Allotments 4 All
Allotment Stuff => The Basics => Topic started by: shadowdragon on May 06, 2009, 09:26:24
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If i used a strimmer on the mass of weeds down on my allotment then used the Gylsophate (spelling!!) weedkiller would that work better than just weedkiller?
The reason I ask is that only having the plot for a few weeks, i dont think ill get to cultivate it all this season, and would like to tidy it up a bit?
Thanks in advance
shadowdragon.
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I use weedkiller all round the edges of my plot to keep the grass n weeds at bay.
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No, the glyphosate would hardly work at all - it needs to make contact with green growing leaves and be taken down into the plant.
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No, the glyphosate would hardly work at all - it needs to make contact with green growing leaves and be taken down into the plant.
ok thanks, what about if i weedkilled left a week then strimmed?
hehe sounds like i want to use the strimmer lol but i just want to make it as painless as possible ;D
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If you have a forest of weeds I would strim the lots. let it dry out and once dry rake up and burn the lot.
While that is happening the weeds will have started to come back with lots of lush new growth. That is the time to hit them with glyphosphate. Then you MUST leave it for a a couple of weeks to actually get down to the bottom of the roots and work. DO NOT be tempted to start digging. You will break of bits of root which are not dead yet. A second application after one week will help get the ones you missed first time.
Be careful of windy days so that you don't get any neighbours crops.
Once all dead start digging. I would burn all the dead stuff you pull out. Just my 2p worth.
David
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If you are very keen to get some stuff in the ground then I would do as above woppa suggests but leave one bed that you don't glycosphate so you can hand weed it and plant straight away while you are waiting for the 2 weeks the weedkiller needs to work.
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thanks i shoved weedkiller down on part of the lottie already ive decided to hand weed the half im working on and let the weedkiller take its course. Then I will see in a couple of weeks what condition the weeds are in as to if i strimm or not, although they do come up pretty easy with the hoe, so maybe the strimmer isnt going to be needed.
Thanks for the advice :)
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Strim,burn,black plastic cover and get on with your fencing ,compost building,shed erecting.and other jobs.
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Strim,burn,black plastic cover and get on with your fencing ,compost building,shed erecting.and other jobs.
To echo this and your other thread
Burning = not allowed on our allotments.
covering = costs too much money - Again to echo your other thread, might as well go and buy the veggies at the supermarket. After all Im trying to save a few quid. Investing £100+ on weedsuppressant is not what i had in mind, opposed to £6 for Weedkiller.
The debate about weedkilling/not weedkilling is null, you use it or you dont its personal choice. Theres a family on our site who are weedkiller haters, yet they will happily spend money on new sheds/greenhouses and new timber to build there raised beds. Problem is they have probably thrown £1000 at the plot, not to mention the environmental impact with the (and i really hate to use words like this as they annoy me) Carbon miles, and not knowing if the timber for there pristine organic plot has come from sustainable resources.
I dont have the materials for a shed yet as I lack the transport needed to get skip diving and begged materials to the plot, and I havent yet sourced such materials. So I wont be feeling guilty for shoving a bit of weedkiller on 1/3 of my plot that im not going to get to cultivate this season due to having to put so much work into getting it back to a suitable state after it has been used as a builders yard for god knows how long.
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There used to be a very effective way of dealing with weeds. KEEP THE HOE GOING
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There used to be a very effective way of dealing with weeds. KEEP THE HOE GOING
I am ;D honest, its just that bad I have nearly finished weeding 1/3 of the plot (see my other thread "am I going overboard") but I need to start maintaining what ive already cultivated!! its about crowd control ;)
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Don't mean to be picky or have a go, but if money is an issue isn't strimming cheaper than buying weedkiller........ ???
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Mulching is as effective as hoeing, and lasts for months. What does it cost to cover a plot with black plastic? I didn't pay for any of mine, so I don't know what it costs.
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Don't mean to be picky or have a go, but if money is an issue isn't strimming cheaper than buying weedkiller........ ???
I know what your saying, im just pointing out theres a difference between a £6 packet of weedkiller and the cost of weed suppressant fabric at £1 per square meter. And i would be needing an awful lot of that. Its all good and well if you have a free supply of thick black plastic. (which I dont)
Anyway I didnt ask the question to get into a big debate about the uses of weedkillers. Just wanted to know if the two went to gether or not.
Thanks
shadowdragon.
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Spending £6 on weedkiller will clear a plot of weeds and keep it like that?
Wow sounds too good to be true, oh wait, it is too good to be true.
Can't you use potatoes / pumpkins etc to help clear the soil rather than systemic poisons.
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Don't mean to be picky or have a go, but if money is an issue isn't strimming cheaper than buying weedkiller........ ???
I know what your saying, im just pointing out theres a difference between a £6 packet of weedkiller and the cost of weed suppressant fabric at £1 per square meter. And i would be needing an awful lot of that. Its all good and well if you have a free supply of thick black plastic. (which I dont)
Anyway I didnt ask the question to get into a big debate about the uses of weedkillers. Just wanted to know if the two went to gether or not.
Thanks
shadowdragon.
No probs shadowdragon - I was being a bit literal but it was a genuine thought
From a plastic covered plot in Hastings.... :D
1066
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Don't mean to be picky or have a go, but if money is an issue isn't strimming cheaper than buying weedkiller........ ???
I know what your saying, im just pointing out theres a difference between a £6 packet of weedkiller and the cost of weed suppressant fabric at £1 per square meter. And i would be needing an awful lot of that. Its all good and well if you have a free supply of thick black plastic. (which I dont)
Anyway I didnt ask the question to get into a big debate about the uses of weedkillers. Just wanted to know if the two went to gether or not.
Thanks
shadowdragon.
No probs shadowdragon - I was being a bit literal but it was a genuine thought
From a plastic covered plot in Hastings.... :D
1066
I would cover it gladly but im trying to keep the allotment as cheaply as possible. So far i have spent in the region of £160 that includes the years rent, stock of chickens, seeds chicken feed ect. Like I say I really dont want to thow £1000 at it. Kinda defeats the object of "make do and mend" ect
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Why buy weed fabric when old carpet does the same job??
Ask freinds or a carpet shop for some they will give you as much as you like or they will have to pay for it to be taken to the tip.
Its better that plastic as it lets the rain though and the ground will be easy to dig when you lift it.
Or even card bord boxs they can be dug in to the ground as they rot down well.
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My neighbour is a road surfacing contractor and uses miles of weed suppressant fabric, the rolls are about 4mtrs wide and is often cut to the width of cyclepaths and footpaths. I got some from him which was about 2mtrs wide, cut it and used it for paths. The only trouble is that the filament gets caught up in the tools. So I've reverted to the hoe.