Topic: roundup

[daimurph]

the weeds and nettles etc on my new plot are getting away from me I've dug 4 beds but i won't be able to dig any more this year so i admitted defeat today and sprayed round up on the area I wont be using this year .My question is how long before I can plant on this area and can I use the dead weeds and nettles in my compost

[tim]

If you don't need the plot this year, I would wait to see if there is any re-growth that needs a 2nd treatment. It can take a month to knock some weeds.

If no re-growth, just dig any debris in.  If, as claimed, it is safe to dig in, then one assumes it's safe on the compost.

[saddad]

After a second spray leave a couple of months and then sow an overwinter green manure like Vetch or Ryegrass and dig that in right at the end of the season, or early in spring!
 :)

[supersprout]

Hi daimurph, welcome to A4a :)
definitely spray twice. It takes about two weeks for sprayed foliage to start showing die back and like tim says, you might see resprouting after a month. After the second spraying, wait a day or so then you can put young plants directly into the soil at the required spacing (e.g. courgettes, beans, squash, toms) - clear a space around the planting hole if you need to. The plants will thrive whilst any remaining weeds die off - I just leave what's on the ground as a mulch, to help conserve moisture during the summer.* I don't dig, but if you did you could combine this with saddad's green manure tip.

NB this won't work with delicate plants like lettuce or fussy root veg, but fast and gutsy growers will love it.

*if you have lots of slugs, rake it up and compost it once it's died back

[jennym]

The green manures idea is a good one - there is an article on the Wiki about them, my favourite is poached egg plant. To be honest it would be far too difficult for me to try digging in vetch, ryegrass, tares etc - I find them very heavy going! here is a link to the page:


http://www.allotments4all.co.uk/joomla/components/com_mambowiki/index.php/Green_manure#Poached_Egg_Plant

[loulou]

ill say it first these are daft questions
please can some one explain i read the thread but got confused if i kill the nettles etc on the plot with round up
1  how long b4 i can plant
2 and what veg can i plant
3  how long b4 i can put in more sensitive veg
so sorry for this but at the moment it might be the way forward for me as every time i dig i turnaround and there 7ft tall again and my youngest wont go on the plot because of the nettles thanks for this i need all the help i can get at the moment ( times flying by   and i seen to be standing still )