Weed killers

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I hope you can see this, I don't think it is a private page. It is just hard work for me to keep my gravel areas weed free, but I would never forgive myself if one of my dogs was ill due to chemicals.

I hate chemical based products and avoid if I can. Our garden and hardstanding has some lovely wild plants. I go out sometimes on the hardstanding and release the roots with a small knife. Hubby is all for Roundup but I won't have it used.

DH uses salt and white vinegar for the weeds - does take a while though. We have a weeding thing for getting out dandelions which is very effective. It is a bit of a full time job as the farmer's field has a lot of dandelions so as soon as one lot is taken out a new lot is growing. We have noticed a huge increase since he has stopped breeding cows!

We have terrible pollen from the rape flowers at the moment - all yellow on the cars etc. I heard the other day that farmers spray rape 7 times during the growing season and that comes through to the pollen.

Quite useful information on this thread.

I read the packaging on Roundup. I had no idea, nor did DH, or our pond of frogs croaking happily all night. However, DH was impressed by the burner gadget. He can learn to weed whilst burning.

I use a lot of white vinegar and wash up liquid to kill aphids and all sort of things. I use cloves and salt as well. Maybe doing without Roundup will teach us more nontoxic tricks.

Monsanto has a lot of clout.

My opinion is a worldwide ban can't come quick enough and some weed killers such as Roundup which was classified as a carcinogen thirty years ago. Monsanto the biotech company and makers of Roundup have fought in the courts it being labelled as a carcinogenic much less it being banned.

My SIL loved using Roundup on his 20 acre property. It's easy to use and does the trick on the bindies (three corner jacks). I live next door and told him that I didn't want him spraying around me, nor my GC, nor my DD. Plus he used to have a back pack on his back so he could carry the spray around, so bad for him. The people who owned the vineyards that surround us were not happy when they found out SIL was using Roundup. Theirs is an organic vineyard and they would lose their organic certificate if it was found out Roundup spray was drifting on their grapes. DD told SIL the same as me so it eventually got through. He bought some turkeys who eat the bindie plants.

A few years down the track we have noticed frogs are coming back. Roundup and other chemicals are lethal to frogs, so it's always a good sign that your environment is healthy when you have frogs. No less weed sprays are killing the bees, you can't grow most fruit and vegetables if you have no bees. SIL is now planning on growing organic avocado trees and his land has to be free of lethal chemicals for five years before he can get an organic certificate.

Oh - The price varies from cheap to nearly £200!

Is that one good M0nica?
It could be part of DH's birthday present he likes gadgets!

I may go and look for one!!

I'm sticking to my weed burner. Much less effort.

Try mixing the salt and sugar with washing up liquid. That acts as a carrier and makes it easier to use.

I just had a look as I'm not keen on using weedkillers but some weeds are very stubborn to remove from cracks etc.

Apparently vinegar works but you may have to repeat it several times
Salt
Sugar (mix with chilli pepper)
(could it encourage ants?)
or a mix of them all together

TriciaF if Roundup is to be banned I need to buy several years supply now.

I've heard that Roundup, and the generic glyphosate, will be banned soon. In some EU countries.
I used to use bleach to kill weeds in paths. A strong salt solution also kills weeds but takes a long time.
I don't know about the pet safety element though.

Yes, I too have just purchased a weed burner.

You just walk along your weedy patio/gravel paving with a a wand like implement with the small cylinder of gas at the top and a small controllable flame in a shield at the bottom and burn the weeds so that they shrivel. Some, like dandelions, may need to be treated 2 or 3 times but it is so easy and effortless.

This is the link to one on ebay www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Gas-Weed-Wand-Blowtorch-Burner-Killer-Garden-Torch-Blaster-Butane-Gas-Weeds-/141694686525?var=&hash=item20fda9553d:m:mEp3eUCFimap_PLeGMDeeJw as an example of what the weed burner looks like and how it works. I bought mine on ebay (not this one) but DD found one cheaper in Wilco/Family Bargains/B&M Stores, I cannot remember which.

DH uses Roundup, safe for the GC and dogs after it dries.

Its called a blowtorch........ sorry to be flippant but we had an engineer last week to sort the telly. He was late because his previous client had a spike through her cable and used a blowtorch to kill the weeds in her garden.

Its not so silly really as I lived in a house built by Thomas Telford, of canal fame and we had a courtyard with cobbles, and the best way to get rid of the weeds was called a flame thrower, petrol fuelled.