How to remove onion weed from garden beds?

rebelliouskiwi

I have 3 garden beds currently full of onion weed. I have no plants in them, so I'm hoping that gives me better options! 🤞

What would be the best way to remove / kill the onion weed, so I can eventually plant actual plants in these garden beds one day in the future? 😀 🌼 🌸 🌻

There Is too much for me to paint each weed individually! So it's definitely a mass production! But happy to do anything (besides removing the soil lol) and happy to leave the beds covered in black plastic or anything for a long period of time if needed. They dont get much sun over winter months though. I just really want it all gone permanently 🤞🤞

Located west of the Blue Mountains in NSW

MitchellMc

Hi @rebelliouskiwi,

The frustrating reality with onion weed is that there’s no instant fix, especially because it grows from stubborn underground bulbs. Since your beds are currently empty, the easiest starting point is to spray the whole area with a product like Zero. This will kill off the visible growth and, importantly, it won’t leave residues in the soil, so you’ll still be able to plant later. However, it likely won’t eliminate everything in one go, as the bulbs can survive and send up new shoots, so you’ll need to repeat the process as regrowth appears.

When using Zero, make sure to follow the label directions and wear appropriate PPE such as gloves, long sleeves, trousers, enclosed shoes, and eye protection, and avoid spraying on windy days to prevent drift.

You can also try covering the beds with black plastic to smother the weeds, but onion weed is quite resilient to this method. Even if the tops die off, the bulbs can remain alive underground and reshoot once conditions improve, so this approach takes a long time and isn’t always fully effective on its own. The most reliable method is physically digging out the plants and removing the bulbs, as that’s the only way to stop them from coming back. It’s labour-intensive, but even removing a large portion of the bulbs will make a big difference.

A practical approach is to combine methods: spray first to weaken and reduce the bulk of the infestation, then follow up with another spray as needed, and finally dig out any remaining bulbs. This way you’re not doing all the hard work by hand, but you’re still tackling the root of the problem so it doesn’t keep returning.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

Mitchell