[NO GREEN FINGERS]

ok i have just read about the pitfalls of using chemical weed killers

which we all know about.

and some people recomend using Rock salt as in the kind used by councils in winter

now it just happens that i can get good acess to this

my question is how good is it and how would i go about using it if i decide to use it also how long would it last

[Trillium]

There's a big difference between using a bit to spot treat something and access to a lot to treat many weeds. I don't know the percentage of actual sodium in rock salt, but surely it would be enough to imbalance your soil and cause problems for the plants you want to grow. You can't count on enough rain to wash the sodium deeper into the soil, which could also affect any tree roots nearby. Personally, I wouldn't use it in my gardens.

The council could be using it mostly on property edges. The town where I live use rocksalt in winter to melt road ice and the snowplows push the resulting slush to the grass verges. Trust me when I say that only weeds grow there, no grass at all. I have to mow long wide town verges of grass around my house; all I really do is keep the weeds down to respectable height since there's no grass. Think what a garden would be like. I've noticed also that where most of the rocksalt is spread is where 4 huge old acers are, and in the last 4 years, 3 of the 4 have died and had to be cut down, a real shame as they were 90 year old trees.

[NO GREEN FINGERS]

Trillium

was thinking of using this as way to clear an allotment of 13 x 7 mtrs

was going dissolve the rock salt i water first

but quantity and dilution rate was what i wanted

not going to use the stuff untill i have enough info then i would decide

[Trillium]

Wise choice, but first, slowly re-read what I wrote above.

[NO GREEN FINGERS]

i read what you said

i have no trees near by they are banned on our allotments i am also planning on raising the beds as we have a lot of problems with the ground being very wet and the people on the site say raiising the beds on my plot is the best way as iam  on the bottom of the slope well  almost as ther is a plot below me.