Any Gardeners out there?

R8JimBob88

R8JimBob88

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James Stockton
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I'm in need of some advice please! I need some kind of super industrial strength weed killer or similar...

I moved into my new house in May, tackled the garden in September which resulted in a huge weed digging operation. The flower beds were 6 feet high and denser than the amazon jungle. I dug up as much as I could at the time but the weeds just wont stop growing back, the soil is just a mass of them again. Not just a bit, but a bloody lot!

I keep going over them and pulling up what I can but I think the problem is that most of the roots/seeds are well and truly buried under the soil already so as fast as I can dig them up, they just keep coming back.

My problem is that most weed killers you can buy these days are neutralised when they contact soil. I'm looking for something that will soak into the soil and kill the little blighters before they come up. I'm not going to be planting anything untill well into next year so just want to dynamite the lot. Its quite a large area too...

Any ideas folks?
 
You could try the industrial version of rounup that farmers use in there fields. You will have to get it from a farming suppliers though. I used it about 5 yearsago and didn't get a weed for a year where i put it.
 
If your not bothered about replanting anytime soon, Sodium Chlorate kills most things and is persistant in the soil for a year or more, so should prevent seeds sprouting. Beware, as well as being poisonous, it also acts as an oxidizing agent and can make things more flamable once dried.

Otherwise a contact weedkiller like Weedol Max will kill of everything it touches, but will need re-applying if anything comes up again as once it has dried, it is safe and can be replanted straight away. Other contact or ones that are absorbed by the plant may take some time to become safe.

Glyphosphate killers need the plant to be actively growing to work at their best, so probably not worth it at the moment. Worth a try in the spring though
 
All the weedkillers available to the public in garden centres etc. are now much weaker due to EU regs.
I get weeds growing in my drive within 5 or 6 weeks of using sodium chlorate. It used to be a good weedkiller, but is poor now.
I just use cooking salt now. It's no better than sodium chlorate, but a lot cheaper.
 
kapawayna said:
You could try the industrial version of rounup that farmers use in there fields. You will have to get it from a farming suppliers though. I used it about 5 yearsago and didn't get a weed for a year where i put it.
Click to expand...

That sounds like what I need! Any ideas where I could get some from? I've had a bash at google but found nothing. How do you apply it? Dilute or granuals?

Thanks all, keep the suggestions coming though :D
 
My brother in law swears by road salt, which you can buy in bags from builders merchants. It slowly dissolves into the earth and kills everything in sight.
 
arclight said:
All the weedkillers available to the public in garden centres etc. are now much weaker due to EU regs.
I get weeds growing in my drive within 5 or 6 weeks of using sodium chlorate. It used to be a good weedkiller, but is poor now.
I just use cooking salt now. It's no better than sodium chlorate, but a lot cheaper.
Click to expand...

The majority of a tub of Sodium Chlotate is actualy Sodium Chloride ( cooking salt) . This limits the reaction when it is mixed with sugar or other flamable materials. :eek: Mis-spent youth :D

EU regs will see the end of chlorate weedkiller at some time in the future.
 
Problem with the sort of weedkillers you're speaking about is that you won't be able to plant the specimens you want either.

Best thing to do is use some sort of permeable barrier and mulch the top using shredded bark or something. Plant through the barrier and you get the display you want but the barrier prevents the weeds growing through it. Any weeds subsequently growing are shallow rooted and easily removed.

I used to own a nursery/garden centre ;)
 
You could get some old carpet ( maybe from outside a carpet shop, they only chuck it out when they take it up from peoples homes) and lay it on the flower bed for a season. Nothing will grow through that. We did that on an allotment once that was waist high with weeds.
 
As has been said what is generally available to the public is weak and does not work as well, on my land I use a herbicide called Clinic Ace (Glyphosate) this kills everything and is 100% effective but is only available from farmers merchants and in 5 litre containers, diluted there is enough to kill the gardens of an entire estate:D: Unfortunately it costs about £40!!.

Maybe look for the ingredient Glyphosate in the products on the shelf.
 
singlespeed said:
The majority of a tub of Sodium Chlotate is actualy Sodium Chloride ( cooking salt) . This limits the reaction when it is mixed with sugar or other flamable materials. :eek: Mis-spent youth :D

EU regs will see the end of chlorate weedkiller at some time in the future.
Click to expand...

Yip, it will go the same way as creosote.
 
Your best bet would be as suggested and use a barrier with mulch and plant out, after removing as much as possible. Believe me you will not be able to stop them forever.It all depends what you wish to plant but some dense ground cover will help supress some of it. Obviously it depends what kind of weeds you have :shrug: I tend to leave a lot of them to come through in our garden around the vegetables and the shrubs, they are a valuable aid in attracting a diverse amount of insects that in turn helps control pests in the garden, as well as attracting birds. If they become too unsightly then pull them up or cut them back at ground level.Using a systemic killer is also quite effective when the weeds are producing healthy leaves as well.
 
The old fashioned way to sort this problem, The humble potato.
Rough dig the ground removing any weeds you find now, setting the clods up to the frost. In the spring lightly fork over again & plant some spuds. during the course of the growing season lightly fork between the rows before earthing up. This gives you another chance to catch any roots of perennial weeds you missed with the earlier digging.
As the spuds grow earth them up so you do not have any tubers exposed to the light ( they go green & are inedible). As the spud grows the Foliage(shaws we call them) will close over the drills & block out the light killing any weeds.
In the autumn when the shaws die back, lift the spuds again taking any weeds with you. Eat spuds!
You should now have a nice friable soil which may also by the sounds of it be needing some lime.Do not lime for spuds though.
Drills for spuds should be about 24-28 inches apart with the tubers planted 9 inches apart in the drill.
 
Cheap as chips Charlie as well :D
 
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