HelpfulGardener.com

My house backs up to this thick strip of wooded area. The property is owned by the golf course and they will not clear all of the mess out so I am left with huge, thick clumps of brier, trashy plants, thorns, and poison ivy that is desperately trying to invade my yard.
Weed killer is just not enough, each year this mess comes back bigger and stronger. I was considering throwing some salt over the fence...any suggestions? I would love to just clear it out, but I am unable to jump the fence to get back there due to all of the brier. I would need a full armor suit, plus there are a lot of snakes hiding out there.

Here's what you do: Cut two two 2" X 4" X 3', strew them to the fence in line three feet apart horizontally one above the other at a fence post. hinge the 2'' X 4"s to the post. with a sawsal cut the nails holding the fence boards from the fence horizontals. Dress in full battle gear, skirmish tape around your cuffs and sleeves. Neck gator and helmet or ski cap. Your engagement weapons will be machete, pitchfork, and crosscut saw. Don't forget the cloth gloves.
Push open the Battle Door and step through the horizontals that will be left in place. From this point on it is cut and pitch, seek and kill.
Once you have a 4' break between your fence and the offending flora and fauna you can Agent Orange the area for a permanent no plant/snake barrier.

Close and lock the access, throw the battle clothing into the wash, hit the hot tub or shower, it's time for a large brandy.

Site pictures requested.

Capt. Richard

Excuse: Natalie, Have your man carry out the assignment above.

OK, I get the part about it will really make life easier if you give yourself a cleared barrier between all the invasives and your property and it is worth doing even if a pain to do. (At a guess Natalie is as capable of wading in to battle with it as the nearest man , but if there is anyone you can recruit to help with it, that would be a good thing, a work crew would be even better.)

But I'm sorry, valley, I'm really not understanding the part about attaching horizontal boards to the fence. What does that accomplish?

Good morning rainbow, attaching the two X fours makes a gate, they are put in flat to the fence boards and connected to the fence post with hinges. The wood stringers that all the fence boards are nailed to in no longer needed, when the nails are cut the boards fastened to the short 2x4s hinged to the fence post are a door. ...sometimes I need pictures also.

wow, valley your post got bowdlerized! I saw your comment about X chromosomes and was going to make a return post about Y chromosomes (all in fun of course ). By the time I came back a little later, the remark had been deleted. Ever vigilant against the hint of controversy, they are!

"Ever vigilant against the hint of controversy, they are!"

[Nope, not going to say anything, not going to do it. Twitch, twitch. Time for a glass wine, wife and garden are calling. Time for a relaxing walk. Not going to say anything. Know it must have been bad, otherwise....... Alex, keep your mouth shut,.....]

Have no idea what was wrong of bad about it.

One thing came from it: I found your name is Alex. Greetings Alex, I enjoy your posts, seems you're exacting. The pictures I just looked at, everything in a line, everything in it's place. Glad to read you.

Richard

I've always had my name at the end of my signature line, but glad to read your posts as well. Lots of good gardeners, lots of good posts here. As posted earlier, my yard and garden are not as neat as photos or videos make it appear. Though I do make an effort in that direction.

I hope you figure out why your post disappeared, perhaps shoot a message to admin.

the thought of going into battle is tempting, but will have to wait until drier weather probably!

No man to help, just me and my mother if she has some free time, but we can accomplish a lot of yard work when we commit!
I need to get an updated picture, this was at the very end of winter/beginning of spring, so everything was still dead from the previous season where I had cut it all back and killed with weed killer. Just envision the back fence completely covered with invading trees, vines, and thorns

(this was right after we cut down 14 trees from my yard, so it's a bit bare and please excuse the awful picture quality )

Well, heck! I missed the X / Y chromosome discussion.

That's quite some fence the golf course has; do they really think their members can hit that far into the woods?!

I have completely different tactics to suggest. First, develop a written record of your communications with the golf course. Call one more time and write down the name, title, and phone number of the person you speak with, the date and time of day, and your questions and the responses you receive. This is the backbone of your written record. Then...

Write a letter to the management/ownership of the golf course (ooh, is it a membership country club? lots of potential there for trouble-making) about the potentially toxic wastes on their property which are visible from yours (include photos when you do) and the refusal of the staff to address your legitimate concerns. This next just occurred to me: maybe they lease this property from someone? don't know how you would find out, but that kind of stuff piling up sure sounds like a violation of most leases I've ever heard of.

It might also be...ah...helpful to send a copy of such correspondence to whichever county/state agency is in charge of toxic-waste reduction/environmental code enforcement/groundwater regulations (if it appears that toxic wastes are being tossed out). At the state level, this will be the Alabama Department of Environmental Management. Phone or email around, after digging on the website, and find individual people's names. Copy the letter to them, showing full name and title/position. Keep a record of the phone numbers for yourself. Me personally, I'd show just the name and title/position on the cc's; if the golf course wants to call the government, they can find the phone numbers on their own sweet time, you know?

Email might do as a secondary method of communication in situations like this, but writing still packs a wallop, esp. when copied, including photographs, to...let me get my mental list out:

--newspaper reporters (yes, they still exist)
--TV and radio reporters (they can get good camera views from your property; radio can sometimes cover local news, depending on your own locale)
--local web-based folk (e.g., the Patch series of local newsletters)
--local city council representatives and, going up the food chain, county commissioners, state legislature reps

There is a way; if absolutely none of these work, then the "make a gate and tackle the stuff yourself" approach may just have to be it. But I suggest that the golf course/club has the money, staff, and equipment to deal with it, so give them the...ah..."opportunity" to fix it first. It seems that you've tried nicely, in private. Well, so much for nice. *sigh* Folks just didn't get it, did they? Some people's moms just didn't train 'em to clean up after themselves, it looks like.

Now it's time for Ms. Determined to take the stage. Best wishes.

Cynthia H.
Sunset Zone 17, USDA Zone 9

Hey Cynthia!

Surprisingly, the wooded area isn't all that thick. It is about a yard or two wide until it reaches the golf course, still a bit overkill though; I agree!

I definitely do not mind contacting them again, I will be going to the owner this time. The situation with the golf course is a bit difficult. We know the owners AND the manager, both are LONG time family/church friends. I have only spoken with the manager on the matter, he is also my neighbor a few houses down. He said they do not have the staff to clean it out, but he would send some industrial weed killer for me to use...ok great.....that was 6 months ago, no weed killer in sight.
So now it's time to contact the owner, which is one of the most accomplished, multitasking, go-get-them woman I have ever met. She runs the golf course, the church, and takes care of many home projects, her kids, and her grand kids. A bit intimidating if she weren't so nice!
I do give the golf course some sympathy, despite this annoying issue. They have been losing money rapidly as of late

RiverRun, Your place looks very nice, it is like a portion of our place except for the size of the trees.

Richard

thanks! This is my first house, so it is all a learning experience doing this myself. It's funny how at times the yard doesn't seem as big as it truly is, and then when I go to cut it with my teeny push mower it feel likes I am cutting a never ending pasture!