What can I use to kill the grass in my chives without harming the chive plant? If I try to pull the grass it brings a lot of the chive root with it and then the grass just grows back because it's impossible to get the whole root. I think the grass growing in my plants is crab grass or something like that.

You could use small snips to cut the grass off at the soil line. That would slow the growth of the grass without disturbing the chive roots.

Edited to add link with photo.
Small thread snips can be purchased at a sewing store. They only cost about $1. Here is one type.
http://www.allstitch.net/produ...

Or you could put on a rubber glove then a cotton glove, dip you fingers in Round Up and stroke the grass leaves.

Snipping is the way to go there. You can't use weed killer on/around something you're going to eat, and in any case it would also kill the chives.

If you're really persistent and snip off the grass plants as low down as you can every day or two, the chives will take over and the grass will die out.

If you're too impatient for the snipping method, the only other way to do the job would be to dig up the whole clump of chives, hose off the dirt, pick through to get all the grass plants out, roots and all, then re-plant the chives. It's easy to tell the chives from the grass roots because they have a sort of a little bulb - and of course they smell onion-y. You could divide the clump at the same time if you were so inclined.

I've found bunching grasses difficult to pull as a clump, but easy to pull by following each grass blade to the soil and pulling it out (roots usually come with it). It's tedious but effective. A cold beverage and music helps.

Chives grow from bulbs, don't they?

Could the whole area be dug up in the fall and the bulbs carefully separated out, clean up and get rid of all the weeds/grasses growing in that area, and then re-plant the bulbs? Just a thought.

robertduval14 said:Chives grow from bulbs, don't they?

Could the whole area be dug up in the fall and the bulbs carefully separated out, clean up and get rid of all the weeds/grasses growing in that area, and then re-plant the bulbs? Just a thought.

Well -- I'd say tiny little bulbs... like minuscule scallions.

But, what I would do is dig up the clump, pull it apart, pull out the grass stuff, and then sort of put the clump back together and replant it. Or divide it. Depending on how big the clump is.

Have any of you grown chives that had no taste? I had some in my greenhouse that looked really great. I finally cut them and used them for dinner. No taste for anyone.

I tried to bring some inside last winter and they didn't thrive. Maybe they need some low temps or fresh air or something that only outdoors can give them?

They've never done well for me indoors either, Deb.

I've kept a pot of chives in my GH over the winter though -- they started growing a lot earlier than the ones out in the garden, and tasted fine; I can't imagine why yours were tasteless, Karen

I have no idea why they had no taste. I did find one other person who had that happen. She is also in NM but in a different part of the state. They didn't even have any smell like they usually have.