It may say January/February on the calendar but with the spring like weather I've noticed the plant life has sprung up already. I've consulted with my vet about eliminating the wild onions out of our yard. The only advice she gave was to either keep them mowed or pull them up. Now that I have wild onions growing or sprouting up I've discovered we have a backyard full of them. I gave our yard a close mow at the end of the season. Our grass is very short and the wild onions are growing rapidly above.
Does anyone know of any products that are available that would be safe to use to get rid of these things? I don't want to harm any animals in this process wild or domestic. All else fails I'll try to section the yard off and slowly pull up as many as I am able this might take a long time. I am hoping to find a faster way to permanently remove the wild onions.
Some of you may remember our dog Casey was diagnosed with IMHA last summer. The official cause was never discovered but wild onions were suspected. Casey has recovered, I want to avoid anything that may cause her to relapse. She still grazes in the lawn like a goat and she is also one of our dogs who likes to eat dirt sometimes (in reference to the post below). Right now I don't allow her in our backyard. Many yrs. ago my father treated our front yard with a weed n feed mixture so we don't have wild onions out front. Unfortunately our front yard isn't fence so Casey has to stay leashed to me and isn't able to run freely. Her favorite sport this fall was to chase and watch squirrels now she can't understand why she's being limited.
I'd love to hear of any suggestions!
Wild onions
Re: Wild onions
You might have to be diligent and one by one eradicate them from your yard...
I do not care for chemicals, but sometimes they are necessary...we get Canadian Thistle here and it is invasive, like your wild onions...the way I get rid of them, is to get a concentrated Roundup...Roundup is persistent ONLY on the plant, once it is on the ground it is not active or harmful...
Roundup will also kill ANY plant it touches, so be careful not to spill or splash on plants you want to keep!!
Be sure to use heavy duty chemical gloves and proper eye protection and long pants/jacket...
Use a knife, that you will only use for plants from here on out, and make a slight nick or two (maybe 1/4 way into the stem) in the stem of one or two plants in each clump of onions...since they are bulbs which will be attached either by bulbs or roots between bulbs...
take a brush and soak it in the Roundup, then scrunch it into and around the wound(s) you made on the plant...
The idea is that you want the plant to draw the Roundup deep into itself through the vascular system...if you cut the plant completely, then treat with Roundup, it will basically do nothing because you have destroyed the vascular system of the plant and it has no way to draw it deep into itself...
As the plant die off, pull them up and burn them...do not add them to your compost pile!!
As always, be sure to keep your critters out of the yard while you are treating and for a day or two afterwards...if this is your only place for them play and go potty...rope off a section of yard at a time and treat that...
persistence on your part is the only way to get rid of wild invasive plants safely...when we have critters, we hate to have to use heavy chemicals or destroy ALL of the plantlife in the area...
I do not care for chemicals, but sometimes they are necessary...we get Canadian Thistle here and it is invasive, like your wild onions...the way I get rid of them, is to get a concentrated Roundup...Roundup is persistent ONLY on the plant, once it is on the ground it is not active or harmful...
Roundup will also kill ANY plant it touches, so be careful not to spill or splash on plants you want to keep!!
Be sure to use heavy duty chemical gloves and proper eye protection and long pants/jacket...
Use a knife, that you will only use for plants from here on out, and make a slight nick or two (maybe 1/4 way into the stem) in the stem of one or two plants in each clump of onions...since they are bulbs which will be attached either by bulbs or roots between bulbs...
take a brush and soak it in the Roundup, then scrunch it into and around the wound(s) you made on the plant...
The idea is that you want the plant to draw the Roundup deep into itself through the vascular system...if you cut the plant completely, then treat with Roundup, it will basically do nothing because you have destroyed the vascular system of the plant and it has no way to draw it deep into itself...
As the plant die off, pull them up and burn them...do not add them to your compost pile!!
As always, be sure to keep your critters out of the yard while you are treating and for a day or two afterwards...if this is your only place for them play and go potty...rope off a section of yard at a time and treat that...
persistence on your part is the only way to get rid of wild invasive plants safely...when we have critters, we hate to have to use heavy chemicals or destroy ALL of the plantlife in the area...
Re: Wild onions
I would agree with Tambrey, and once you get them eradicated, consider re-sodding the areas where Casey likes to play. If any areas are difficult for you to work with or get to, perhaps landscape those areas with gravel, lava-rock, wood chips, or stepping stones, safe plants etc.
Maybe call a local landscaper for more tips.
Maybe call a local landscaper for more tips.
..........Traci