Would it be better to use weed killer before digging roots

[seaweed]

Hi there,

Recently cleared out a garden that hadnt been touched for ages.
Grass was all overgrown so mowed it back.
All around the preimeter of the garden were weeds and nettles up to 2ft in height, so I strimmed them all out to floor level.
Its clear that once upon a time there were borders round the edges ( this is where the weeds grew), I would like to dig out some new borders, so would it be better to apply some weed killer (reccommend a brand) where all the perrenial weeds and nettles were now, leave it for a few days, then dig out all the weed roots?
Or just mark out where I want the borders with an edgeing iron, and just dig everything out (dreading it already)

Thanks in advance.

[wine~o]

and the bad news is.....dig them out...every trace of root.. otherwise, next year you will regret it.

[mikew1972]

Systemic weedkillers (that kill the roots without poisioning the ground) are taken in by the leaves (that you have unfortunately already chopped off) So you have 2 options left:

1. Let the weeks re-grow and treat them with weedkiller, give them a week or 2 then dig them up.

2. Dig up everything you can now then leave the ground for a few months until a lesser number of weeds re-grow. If only a few pull them up or if you find you missed more in the initial dig out treat with a systemic weedkiller at this stage.

If I was clearing a very overgrown garden I'd probably do what you have done followed by option 2.

[seaweed]

Thanks for the replys,

Looks like I`ll be just digging everything out that I can see then.......... backs going to be sore!!!

When I`ve finally dug everything out and re-established the borders, would you recommend digging in some compost inot the borders before planting? and is it ok to do this straight away, or would you wait a while to see if any of the weeds come back? O r just go ahead and remove the weeds later as they reappear?

Thanks again.

[wine~o]

Dig in compost if the soil is in poor condition. I would leave it a couple of months before planting to check that the weeds don't return.

[mikew1972]

Yep dig in the compost.
Will make it hold water if its sandy and make it drain better if its clayey.
Will also give it a boost of nutrients.
Straight away is fine. It will also make it easier to loosen the soil around any new weed's roots if the soil has a tendency to compact like clay.