negleted plot

  • 14 Replies
  • 4688 Views
*

greenfingered

  • Newbie
  • *
  • Location: gravesend, kent
  • 6
negleted plot
« on: July 27, 2007, 17:49 »
my allottment plot has not been used for 7 years, i have tried to do it by hand but im losing the battle!!!!!! :cry:

i was thinking about hiring a strimmer and rotovator to clear the grass.
where is the best place to hire them from?

*

Gwiz

  • Guest
negleted plot
« Reply #1 on: July 27, 2007, 18:08 »
you will have a branch of HSS hire chain near you, and they can deliver!
have you tried killing the grass off with round up?

*

richyrich7

  • Paper Potter
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Sunny Leicester, The answers in the soil !
  • 10379
    • My home business Egg box labels and more
negleted plot
« Reply #2 on: July 27, 2007, 20:03 »
As gwiz says have you tried roundup? I would spray it first let it go brown then burn it where it stands. then you can think about rotavating. spray and burn seems standard practice on our site.
He who asks is a fool for five minutes, but he who does not ask remains a fool forever.

*

MontyTom

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: Wolverhampton
  • 298
negleted plot
« Reply #3 on: July 28, 2007, 20:56 »
if you aren't keen on weedkiller chemicals try getting some large black plastic and covering up areas for a few weeks.  will really reduce your workload when you come to tackle it.  good idea to cover up parts you are not quite ready to work on too - stops weeds getting established etc.

some council run sites provide black plastic f.o.c. - mine does.

hope all goes well.

*

paintedlady

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Nottingham
  • 1135
negleted plot
« Reply #4 on: August 01, 2007, 14:54 »
I wish our council provided black plastic f.o.c.!

As above, my 2nd plot was terribly overgrown and had not been cultivated in over 4 years, so I (and some help!) strimmed it down first, then allowed a week or 2 for some green to show (glyphosate is only effective on green growth!) before blasting the plot with Weedol/Roundup etc.  The grass and most weeds have definitely died, but there now appears to be a crop of Marestail/Horsetail which I am currently attempting "Deep Root".

Meanwhile, I am marking off for raised beds, piling on loads of manure before covering with black plastic and leaving it until required (I am in no hurry to grow anything this year as I already have a half plot elsewhere in full production!)

The problem is that black plastic (that totally excludes light) is so darn expensive, particularly when there are large areas to cover!
Failure is only a temporary change in direction to set you straight for your next success.
Only those who dare to fail greatly can ever achieve greatly.

*

Lynne

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Location: South Staffordshire
  • 584
negleted plot
« Reply #5 on: August 02, 2007, 11:34 »
We have a similar site, derelict for several years. We used a hand sickle to chop the 3 feet of nettles down, then used glysophate which has killed off the grasses and weakened the nettles. We are now hand digging out the roots.

We were going to use a rotivator, but realised that every chopped up piece of nettle and ground elder root ( we have a patch of that too) would form new plants so we clear a patch at a time by hand. Have just ordered an azada to help with the digging.
Lynne.

So much to do, but so little time.

*

mushroom

  • Guest
negleted plot
« Reply #6 on: August 02, 2007, 22:01 »
Hi,

If it's very heavily weeded, cut all the weeds down with shears, then let some new growth happen, then hit it with roundup. It penetrates better on new growth. Make sure you have some idea of the contents of the ground that the weeds are covering before you rotovate.. I had to pull up lots of buried debris when I got my lottie. Running the rotovator over buried debris ain't a good idea :shock:

Another note on rotovators - they're hard work on uncultivated ground, even if all the roots have been killed with roundup, even if you're physically fit :!:  It's a different matter if the ground has been cultivated recently.

Good luck!  :wink:

*

mushroom

  • Guest
negleted plot
« Reply #7 on: August 02, 2007, 22:11 »
Quote from: "Lynne"

We were going to use a rotivator, but realised that every chopped up piece of nettle and ground elder root ( we have a patch of that too) would form new plants so we clear a patch at a time by hand.


I've never understood this logic, but that might be because of the weeds I'm familiar with. How is breaking them by rotovator going to be any different to breaking them by digging? I find that the roots the rotovator encounters wrap themselves around the rotovator blades, but then most of my weeds are couch grass, and I rotovate slowly rather than at 'shred' speed.

*

shaun

  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: g.sutton/cheshire
  • 6948
negleted plot
« Reply #8 on: August 02, 2007, 22:18 »
feed the soil not the plants
organicish
you learn gardening by making mistakes

*

mushroom

  • Guest
negleted plot
« Reply #9 on: August 02, 2007, 22:44 »
:shock:  :D

*

Lynne

  • Senior Member
  • ****
  • Location: South Staffordshire
  • 584
negleted plot
« Reply #10 on: August 03, 2007, 15:33 »
Re the rotavator thing. The RHS told us that this would happen (especially with ground elder). When we dig ourselves, we dig down to get the whole root out which seems to work in most cases.

*

richyrich7

  • Paper Potter
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Sunny Leicester, The answers in the soil !
  • 10379
    • My home business Egg box labels and more
negleted plot
« Reply #11 on: August 03, 2007, 21:49 »
Never had a problem with rotavating weeds, yes it does chop them up and spread them about but IMHO it also weakens them, further rotavating will kill anything eventually, you may have to do it repeatedly over a few months but it will work.So this method is only suitable to someone who has constant access to one.  And one other thing did you know close mowing kills couch eventually.

*

David.

  • Guest
negleted plot
« Reply #12 on: August 05, 2007, 17:31 »
Quote from: "richyrich7"
And one other thing did you know close mowing kills couch eventually.


Could that explain why numerous areas I mow are becoming almost 100% clover?

Trouble is once the clover takes over I get told not to cut it so my wife can pick it as guinea pig food.

*

richyrich7

  • Paper Potter
  • Hero Member
  • *****
  • Location: Sunny Leicester, The answers in the soil !
  • 10379
    • My home business Egg box labels and more
negleted plot
« Reply #13 on: August 05, 2007, 20:01 »
Quote from: "David."
Quote from: "richyrich7"
And one other thing did you know close mowing kills couch eventually.


Could that explain why numerous areas I mow are becoming almost 100% clover?

Trouble is once the clover takes over I get told not to cut it so my wife can pick it as guinea pig food.


 :lol:  we have three "pigs" need half a bloomin plot just to feed them !

*

andyk

  • Experienced Member
  • ***
  • Location: st annes, lancs
  • 175
negleted plot
« Reply #14 on: August 19, 2007, 21:25 »
this backs up what we did with a plot my dad had years ago he would run the rotavator across a strip stop clean all the weeds of the tines and start again we as kids would follow along and pick up any roots on the surface it did work as the plot was clean the next year
andy



xx
Watering the Plot

Started by Digger the Dog on Equipment Shed

2 Replies
1349 Views
Last post April 11, 2018, 20:01
by Pescador
xx
Calor Gas storage on the plot?

Started by Steve.B on Equipment Shed

2 Replies
2601 Views
Last post August 28, 2018, 18:20
by Yorkie
xx
Anyone got electricity wired up in their plot??

Started by infowarrior on Equipment Shed

3 Replies
1743 Views
Last post August 09, 2007, 21:07
by muntjac
xx
Large plot rotovator

Started by thatruddyvicar on Equipment Shed

2 Replies
1709 Views
Last post September 26, 2012, 21:58
by Bigbadfrankie
 

Page created in 0.154 seconds with 36 queries.

Powered by SMFPacks Social Login Mod
Powered by SMFPacks SEO Pro Mod |