it might be spot weedkiller application.

No, only 2 are required, or in the case of my ex-farmer FiL, only one.

 

Thanks Scrungee, in a way that's reassuring, as my initial cunning plan was for complete annihilate, but now I will be happy fewer weeds than plants

 

If you have your own rotavator and can do that, then fair play. If it's just hiring a gardener doing a one time thing, then definitely not.