Weedkiller

[TwistingMyMelon]

Whats the best weed killer on the market at the moment?

Keep getting the blighters coming through paving stones , I sparay them with some spray I have at the moment, they die, I pull then all out, including roots and a month later they are all back!!! I have the same problem on our front yard, which is covered with pebbles.

Is there any product out there which will kill the bu**ers and stop them returning for a season at least!

[MrV]

Sodium Chlorate is about the best stuff for killing everything

[Davel]

Roundup?

[V8mate]

MrV said:

Sodium Chlorate is about the best stuff for killing everything

Go and stock up soon though; it's banned across the EU from July.

[Percy Flage]

I use Pathclear every spring on my err....paths and stuff and it works a treat. All the weeds in the cracks die off and none appear again until the following spring.

[Nicholas Blair]

MrV said:

Sodium Chlorate is about the best stuff for killing everything

soon not to be sold according to local DIY place - hauliers cannot insurance to transport and can also be made into bombs - so edict coming in Sept states that you must have a legit reason to purchase etc etc, and only from certain outlets where you have to give name/shoe size etc.

Managed to get a 5l tub of the stuff - what fun I could have.

[staceyb]

Nicholas Blair said:

MrV said:

Sodium Chlorate is about the best stuff for killing everything

soon not to be sold according to local DIY place - hauliers cannot insurance to transport and can also be made into bombs - so edict coming in Sept states that you must have a legit reason to purchase etc etc, and only from certain outlets where you have to give name/shoe size etc.

Managed to get a 5l tub of the stuff - what fun I could have.

Ive just bought the last tub from my local Wickes. Amazing stuff. I can play with it in my chem set too

[Simpo Two]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Keep getting the blighters coming through paving stones , I sparay them with some spray I have at the moment, they die, I pull then all out, including roots and a month later they are all back!!!

Maybe they're flowering and setting seed before you kill them? Maybe you're not using a residual weedkiller either - you need something that will stay active in the soil to kill new plants as they germinate. It's not easy because it's hard to get weedkiller into the cracks, yet they trap seeds.

Might be simpler just to get a thingy and chop them out every so often.

NB IIRC sodium chlorate can stain paving.

Edited by Simpo Two on Thursday 11th June 18:40

[Percy Flage]

Sodium Chlorate now has an additive that prevents you making bombs with it.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Cheers for the advice guys.

Popped down Poundland on sat and they had loads of tubs of Sodium chloride, got that and a watering can/sparayer for two quid, can't complain, they had a really good range of garden and DIY stuff in there. Sprayed half the patio yesterday to see what difference it makes, not too bothered if it stains as the slabs are nasty shades anyway!

How lethal is Sodium Chloride? Later on the neighbours cats were out rolling around on the patio (spray had all dried) and was a little concerned...

[Simpo Two]

TwistingMyMelon said:

How lethal is Sodium Chloride? Later on the neighbours cats were out rolling around on the patio (spray had all dried) and was a little concerned...

It's an oxidising agent - but then, so is oxygen... just follow the instructions and you'll be fine. Nothing very poisonous is allowed to be sold to the public. Most pesticides say 'Children and pets need not be excluded from treated areas once the spray has dried' (funny how these phrases stick in your mind!) - which is pretty obvious really - if it's wet you can pick up much more on your fingers/paws then if its dry.

The main pesticides you need to treat with a little care are insecticides, but even so, they're rapidly disappearing to be replaced by 'green' products which don't kill anything. Pity.

[shirt]

i bought/used sodium chlorate and it isn't as good as it was made out. i'm told glyphosate is stronger [?] which is commonly branded as roundup.

one thing i did find about sodium chlorate is that its weed killing properties were improved after drying/introduction of a match

[Simpo Two]

shirt said:

i bought/used sodium chlorate and it isn't as good as it was made out. i'm told glyphosate is stronger [?] which is commonly branded as roundup.

Not 'stronger' as such but totally different in how they work. Sodium chlorate is contact residual, glyphosate is translocated non-residual. The former is a blunt stick for paths and drives, the latter is more advanced and ideal when you want to plant things afterwards, because it breaks down on contact with soil.