DIY Weed Killer (Effective Stuff)

[cerberus]

I bet that was a few years ago tho'. AFAIK weedkillers have been 'doctored' now to prevent 'people' from creating spectacular pyrotechnics.

Don.

[stuart noble]

Anyone got experience with the dreaded Japanese Knotweed? Is it just a case of repeated applications over the next decade or so?

[Broadback]

SC does not do for me what is claimed. I don't know if the SC flame retarded, which is all you can buy now, is not as effective but I douse my paviours with a strong solution from time to time. True it kills all known weeds, dead, however the blighters regrow within a few weeks.

[<me9]

Quite right, about 30 years ago.

[Pet - www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

I wonder which would be more effective.. Fine spray or ignited fine spray.

I certainly have a few great ideas to try now though.

Thanks everyone for input.

Cheers Pete

[fred]

In article , Mark writes

Thanks for the extra info, it seems if used carefully it is not as bad as I thought. I was a bit worried too about leeching and spread into adjoining areas and plan to still keep it off banks above planted borders.

[Huge]

More or less. The standard method is to cut the stalks down and inject neat glyphosate down the hollow centres with a syringe. You'll need to do this for several years on the trot.

Burn the cuttings.

[meow2222]

Someone mentioned flame throwers. IME they're not very effective, and a little reading shows that they need to be much higher power than the usual DIY/gardener ones to be properly effective.

Strange that no-one's mentioned salt yet, works like chlorate but non-toxic.

Cement is another trick, rake it into the soil surface, press it down and plants cant grow, the soil surface is too hard.

NT

[Pet - www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

The flamegun X300 claims a temp. of 2000 degrees when up to speed. The way I now understand weed control is that if you repeatedly remove the stuff above the surface you reduce the amount of nutrients transfered to the root and it gradually exhausts energy stores making re-growth weaker each time.

It amazes me just quite what weeds can actually grow through when you see them pushing up through tarmac etc.

As for Budlia (sp) "trees" they sprout out of chimneys and some of the most inhospitable and hard to reach places. (though they aren't part of my problem at the moment)

[Jonathan Campbell]

I'd go for Glyphosate (Roundup) for the dandelions; if a small area and/or desire to avoid surrounding grass and plants, then paint on with a one inch paintbrush. Likewise for buttercups. For painting on, I'd mix many times stronger than for spray (1:3 or so, as opposed to the normal

1:20); here I'm referring to Gallup 360 brand --- about £20 for five litres in a farmers' suppliers (about one zillionth of the price of the watered down equivalent in B&Q or Homebase)

Sodium chlorate has been banned in Ireland for forty years now (too good for making DIY bangers). So I guess that has led to the introduction of alternative total kill + temporary soil sterilisation products. One I use is Hygeia Hytrol --- marketed as a 'pathclear' ("kills all weeds on paths and patios for up to one year". I always associated the generic name 'simazine' with that one, but I see it has Aminotriazole and Diuron as well.

I once heard a very respected gardener recommending annual *light* application of simazine for controlling weeds amongst shrubs; sort of sterilises the first few mm of earth. I've used it in a small rose bed and it was effective.

Best regards,

Jon C.

[Jonathan Campbell]

Incidentally, fifty years ago, farmers used sodium chlorate for killing seed potato plants; seed potatoes were graded by size, so it was important to let (most of them) them get to the right size and then stop growth. All very nice for young boys to have hundredweight drums of sodium chlorate around.

It seems they use sulphuric acid now; even for eating potatoes, I think.

Best regards,

Jon C.

[Pet - www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

Many thanks for your post Jonathan. I've found out quite a bit about weeds over the last 24 hours or so. :¬)

Cheers Pete

[Mary Fisher]

And animal non-pests :-(

Mary

>

[Pet - www.GymRatZ.co.uk]

Probably less harmful than chemicals though I shouldn't wonder.

[Jonathan Campbell]

Reminded by mention of the Japanese weed, if you ever need to permanently kill an unloved but enthusiastic shrub or tree (for example inappropriately sited sycamores), then some neat glyphosate painted into a wound will do wonders. Also, a tree surgeon told me recently that a few drilled holes injected with engine oil (or was it diesel) does the same.

I guess there are many of you with sycamores in neighbouring gardens cutting out all your light.

Jon C.

[A.Clews]

Thus spake Pet -

( [e-mail]) unto the assembled multitudes:

Ohhhhhh no they're not.

The very worst garden weed just *has* to be Mare's Tail. The root systems spread far and wide and deep underground and a new plant will grow from the tiniest root fragment left behind when you dig 'em out. The 'leaves' (more like fronds) have a waxy coating which resists spray herbicides. Once it has taken hold there is *no* getting rid of it. Trust me on this. My garden is full of the bastards. Compared to Mare's Tail, dandelions are a stroll in the park with fluffy pink cushions to lie about on.

Anyone who comes up with a means of eradicating this weed from my garden will earn my undying admiration and probably a large quantity of beer.

[PeterMcC]

[e-mail] wrote in

Glyphosate - Roundup or similar - mixed with a little washing up liquid as a wetting agent. It does work - it did for me anyway - but can take a summer of repeated application.

If you can get a heavy roller - or a gang of small children - rolled over the weeds, the leaf surfaces rupture and the weedkiller can enter the leaf more easily.

Weedkillers with ammonium sulphamate - like Deep Root - were quite effective against Horsetail (ISTR that Marestail is the stuff that grows in water) but have now, I believe, been banned. I gather that there's still some to be had - ebay for instance - but that would be a matter for the individual.

[Mark]

p.p.s. 350ml Glyphosate (9.6% ww) in poundland is erm £1 made by Bayer who I think supply B&Q etc own brands

-

[Mark]

unto the assembled multitudes:

moving house is easier

[ARWadworth]

I know someone who used several tubs of sodium chlorate that was mixed to a very high concentration (ie just enought water to dissolve the stuff) and was able to kill his neighbours conifers without damaging his own copper beech trees that stood a few feet away. You need the ground soil to be damp, make some holes around the conifer's trunk using 15mm copper and then pour in the mixture.

You need to look at the weather forecast up front as you do not want a downpour just after doing this.

Adam