Allotment Gardening Advice Help Chat

Growing => Grow Your Own => Topic started by: ian1 on June 17, 2010, 15:20

Title: weed killer
Post by: ian1 on June 17, 2010, 15:20
Hi can anyone help, not been able to get up the allotment for about a month, weeds really bad does anyone know what weed killer i can use, that does not stay in the ground for ages.
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: Livinhope on June 17, 2010, 15:28
I'm no expert (therefore dangerous) but I understand from the bottle that Roundup does not affect the soil.  

I stand to be corrected.
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: Runwell-Steve on June 17, 2010, 15:38
Roundup is fine,

Glysophate is the active ingredient and if you buy that it is cheaper than RoundUp, you just have to dilute it yourself.

Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: ian1 on June 17, 2010, 15:47
Thanks for the replies, someone said to me that it had to be systemic, is this correct.
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: gillie on June 17, 2010, 16:28
Glyphosate is absorbed through green leaves and translocated to the roots which then start to die.  It takes a week or two before you see the leaves starting to looking ill, but once they do you can cultivate the soil.

Glyphosate does not persist in the soil.

Gillie
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: Livinhope on June 17, 2010, 16:29
Steve, Where can you buy Glysophate and does it give the dilution rate?
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: DD. on June 17, 2010, 16:43
There's a lot of info on this forum regarding glyphosate,  (thanks gillie for the correct spelling), if you enter it into a search.

It is found in several brands of weed killer, it will be on the label - as will the dilution and application rates. Follow the label, not what people may suggest on here as they've had it totally wrong in the past.
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: smurf on June 17, 2010, 19:37
roundup is the best thing to use. will not affect the soil, already mixed and now comes with a handy sprayer that makes it so much easier

If you have brambles roundup do a weed killer for this too
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: DavidT on June 17, 2010, 19:40
A litre of Glyphosate at Wilkinsons will cost you £10, a great deal cheaper than Roundup, and does the same job. :D
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: smurf on June 17, 2010, 20:18
5ltrs of round up at focus £19.99 ready mixed and with sprayer attached even cheaper
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: DD. on June 17, 2010, 20:26
I don't think so.

The Wilko stuff is undiluted and will cover up to 400 sq m.

The pump you mention isready made up stuff and covers only up to 150 sq m.
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: Livinhope on June 17, 2010, 20:59
When we took our plot over about 9 months ago it was like a piece of waste ground, knee high grass, dandelions, buttercups and bindweed.  My daughter started digging and although the ground was easy the amount of uncompostible weeds was enormous.  In the end I suggested Roundup.  We treated the whole plot and went away for a week.  When we went back things had started to droop but it was fairly obvious that we hadn't got them all by any means.  A week later we treated it again.  This time everything was killed apart from the more mature bindweed and some very large buttercups the roots of which were still alive but easy to deal with.   Although we now have one small square that we haven't got round to, over three quarters is planted and doing well.  Roundup definitely does not affect the ground only greenery.  Sometimes measures have to be drastic.
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: richyrich7 on June 17, 2010, 21:13
Wilko's stuff is as good as Roundup   just be careful to follow the instructions :)
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: DD. on June 17, 2010, 21:15
It would be, wouldn't it? ;)
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: mumofstig on June 17, 2010, 21:31
 :lol: :lol:
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: Livinhope on June 17, 2010, 22:28
Oh, I agree that Wilco's will be just as good it's just that we had quite a bit of Roundup, 'nough said. ;)
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: richyrich7 on June 17, 2010, 22:33
 :lol: :lol: yep
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: Stevens706 on June 18, 2010, 13:57
Just add a squirt of washing up liquid to the Wilko's stuff as it helps it adhere to the leaves and be more effective, Roundup already has the additive in it.
Title: Re: weed killer
Post by: Lardman on June 18, 2010, 14:10
I can say from personal experience that the B&Q stuff isn't worth the bottle its supplied in !

The old bloke next door and I did a little test a fortnight ago - He sprayed with roundup, I sprayed with B&Q weedkiller. His weeds are yellow and dead, mine are flowering. It hasn't even killed the grass.

Much to his amusement he is convinced I sprayed with fertilizer rather than weedkiller... So cruel.