Kitchen Garden Forum

can people suggest to me the best products to use on weeds, i have just moved to a new house and the weeds are to big to dig out! please help!!!

generally roundup works on most deep rooted weeds, its a systemic weedkiller, it is absorbed from the plants leaves into the system so it kills the whole plant roots and all, so preventing regrowth.

Hello Gardengirl
If your weeds are too big to dig out they may be too big for Roundup. It works best on new fresh green foliage. If I were in your position I'd hire or borrow a strimmer/brushcutter and cut the weeds right down to the ground. Clear away everything that you've cut down and then, when the regrowth appears, treat it with Roundup. At this time of year the the weeds will come back quite quickly.
Do be careful if you are spraying as Roundup can drift and cause damage to nearby trees and shrubs - even in the neighbour's garden heaven forbid! Watering it on the weeds is a better bet.
John

In other words - you have to get up at 5am to spray, before any sign of wind appears! It's one of the joys of spring. Hopefully, I'll be doing that tomorrow.

Hi Tigger,
Well I'm up at 5.00am and theres no sign of you yet!

1t's not that much later but I did get up about 2 hours ago, lots of tasks to do before it gets too crowded. I see BBC Interactive still having trouble.
I agree with all said so far re.Roundup, however it is possible to apply it with a sponge or rag, no spray drift that way but plastic gloves are recommended, either disposable or I use PVC gauntlets, a good big size so they slip on and off easily without touching the outside.BTW it doesn't have to be Roundup, plenty of alternative and possibly cheaper glyphosate if you don't need the fast-acting stuff.
Don't forget the perennials are only half the battle, waiting in the wings are all the annual weed seeds which will plague you for the next 7 years at least, they are very good at waiting until you have carefully sown all your choice seeds then smothering them as they emerge. Many a new gardener has won round 1 and been defeated on round 2.
Allan

That's 'cos I was spraying! Breakfast now and a quick look at you lot. Happy Easter.

Hi Gardening Girl

Maybe you should consider sodium chlorate. This is a serious weedkiller and, if you use it, you will not be able to cultivate the ground for 6 months. It's not organic but will kill anything!!!

It might be the best option to clear the lot. After that you can go organic and garden how you want to.

It might be worth doing as it will give you the late spring, summer, autumn and even winter to plan your new garden. You could do any hard landscaping through these months, then start next season. It will also show you the lay of the land, any humps, bumps etc. Then, once it's all dead, you could then get the rotavator on it etc.

Hope this helps. I know it sounds drastic but, you're only just starting the garden and, once you have a blank canvas, you can then do anything you like!!!!

On our allotments, when this question come round two things are always recommended.

1 Pigs

2 Roundup

but knowone wants to look after the pigs and everyone remembers when a chap up the top sprayed his beans with insecticide and helpfully sprayed his neighbours too. You've guessed it - he had loaded roundup by mistake!

lesson is make frinds with someone with a pig and always wash your sprayer very well after using roundup.

Goats are good, but I prefer the tried and tested metod Small boy with flame thrower. I got him one of those caniser gas burners from Lidl and he loves it. I am just glad there are no Hay stacks in our area.

Hi GG

I don't usually disagree with Jenny but I would never use sodium chlorate on a veg. plot - and gave up using the stuff on paths over 20 years ago. There are only 2 viable ways - you can dig and pick axe them out or, as others have suggested use glyphosate. It does depend on the kind of weeds and your patience - but it is so important to get rid or serious perennial weed such as ground elder and couch grass at the start. If you have Japanese knotweed there is a cure - a teaspoon of undiluted glyphophate poured into the hollow stems once they have been cut down to about 30 cms.

Good luck

Chris

I don't know if it was me you meant Chris, but it was Lizzie who suggested sodium chlorate. The idea of me suggesting it - .

PS - no offence intended to Lizzie - each to their own.

None taken Jenny.

I was thinking that if there is so much of a problem, it would be worthwhile using it. There would be plenty on time for the stuff to be gone by the time planting starts next season.

As you say, each to their own.

Hi Jenny,
I must say I cracked up when I read that.
I can imagine your face. Oh to have been a fly on the wall with a camera!!