which spray is the right one.

GERMAN ROCKS

ok so i want to spray around trees and and a few shrubs to kill off the grass where the ride on lawnmower cant get at. i dont want to kill these so whats the best spray as i have seen other houses with it sone. also jsut to kill off grass around the edges.

bbam

Gallup or roundup.
Spray on a calm day to avoid drift.
If I'm spraying very close to shrubs I protect them with cardboard as I move along.

Zuiderzee

Make your own weedkiller - save money and at least you know what the stuff you are using is!

WEEDKILLER / HERBICIDE
While there are many different recipes out there for a homemade weed killer most of them are based off of the following:
• 1 litre of white vinegar.
• 60 grammes of table salt.
• 1 squirt of washing up liquid.

Mix everything together making sure the salt is completely dissolved.
You can then pour this into a spray bottle or one of those weed sprayers you can get at any garden center.

You spray this solution directly on the weeds you want to get rid of preferably on a hot day in full sun for best results. One thing to remember with this solution is to not get it on anything you don’t want to kill.

It is non-selective in what it kills meaning it will kill any plant life it comes in contact with and it will sterilize the soil for up to two years depending on how much you get on the soil.

Please pay particular attention to this, the salt in the solution is what makes the soil uninhabitable for weed seedlings which are still to come.
If you wish to effectively poison your soil to new sowings and plantings for approx two years, then add the the salt element, if not omit it.
So with salt is best for patios, gravel drive etc, basically all areas designed to be free of growth, whereas without salt is better for beds, borders, lawns and veg areas, where you intend to plant again.

Also be aware that this solution cannot be sprayed wholesale over lawns to kill just weeds, as it is indiscriminate in its damage to both weed and grass. On a lawn it is better suited to spot treatment

If you are concerned about getting the vinegar solution on your desirable plants you can use a cloth to wipe the solution on the leafy parts of the weeds.

This will keep any of the solution from coming in contact with the plants you want to keep.

If you use this method it is advisable to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the acidic affects of the vinegar.


More organic and home-made garden potions can be seen here
http://connemaracroft.blogspot.com/2010/07/homemade-organic-garden-chemicals.html

Hope that is of help

bbam

Zuiderzee wrote: »

Make your own weedkiller - save money and at least you know what the stuff you are using is!

WEEDKILLER / HERBICIDE
While there are many different recipes out there for a homemade weed killer most of them are based off of the following:
• 1 litre of white vinegar.
• 60 grammes of table salt.
• 1 squirt of washing up liquid.

Mix everything together making sure the salt is completely dissolved.
You can then pour this into a spray bottle or one of those weed sprayers you can get at any garden center.

You spray this solution directly on the weeds you want to get rid of preferably on a hot day in full sun for best results. One thing to remember with this solution is to not get it on anything you don’t want to kill.

It is non-selective in what it kills meaning it will kill any plant life it comes in contact with and it will sterilize the soil for up to two years depending on how much you get on the soil.

Please pay particular attention to this, the salt in the solution is what makes the soil uninhabitable for weed seedlings which are still to come.
If you wish to effectively poison your soil to new sowings and plantings for approx two years, then add the the salt element, if not omit it.
So with salt is best for patios, gravel drive etc, basically all areas designed to be free of growth, whereas without salt is better for beds, borders, lawns and veg areas, where you intend to plant again.

Also be aware that this solution cannot be sprayed wholesale over lawns to kill just weeds, as it is indiscriminate in its damage to both weed and grass. On a lawn it is better suited to spot treatment

If you are concerned about getting the vinegar solution on your desirable plants you can use a cloth to wipe the solution on the leafy parts of the weeds.

This will keep any of the solution from coming in contact with the plants you want to keep.

If you use this method it is advisable to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the acidic affects of the vinegar.


More organic and home-made garden potions can be seen here
http://connemaracroft.blogspot.com/2010/07/homemade-organic-garden-chemicals.html

Hope that is of help

It would be pure madness to put this mixture onto soil near trees or shrubs or on any soil you intend to use for a long time...

If you want to nuke a bit of ground not near other plants then it would be good..

If you want to clear near plants that are already established in the ground then use a purpose made weed killer like gallup or roundup.. They are not absorbed through bark and are essentially neutralised when they hit the soil..

Delboy5

Can you dilute this with water ? i.e. add 4 litres of water to this in a 5 litre sprayer ??
Or will this cancel out its strength ?

Zuiderzee wrote: »

Make your own weedkiller - save money and at least you know what the stuff you are using is!

WEEDKILLER / HERBICIDE
While there are many different recipes out there for a homemade weed killer most of them are based off of the following:
• 1 litre of white vinegar.
• 60 grammes of table salt.
• 1 squirt of washing up liquid.

Mix everything together making sure the salt is completely dissolved.
You can then pour this into a spray bottle or one of those weed sprayers you can get at any garden center.

You spray this solution directly on the weeds you want to get rid of preferably on a hot day in full sun for best results. One thing to remember with this solution is to not get it on anything you don’t want to kill.

It is non-selective in what it kills meaning it will kill any plant life it comes in contact with and it will sterilize the soil for up to two years depending on how much you get on the soil.

Please pay particular attention to this, the salt in the solution is what makes the soil uninhabitable for weed seedlings which are still to come.
If you wish to effectively poison your soil to new sowings and plantings for approx two years, then add the the salt element, if not omit it.
So with salt is best for patios, gravel drive etc, basically all areas designed to be free of growth, whereas without salt is better for beds, borders, lawns and veg areas, where you intend to plant again.

Also be aware that this solution cannot be sprayed wholesale over lawns to kill just weeds, as it is indiscriminate in its damage to both weed and grass. On a lawn it is better suited to spot treatment

If you are concerned about getting the vinegar solution on your desirable plants you can use a cloth to wipe the solution on the leafy parts of the weeds.

This will keep any of the solution from coming in contact with the plants you want to keep.

If you use this method it is advisable to wear rubber gloves to protect your hands from the acidic affects of the vinegar.


More organic and home-made garden potions can be seen here
http://connemaracroft.blogspot.com/2010/07/homemade-organic-garden-chemicals.html

Hope that is of help

Discodog

The instructions & warnings for the "organic" weedkiller seem more onerous than for proper weedkiller - I wouldn't touch it with a bargepole

The safest for your job around trees & shrubs etc is ordinary Weedol or any Paraquat/Diquat based weedkiller as it is non systemic & it becomes inert on contact with the soil. Just use the basic Weedol & not Weedol + which adds a systemic weedkiller.

Zuiderzee

It is perfectly safe, I use it on paths around veg beds as I dont want to be exosed to gallup or roundup in my food.
Dont worry about dilution. If you dont want to do a long term kill, then simply omit the salt.
Just apply on a sunny day

Delboy5

Zuiderzee wrote: »

It is perfectly safe, I use it on paths around veg beds as I dont want to be exosed to gallup or roundup in my food.
Dont worry about dilution. If you dont want to do a long term kill, then simply omit the salt.
Just apply on a sunny day

The reason im asking about dilution is because i've quite a big area to spray, driveway and boundaries, and 1litre wont go along way.........so im just wondering can i add 4 litres of water to this to increase its coverage area ?

Zuiderzee

You can get malt vinegar at aldi at about 40c per half litre

Discodog

Zuiderzee wrote: »

It is perfectly safe,

Can you link to any study that shows that this is safe ? Agrochemicals are rigorously tested & we can all view the results.

I would suspect that if I made some test plots, sampled the soil organisms to get a population density & then applied your mix, that it would of caused damage.

healyon

Id use some roundup to do it

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup_%28herbicide%29

bbam

Discodog wrote: »

Can you link to any study that shows that this is safe ? Agrochemicals are rigorously tested & we can all view the results.

I would suspect that if I made some test plots, sampled the soil organisms to get a population density & then applied your mix, that it would of caused damage.

I agree.
Just because something works and it's not called a pesticide doesn't mean it's a good alternative. I mean diesel isn't a pesticide but it will kill weeds, does that make it a good alternative to pesticides?

Stick with the regulated liscenced products and you won't go too far wrong.

LaChatteGitane

I just want to warn you about a new research that has linked Roundup with Parkinson's disease.
http://www.newsinferno.com/health-concerns/study-links-roundup-herbicde-chemical-to-parkinsons-disease/37145

Not only that, but it has been proven to be extremely harmful to water life.

In Belgium it will be off the market in 2014 for anyone, except professional gardeners/farmers who can get a licence (which will be renewable every 2 years) If I'm not mistaken, The Netherlands are also in the process of making it illegal to sell.

It might be a little more work, but I suggest you weed around the trees and put sufficient mulch around them (can even be grass clippings). This will supress the weeds without any need for poison.

brian_t

KERB GRANULES are especially useful for the control of weed growth around trees, shrubs and roses along fence lines, hedge lines and walls, where mowing can be difficult.

These can only be applied in winter.

http://www.barclay.ie/ireland/media-centre/agronomy-notes/kerb-granules----for-weed-control-around-shrubs-trees--ornamentals

Discodog wrote: »

Agrochemicals are rigorously tested & we can all view the results.

bbam wrote: »

Stick with the regulated liscenced products and you won't go too far wrong.

As a user of agri-chemicals I am somewhat amused at the suggestion that they are safer than the organic alternative.
I consider them a necessary evil.
Unless you use a full body suit, proper nitrile gloves and a proper face mask the amateur gardener would be better staying away from agri-chemicals.

bbam

But isn't roundup marketed at the domestic market too.
Anyway as I said some of the homemade concoctions are just as dangerous and there is no control as to the strength or long term effects on the soil.
Obviously anyone using chemicals would need to follow the guidelines on Personal Protection Equipment.

Discodog

brian_t wrote: »

Unless you use a full body suit, proper nitrile gloves and a proper face mask the amateur gardener would be better staying away from agri-chemicals.

The chemicals sold to gardeners are a fraction of the concentrations used in agriculture. The application methods are also totally different. A lot of problems arise when people use the wrong product ie an agricultural product in a garden. The trend is to remove concentrates from the consumer market because people tend to use too much & to sell ready mixed product.