Thanks for responding to my previous post. I just need some more help as I'm amateur gardener.
I've got plenty of weeds on bare soil, no lawn at the moment. Soil is okay at the moment but pretty uneven and I've to put 15cm of topsoil to make it level.
I've tried to remove them by digging up but sometimes their roots are too deep and they just break up. Will it be a problem if I leave those broken roots or I've to take them out whatever happens. I most case I really have to dig deep to get to them.
Once all the weeds are removed and site is cleared I'll be putting 15cm of topsoil on top of existing soil. Will that help OR the weeds will still penetrate from there as well.
I'll put ready made turf on top of that once leveled and free from weed.
Also I was thinking of getting the rotovator if it makes life easier as there are plenty of weeds and digging is taking decent time.
Please let me know if that will be helpful so that I can rent one out or should I just use hand tools.
I was on my hands and knees today with a paring knife, getting weeds out of a decomposed granite walkway. While thinning the fruit on my peach tree, I also pulled a few weeds from under the tree.
Weed seeds blow in the wind. You can remove all the weeds in your garden -- roots and all -- and have more weeds next year. Even chemical herbicides will not give long-term relief.
Face it! You are a gardener. You will be weeding for the rest of your life.
like the guy says, lay newspaper down then topsoil. that works very well.
or, you can use roundup on the weeds; that seems to kill them off but doesn't kill future grass. might take a few sprays though, from my experience. at least, some weeds seem to die right away, some don't and i decided to spray them again.
either way, like the other guy says, there's going to be weed seeds waiting in the new turf, as well as blowing in. but..... once you get a nice thick healthy lawn, that tends to prevent new weeds from sprouting, or thriving once they sprout.
I have tried newspapers (2 or 3 layers) for weed control. This works for weeds, but found the water would run off the paper away from the plants, leaving the soil dry.
Roundup will work for the weeds that are growing. IIRC the excess spray is neutralized by the ground itself. There does not seem to be any residual problem.
As for new weeds germinating from wind blown seed etc...You can treat the area with PREEN. This stuff is made of chemicals similar to Tea, and it removes the seed protective coating. Put simply the seed cannot germinate once it is in contact with PREEN. IIRC one application lasts for three months. I use it on my flowerbeds and vegetables.
That's a great way to learn about biotoxins. Just ask guys what they think. Too bad you couldn't have a couple of beers while your at it. But before you let the kids, or the grandkids run out and play on your chemical lawn you may want to read some of the following.
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Monsanto: History of Contamination and Cover-up
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Press Release 11/02/09 Death by Multiple Poisoning, Glyphosate and Roundup
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Harvest of Fear
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ecological concerns and controversy Roundup commercial formulations were never submitted to test by the United States Environmental Protection Agency? (EPA), its main active ingredient, glyphosate, received EPA Toxicity Class of III for oral and inhalation exposure.[3] Beyond the glyphosate salts content, commercial formulations of Roundup contain surfactants, which vary in nature and concentration. As a result, human poisoning with this herbicide is not with the main active ingredient alone but with complex and variable mixtures. [4]
[edit] Human and mammalian toxicity About Roundup formulations, a 2000 review of the available literature published in a Monsanto sponsored journal,[5] conducted by Ian C. Munro a member of the Cantox scientific and regulatory consulting firm, which role is defined as "protect client interests while helping our clients achieve milestones and bring products to market"[6] concluded that "under present and expected conditions of new use, there is no potential for Roundup herbicide to pose a health risk to humans".[7] This review is extensively cited by Monsanto. On the other hand, a same year review of the toxicological data on Roundup shows that there are at least 58 studies of the effects of Roundup itself on a range of organisms.[8] This review concluded that "for terrestrial uses of Roundup minimal acute and chronic risk was predicted for potentially exposed nontarget organisms". It also concluded that there were some risks to aquatic organisms exposed to Roundup in shallow water. In later mammalian research, Roundup has been found to interfere with an enzyme involved testosterone production in mouse cell culture[9] and to interfere with an estrogen biosynthesis enzyme in cultures of Human Placental cells.[10] A 2008 scientific study has shown that Roundup formulations and metabolic products cause the death of human embryonic, placental, and umbilical cells in vitro even at low concentrations. The effects were not proportional to the main active ingredient concentrations (glyphosate) but dependent on the nature of the adjuvants used in the Roundup formulation.[11] Opponents of Roundup claim that it has been found to cause genetic damage, citing Peluso et al.[12] The authors concluded that the damage was "not related to the active ingredient, but to another component of the herbicide mixture". There is a reasonable correlation between the amount of Roundup ingested and the likelihood of serious systemic sequelae or death. Ingestion of
toxicity in adults. Gastrointestinal corrosive effects, with mouth, throat and epigastric pain and dysphagia are common. Renal and hepatic impairment are also frequent and usually reflect reduced organ perfusion. Respiratory distress, impaired consciousness, pulmonary oedema, infiltration on chest x-ray, shock, arrythmias, renal failure requiring haemodialysis, metabolic acidosis and hyperkalaemia may supervene in severe cases. Bradycardia and ventricular arrhythmias are often present pre-terminally. Dermal exposure to ready-to-use glyphosate formulations can cause irritation and photo-contact dermatitis has been reported occasionally; these effects are probably due to the preservative Proxel (benzisothiazolin-3-one). Severe skin burns are very rare. Inhalation is a minor route of exposure but spray mist may cause oral or nasal discomfort, an unpleasant taste in the mouth, tingling and throat irritation. Eye exposure may lead to mild conjunctivitis, and superficial corneal injury is possible if irrigation is delayed or inadequate. [4]
[edit] False advertising In 1996 Monsanto was accused of false and misleading advertising of glyphosate products, prompting a law suit by the New York State attorney general.[13] On Fri Jan 20, 2007, Monsanto was convicted of false advertising of Roundup for presenting Roundup as biodegradable and claiming that it left the soil clean after use. Environmental and consumer rights campaigners brought the case in 2001 on the basis that glyphosate, Roundup's main ingredient, is classed as "dangerous for the environment" and "toxic for aquatic organisms" by the European Union. Monsanto France planned to appeal the verdict at the time. [14]
[edit] Scientific fraud . . .
And it goes on and on. So if you want to pollute the environment and make a rogue chemical company rich, even when there are organic methods that are cheaper and just as effective, there's nothing I can do to stop you. I just wish, though, that you would explain it to your kids.
The best way that I found is too scythe the weeds as low as possible. Rake it all up in a pile and burn it elsewhere. Turn over about 2 feet in depth of the soil, and let it dry out well. Break it up after dried, and rake out all the remnants and do the same as you did previously. Then, run the rototiller, then add your soil additions and rototill those in.
I don't know of a non-laborious method of doing the above to achieve the same results.
Because of air pollution, burning weeds is illegal near many urban areas. For legitimate farms, agricultural burning requires a permit so that not too many farms are burning on the same day.
In my area, no burning is allowed between 31 May and the first rains in the fall. This is because even agricultural burning can get out of control and lead to a massive wildfire. Even in seasons when agricultural burning is allowed, the fire department controls on what days it's allowed, based on weather forecasts of temperature, humidity, and wind.
Think of Santa Barbara this past week. While we don't yet know what caused that major fire, similar fires have started from things as simple as an unnoticed spark when a metal tool hit a rock, by an automobile with a hot engine parked over dry grass, and by a farmer using a welding torch to repair farm equipment.
Some of these fires have been caused by the wind breaking power lines. A recent state report indicates that too much weight from cell phone and cable systems has been placed on utility poles originally installed only for electric lines. Strong winds broke such poles in Malibu, causing a major fire with a church and several very expensive homes destroyed. (Despite the report, the local residents still blame campers in an adjacent state park. The residents think that parks should be nice to see and provide a greenbelt to block further development, but the parks should not actually be used.)
Yeah, a pretty slow week-end. Yawn. I thought I'd look at it from their side (ya know, kinda like a chess game), so I borrowed "Mendel in the kitchen : a scientist's view of genetically modified foods" / Nina V. Fedoroff and Nancy Marie Brown, from the library. It is pro-GMO, and there isn't a word about Percey Schmeiser. It's kind of interesting. They talk about the guy who created "Golden Rice". He started off wanting t increase crop harvests and giving away the technology. Well, as we all know, harvests haven't increased, the technology is now private property, and the rice can combine with any rice that's grown for human consumption (think Percy Schmeiser all over again). Oy Veh.
Anyway, have a good nap, I've got my fly swatter if there's any trouble. Schlaft gut.
Is there desert country (ala southern CA) in the UK?
My heart goes out to southern CA desert people, the seed after drought periods is laying dormant until the next rain in the wild. Just waiting to start another cycle of growth, dryout, and subsequent increased fuel source.
The method you indicate is normal. What is not equivalent is the method of weed removal by hand digging and hand removal, Much more throrough and laborious as I indicated. Time for dryout, more than 24 hours, also lends to easier hand removal. Initial tilling lends to breaking up the weed beneath the soil. Some "weeds" proliferate easily from simple root remnants. The method I indicated tends to remove the vast majority of those root structures initially before any tilling is done. In my opinion, its not nearly the same in the end game as the picture you try to paint.
My "weeds" are primarily my cover crops, rye and clover, with the odd peppermint poking up occasionally. By and large, a single sheet of newsprint, plus mulch, is sufficient to suppress my "weeds".
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