Weedkiller

[Tony Davis]

I have found an effective weedkiller to rid me of a surfeit of dandylions but I need something that will rid me of the curse of grass and weeds in gravel.

 

Anybody a similar problem and found a cure?

 

Thanks

[AY Mod]

Not much good on moss but works well on everything else...

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Bayer-Super-Strength-Weedkiller-12-Sachets-Very-Strong-Weed-Killer/262709240693?_trkparms=ispr%3D1&hash=item3d2ab0e375:g:KOoAAOSw7GBdLa4o&enc=AQAEAAACQBPxNw%2BVj6nta7CKEs3N0qU7NFDFGHnKUhlLLkrhasos5SEe32tm2ZJDFFBdTpCAumBB5zwCfitX0WSoniMBYU1%2BxTT4SN0kmCeuH9x6z2fv5CnVC%2BnkI7dIMlwpqc83MRkNvHkNxZ27RaqM5%2F8SrakxBKPvhzo77ldwRw8pA7Clq1UMs9x4Q7lZaDo%2Fzbtwio8ejnyJI83cIt8SQfvWUnoi%2FaNTJc7GTp%2F6%2Bzlvhuza58mkGj3xXRE4fNUz2xEc7oXfqpoZqA2dTIK9YtqBwkqhFRFSo2EoFmq8nNX3g3JicskBrFf7BSLevQmOXn%2BoToldwHkWBAxOX4dw8uvUl5h7aUC0wKOZqPyzIeXV7erUgct%2F6SbENwkfu4ZfO2iJulLTYksR6TQT8y7qgypldEB2b%2Bm8JXo8B%2FUSYmNdwY6PdNaDOIktV3PKJMG8JvYL6eWPy9BV20%2FgioADqoheChMnoHRujMlxV0SvXD4A9aOGXDZCr3tmxNhqK5E2fhcgibzmt4BqnpzQBCYRtMEGN%2Fr96LsypTZlEPRmPqi%2Bt%2FqY5vL3UcDAgTC62mBcIPuJvMke1rDQQJ5J16EOUyZbOhdQvUR19dfkqMTeWdSKrAm%2BOuIrMIge%2FXU4D9l35pnDHD5uuYLHU9XOT1LbbTp2skePc25YVWfE1OxntqJ8Umkp4FUAsL9k5fYjj3SFwK7mPDRrYa1lX9c5MZkjYy2OeII3lGgX4WAU2%2FLeMxCflAgoIgjPZtplgvs5lFFAOKZpog%3D%3D&checksum=262709240693eb9047c414964f96b96a064eb69970e6&enc=AQAEAAACQBPxNw%2BVj6nta7CKEs3N0qU7NFDFGHnKUhlLLkrhasos5SEe32tm2ZJDFFBdTpCAumBB5zwCfitX0WSoniMBYU1%2BxTT4SN0kmCeuH9x6z2fv5CnVC%2BnkI7dIMlwpqc83MRkNvHkNxZ27RaqM5%2F8SrakxBKPvhzo77ldwRw8pA7Clq1UMs9x4Q7lZaDo%2Fzbtwio8ejnyJI83cIt8SQfvWUnoi%2FaNTJc7GTp%2F6%2Bzlvhuza58mkGj3xXRE4fNUz2xEc7oXfqpoZqA2dTIK9YtqBwkqhFRFSo2EoFmq8nNX3g3JicskBrFf7BSLevQmOXn%2BoToldwHkWBAxOX4dw8uvUl5h7aUC0wKOZqPyzIeXV7erUgct%2F6SbENwkfu4ZfO2iJulLTYksR6TQT8y7qgypldEB2b%2Bm8JXo8B%2FUSYmNdwY6PdNaDOIktV3PKJMG8JvYL6eWPy9BV20%2FgioADqoheChMnoHRujMlxV0SvXD4A9aOGXDZCr3tmxNhqK5E2fhcgibzmt4BqnpzQBCYRtMEGN%2Fr96LsypTZlEPRmPqi%2Bt%2FqY5vL3UcDAgTC62mBcIPuJvMke1rDQQJ5J16EOUyZbOhdQvUR19dfkqMTeWdSKrAm%2BOuIrMIge%2FXU4D9l35pnDHD5uuYLHU9XOT1LbbTp2skePc25YVWfE1OxntqJ8Umkp4FUAsL9k5fYjj3SFwK7mPDRrYa1lX9c5MZkjYy2OeII3lGgX4WAU2%2FLeMxCflAgoIgjPZtplgvs5lFFAOKZpog%3D%3D&checksum=262709240693eb9047c414964f96b96a064eb69970e6

[Tony Davis]

Thanks Andy, I’ll give that a go.

[Sidecar Racer]

7 hours ago, Tony Davis said:

I have found an effective weedkiller to rid me of a surfeit of dandylions but I need something that will rid me of the curse of grass and weeds in gravel.

 

Anybody a similar problem and found a cure?

 

Thanks

 

5 cubic metres of readymix .      

[melmerby]

Flame Gun?

[Tony Davis]

13 hours ago, Sidecar Racer said:

 

5 cubic metres of readymix .      

That option has been considered, Mike.  Trouble is, well, money, and my lack of willingness to spend it.

[Tony Davis]

13 hours ago, melmerby said:

Flame Gun?

I have thought about using one of those, but we get so many weeds and bits of grass growing on the gravel that it is easier to walk around with either a knapsack sprayer, or a watering can with a spraybar.

[Tanllan]

Glysophate based weed killer should do the trick. Get the stuff that you mix yourself rather than premixed and make it up about 25% stronger than recommended. It will even deal with ivy (eventually) if a very strong solution is used.
 

Do wear gloves and avoid breathing in any spray - for gravelled areas you can apply it using a watering can (making sure you wash it out thoroughly afterwards.

[mikes rail]

Look for 360 grain Glysophate that's what I use on customers drives etc you can get it from a litre bottle upwards. It 3 times the strength of the stuff you get in the shops.

[Tony Davis]

2 hours ago, mikes rail said:

Look for 360 grain Glysophate that's what I use on customers drives etc you can get it from a litre bottle upwards. It 3 times the strength of the stuff you get in the shops.

Would I not need a licence to buy it?

[mikes rail]

You can get it off eBay or amazon without any problem

[russ p]

If you are going to use something really strong,  make sure you dont have hedgehogs as this can kill them 

[melmerby]

The text with that stuff in sachets shown on ebay is twaddle as:

a) Japanese Knotweed is a notifiable weed, you cannot attempt to control it yourself.

b) You can't kill it with normal treatments. There are specialist ways of doing it.

c) You should not dig the remains into the soil, it must be burnt.

 

It's quite dangerous and misleading advice.

Edited December 25, 2019 by melmerby

[Red Devil]

4 hours ago, Tony Davis said:

Would I not need a licence to buy it?

Not from ebay it would seem, which is a bit of a joke when you do have a PA1 and PA6!

You are pretty much limited to contact herbicides now, and yes pro use glyphosate 360 or 480 is your best option, but it will only kill what is there, so repeated application will be probably required and yes it's stronger and far greater value than domestic sorts. 

 

Residual herbicides are pretty much NLA, similarly Paraquat based varieties. (even though they make tonnes of it just down the road from me!)

Landscape/Horticultural trade for 30 years.....

 

[polybear]

Is 480 stronger, or nothing in it?

Thanks

[Kris]

9 hours ago, melmerby said:

The text with that stuff in sachets shown on ebay is twaddle as:

a) Japanese Knotweed is a notifiable weed, you cannot attempt to control it yourself.

b) You can't kill it with normal treatments. There are specialist ways of doing it.

c) You should not dig the remains into the soil, it must be burnt.

 

It's quite dangerous and misleading advice.

Knotweed is NOT a notifiable weed (unless it is on land you are trying to sell, in which case you must notify the purchaser). 

You are allowed to control it yourself but you can not get insurance against the spread if you are treating it yourself. 

 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=218

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-japanese-knotweed-from-spreading

 

https://www.knotweedhelp.com/japanese-knotweed-law-legal-advice-guidelines/

[TheQ]

I've already cleared two patches of knotweed,  having bought the industrial strength  glysophate, the third is on its way out. Though you have let it grow enough so you can inject it into the stalk, if you can't spray it due to other plants..  I've found it more effective injecting anyway. 

 

I  used to use sodium chlorate, on our gravel,   however unless you're a farmer or someone licenced, it's difficult to get hold of now.  Now it's glyso..

Edited December 26, 2019 by TheQ

[melmerby]

1 hour ago, Kris said:

Knotweed is NOT a notifiable weed (unless it is on land you are trying to sell, in which case you must notify the purchaser). 

You are allowed to control it yourself but you can not get insurance against the spread if you are treating it yourself. 

 

https://www.rhs.org.uk/advice/profile?pid=218

 

https://www.gov.uk/guidance/prevent-japanese-knotweed-from-spreading

 

https://www.knotweedhelp.com/japanese-knotweed-law-legal-advice-guidelines/

Thanks for the info, I had been misinformed.

 

Still think it's stupid to try and do it yourself with standard weedkillers.

[bob hughes60]

Interesting I was under the impression that the weedkiller Glyphosphate ="Roundup" etc. etc. has been implicated as a carcinogen after successful cases for damages in the USA?

[Red Devil]

1 minute ago, bob hughes60 said:

Interesting I was under the impression that the weedkiller Glyphosphate ="Roundup" etc. etc. has been implicated as a carcinogen after successful cases for damages in the USA?

Think there's been about  3 Monsanto/cancer cases so far all in the US and I think all being appealed. It's still classed as safe in the EU/UK and as such widely available.

 

Conversely Paraquat is banned here but made here and exported, that's linked to Parkinson's.... Paraquat is 'nastier' in the fact that ingest it and you're on your bike...... 

 

By default all weedkillers aren't going to be 'nice' they're designed to kill things.... so use sensibly and be aware of risks is about all you can say. 

[petethemole]

I had knotweed at a house I bought in 1987.  It had obviously been planted as a decorative plant long before; the main large clump had a stone border round it.  You know you've got a problem when the roots get into the cavity wall and a young shoot grows out by the window frame.  I got rid of it using SBK, partly the original formula that was already banned by '87, found in the cupbooard under the stairs, and also the then-current version.  Cutting the stems and treating the ends  was most effective, along with digging up the root clusters and burning them, along with all the cut stems.  It actually took about five years, not helped by it spreading next door into the backyard of an HMO.   The young shoots coming through cracks in their concrete eventually succumbed to repeated sprays of SBK applied through gaps in the fence when no-one was in next door.  Once finally dealt with it didn't come back.

[Joseph_Pestell]

19 hours ago, mikes rail said:

Look for 360 grain Glysophate that's what I use on customers drives etc you can get it from a litre bottle upwards. It 3 times the strength of the stuff you get in the shops.

 

Wot 'e said. The RoundUp sold to Joe Public in Garden Centres is a waste of space. Get the real stuff via a professional.

 

I also echo the other comments about being well-protected while using it and, of course, nowhere near any watercourse.

[DIW]

I buy the agricultural glyphosate, and mix it according to the instructions. The resulting concentration ofglyphosate in the solution for my domestic use is less concentrated than that found in the ready-for-use products found for sale. My glyphosate mixture takes two to three weeks to take effect, after which time the roots are dead and there's no re-growth. The 'ready' products, on the other hand, contain also a product to kill the leaves of the plants so that the user can see something happening. Since the action of glyphosate is to be absorbed through the leaves to make its way to the roots, it needs to be of higher concentration in the 'ready' products in order to get a sufficient dose on the way to the roots before the leaves are dead. I'm happy to wait the two to three weeks for the weaker glyphoste solution to take effect, since that application has a reduced chemical effect on my garden. It just needs me to apply the solution to the weeds before they flower!  If the 'ready' products are safe for use, then my lower concentration version is also safe.

Of course, the concentrated form from which I make my solution isn't so safe! There are warnings printed on the label, and handling precautions to be observed. Nothing tricky, just gloves, common sense (avoid splashes, keep it off skin and away from eyes, don't drink it) etc.

It works well too on the weeds in the gravel parking area, and the weeds in the cracks between slabs.

For ivy I found two applications were needed. Three weeks after thefirst application the ivy looks a bit under weather, but it can recover. So a second application three to six weeks after the first finishes the job.

It is supposed to become inert on contact with soil, which means that if you miss the plants it has no further effect. There are of course studies which have shown that high concentrations used on particular types of soil are not so dispersive. As far as I have found, these are very high concentrations, and rather uncommon types of soil. Thus, I'm happy that my low concentration on my clay soil falls well outside the areas of concern.

I have also used a flame-thrower type of weedkiller. Mine is the version which has a gas canister the same as my blowlamp, but with a long feed to the flame head so that it can be used standing up. This is much more fun than spraying, but so, so slow. If you only have a small weed patch, maybe this is the one to go for, if only for the entertainment value?

 

In your garden, you make your choice!

 

I hope this is of some help to some of you.

[russ p]

 

2 hours ago, DIW said:

 

In your garden, you make your choice!

 

 

 

Absolutely not, you are effectively the landlord to wildlife and they must come first. 

We have allsorts from wood mice and hedgehogs to deer its their home too, I use weed killer but not extreme on paved and gravel areas only in conditions where it dries very  quickly but I'm very cautious about what I put on the lawns 

[DIW]

20 hours ago, russ p said:

 

 

Absolutely not, you are effectively the landlord to wildlife and they must come first. 

 

 

No, absolutely SO - your choice is to prioritise the wildlife, and that IS a valid choice.