[Thamesmeadhammer]

hello all,

I now have a second half plot on the allotment along with my first.

After cutting back the brambles, taking away the car batteries and removing a diesel tank  I now know that I have bitten off more then I can chew 

I plan to completely NUKE the whole of the second plot and start afresh in the winter.

Can anyone recommend a weedkiller that I can put down that is pretty decent stuff ?

Thanks

Tony

[Kristen]

A Glyphosphate based weed killer (such as Round-up, although generic brands may be cheaper), sprayed on, wait 10-14 days and then things should be yellow.  Repeat for bits you missed, and then as Bindweed etc starts to reappear. Use a rough (rather than fine) spray so that it doesn't drift, and do when there is no wind - early evening; choose a time when there will be no rain for 6 hours; don't get it on ANYTHING you want to keep! including being careful where you walk after spraying the weeds as your boots will have some one. Wash out the sprayer carefully, and best not to use it for anything other than weedkiller.

Might as well rotavate (hire a decent sized one that drives the wheels, rather than one that only drives the tines - the later won't "dig" easily on soil that hasn't been worked). It will chop up all the weed roots, and make more, but if you are going to spray the rest of the season I don't think that will matter - but get a good "kill" before you rotavate.

[paintedlady]

Glyphosate is very effective against couch grass, but you might need to do repeat doses on things like dock, ragwort and dandelion but be patient and they will go    I am however, finding problems with killing off nettles though (I'm sure they've had 5 doses and bar a little yellowing on the leaves, new shoots keep coming up  ) and after several years trying, I've yet to succeed using it on bindweed.

May I recommend you cover the plot with black plastic sheeting (or card or whatever you prefer) after you've blitzed (sorry, nuked) the plot.  You may kill off the current vegetation, but don't forget the billions of seeds just waiting to germinate, not to mention the dandelion seeds floating down from other neglected plots.  I also found it made it a lot easier to dig over in winter as well (doesn't get waterlogged the same as open ground)

[Stevens706]

I get the cheaper Glyphosphate weedkiller from Wilkinsons, just add a squirt of cheap washing up liquid to it, this help it to stick to the leaves of the weeds, making it more efficient.

[loam ranger]

Hi, Tony, if its possible I would use a fine mist spray for spraying weed killer (providing the conditions are suitable) as most of a course spray  will run off the weeds onto the ground and as glyphosate only works on green parts its a waste . try to get a fine spray on the leaves( like when glass is misted up ) you will find that the spray will stick to the weeds better. Hope you understand what I mean.
Geoff

[Jay Dubya]

Hi, if you know anybody in the trade you can get industrial strength roundup, it's much stronger and will knock down nettles in two goes.

[nobby]

if you are going to leve the plot unteal the winter then spray the area with pathclear this contains a residual herbeside that will last till the first frost
spray twice one week apart just to be sure then leve alone
if you desterbe the soil it will remove the resedue

[shaun]

clinic ace.if you can get hold of it

[Ropster]

if you have dock's and brambles etc, get the stump clearing concentrated roundup and mix it strong. I did this on my plot and it is all dead now (except the bindweed which I have just painted with undiluted stuff)

[celjaci]

If you are going to leave til winter you may do better covering the area with heavy duty membrane. I cleared a large area which was infested with pernicious weeds including ground elder, creeping thistle and nettles by this method. 95% kill first year and no residues left in the soil.
The membrane was then left a second year and a crop of squash was planted through it
-- very little work, weed free soil and a crop to boot

[oldbean]

I'll second this, better than gardening by poison.

[peterjf]

glyphoste , 40ml per 5ltr pump sprayer , what it lands on it kills ,

after spraying leave for 2 weeks, everything should be turning a wonderfull deathly yellow ,

the killer that has landed on the soil is no longer effective,

start your digging , pull out what roots you see ,

after about 6 weeks after the initial spraying you will get secondary growth of some weeks and roots ,

zap these with the same mix and like magic you are ready to go ,

all in the space of 7-8 weeks ,

[robbodaveuk]

Last year I bought the neat glyphosate. The instructions were to mix 50mltrs of glyphosate to 1ltr of water which is a 5% solution of glyphosate. I had a 5ltr sprayer and mixed 250 miltrs of glyphosate to five ltrs of water. I sprayed a very badly weed infested area that had not been touched for years, it was full of bramble, nettles, docks, bindweed and the worst of all, Japanese knot-weed. This year, there is not a sign of any of them, the only thing growing is the seeds from the annual weeds and they are removed very easily with a hoe. Not cheap to buy, but a lot cheaper in the long run than buying round-up and having to spray several times.

  Robbo.

[beestie-crawlies]

Interesting read, as I've still got a 5' strip at the bottom of my patch that I try not to look at, as guilt sets in about not doing anything about it!

I've been thinking about using weed killer, as I would be doing the permanent paths I've put in on the plot as well.

[Jay Dubya]

Hi, Robbo, can you buy this neat glyphosphate at the garden centre, or where and is it the thick stuff.