Is weedkiller a swearword?

[BarbaraGood]

Just wondering really. About half of my plot is still at least thigh high in weeds of varying sorts  :-\ I ave a bit part covered in tarps and the like, but wondered how long I can expect this to take to be weedfree, surely months and months? Can I expect to use it NEXT season even? Was wondering about weedkiller AND covering it?

Thanks!

[BarbaraGood]

[froglets]

I try very hard to be wildlife friendly ( I don't tend to use the "O" word now as the more I read, the more I question), but like many other plot holders, I also have to take a pragmatic view.

Do soem reading, but we have just used a glyphosate weedkiller on the jungle at the end of our plot.  We need some way to stop it taking over the cleared bit & as we have a previously overrun plot and both work full time plus, we took a view that we had to even up the playing field somehow.

When carefully applied, glyphosate will not run through the soil and should break down quickly making it safe to replant fairly quickly.  The instructions give a really quick replanting time but I will only use it on areas we won't plant for a whole season just to be on the safe side.

Having said that I was stunned to see our next door plot holders who have two young kids always with them , use sodium chlorate on the paths between their raised beds.

Horses for courses.  At the end of they day I'd say it's up to you, but gather a bit of info & read some other opinions so you can make an informed decision.

Cheers

[Si D]

It was interesting that when I decided to take the plunge I went to the virtual library (Waterstones) for a good read of all the allotment books on the shelves.  Most all of the newer ones seemed to be heavily on the side of organic and hardly a mention of weedkiller.

So I went along to the allotment, selected a plot and started getting ready to dig it.  Had a chat with a few of the old-timers there and they all advised to drench the whole thing in RoundUp. 

Thus, IMHO, it does seem that many people who are taking out an allotment these days are doing so as part of a lifestyle choice.  Financially they don't need to grow their own, whereas in the past many people may have started allotments mostly on financial grounds.  It's a combination of the quality of the food and environmental friendliness of not using a Supermarket that appears to be doing it for most these days, thus the decision by many not to use weedkillers?

Personally, part of my reason for starting an allotment was to save money on food.  I'd like to be as green as possible but I'm also wanting to make sure I get a quickish return on my investment, thus I've used RoundUp on half the plot 'cos it's going to take too long to clear otherwise.  The other half I'm just digging to clear because I believe that I can manage this in the time I have.  Hopefully once it's all cleared it'll not take _too_ much effort to keep clear and so I can revert back to the 'O' word.

[cambourne7]

I am on the fence with weedkiller.

I love the idea of being organic, but i am rapidly losing the battle with the weeds that i have :-(

I have gone with one last attempt to deal with this organicaly by ripping up what i have got where i can and replacing it with more raised beds and smaller paths lined with cardboard then weed mebrane then wood chips. If this does not work i am doing to use the roundup.

[Simba42]

we use it, but not were we plan planting. but to keep paths and surrounding areas under control.

if you have a large area to do weedkiller it and cover it up once it's all dead.

Roundup takes a good 2 weeks to kill everything off. almost shows no sign of it working for 7-10 days.

If we hadn't used it, the whole lot would have become to demoralising...

[manicscousers]

just, please, don't do it when it's windy  :( :)

[quizzical1]

just, please, don't do it when it's windy  :( :)

Manics, does that even apply when using a watering can rather than a pressure sprayer?

[Marymary]

I've been using a glycosphate spray [little bottle] this spring on the ground elder.  I've been very, very careful to just spray on the weed leaves, even holding a piece of card behind the leaves to make sure I don't hit anything else & only doing it on still days.  I have been amazed by how much else has been affected, large patches of grass & a large hebe which I was certain I hadn't 'hit'.  This is the first time I have used any form of weedkiller & I have been very surprised at how powerful it is.  Works though  :)

[manicscousers]

our plots only have a 2' path between and when someone, mention no names, was spraying with a pressure spray with roundup, we lost some of our sunflowers, even with a watering can, it's amazing how far it can drift in a wind  :)

[cambourne7]

I sprayed once as the weeds and grass were trying to take hold between the slabs under the shed.

Wind is a major issue on the site so this is what i did...

I have an old beach wind protection thing that you hammer into the ground and has a 4 ft high peice of fabric and i wrapped that around the area i wanted to spray and put some plastic sheeting over the top with a space for my hand and sprayed.

[Si D]

Luckily the plot on one side of me is empty and there is a road way on the other side so I wasn't too worried about overspray (the people on the far side of the road way have already weed killed anyway).

However, having been back yesterday and started digging some of the weedkilled bit I'm amazed at how easy it is to dig compared to the "nature" half of the plot.

[kitten]

We're trying to be as natural as poss too, but have had to concede to our plot neighbours (who spray EVERYTHING) that they could roundup the bottom part of our plot for us (the bit we're not using this year).  I'm not 100% happy that i've let him basically bully us into it, but I suppose it makes sense rather than letting it run away with itself & be twice as hard to deal with next season.

On the bits where we're putting edibles we're attempting not to use any weed killer, but having said that if it becomes unmanagable we'll have to consider it.

Good luck x

[BarbaraGood]

Thank you all  :)

I am off to buy some this morning and then cover fast with cardboard! IF ITS STILL OUT THERE ;D