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Cranbourne Lawnmowing
11-09-2009, 11:14 PM
Does anyone have any good idea's for a weed spray that is pet friendly. I'm thinking of diluting salt in water at a rate of 1kg of salt to every 5 litre's of water. I know from personal experience this will kill couch, threw a bucket with that ratio out on my own lawn once...didn't take long to see exactly where every little splash went. Just wondering whether anybody has any other idea's. Maybe a mixture of vinegar and water :i dunno:

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
12-09-2009, 08:41 AM
I have found some information answering my own question, the part about the corn meal is interesting. I wonder if it actually works.



Boiling Water
If you have an area that you need to clear weeds out of on a wholesale level, such as a driveway or a sidewalk or just a large weedy patch where no plants you wish to keep are growing, you may want to consider using boiling water. Boiling water is certainly a pet safe weed killer and it will instantly kill any plant it comes in contact with by literally cooking the plant in the ground. But be careful, boiling water will kill all plants, not just the weeds.

Vinegar
Vinegar works well as pet friendly weed killer. All you need to do is spray the vinegar on the plants that you wish to kill. For some tougher weeds, you may need to reapply the vinegar several times before the plant completely dies.

Salt
If you have an area that you do not wish to have plants growing at all, like a brick path or patio, salt works well as a pet safe weed control. Putting salt in an area will make the soil unsuitable for plants and weeds to grow in.

Sugar
Believe it or not, sugar is also a pet friendly weed killer. It puts the soil organisms into overdrive and the soil becomes temporarily unsuitable for plants. It is great for killing weed trees, bushes or vines that are hard to pull out. Simply pour some sugar at the base of the plant you wish to kill. If you are concerned about it becoming an attraction to pests, simply mix the sugar with equal parts chili pepper to deter those possible pests.


Corn Meal
Sometimes the most effective pet safe weed killers are the ones that stop the weeds before they even appear. Corn meal has a chemical in it that acts as a pre-emergent on plant seeds. That means that it will prevent the seed from germinating. Sprinkling corn meal in an area that you want to keep weeds out of, will not harm the current plants but will keep weeds from growing.

GreenHaven
12-09-2009, 11:01 AM
some of the concils around here use a company to do the paths and roads using steam guns pretty big set up with a truck and the eqiupment not sure if there is a smaller eqivlent but ive seen at some hardware stores butain blow torchs with long hardles for killing weeds seems a bit crazy though

Sandgroper
12-09-2009, 11:11 AM
some of the concils around here use a company to do the paths and roads using steam guns pretty big set up with a truck and the eqiupment

Thats a fantastic idea,,saves getting sued by the public from possible side effects from spray.

administrator
12-09-2009, 11:17 AM
MEY Machinery used to sell them but i dont think the demand made it worth while .

DavidS
12-09-2009, 12:59 PM
Hey Glen,

Another option if you don't mind mowing madly afterwards, is to put out Ammonia Sulphate on you lawn, leave them for a few days and then water in the fertiliser, it burns the weeds and fertilisers the lawn.

Glenofcarwoola
12-09-2009, 08:16 PM
The steam system would have to be huge to make the method economical. I have used a commercial steam cleaner (used for cleaning ovens) to kill weeds but it just takes too long, and the results weren't 100%. boiling water is quick to cook the weeds but you need a lot of water for a large area and organising it takes the time. Perhaps if a more focused contraption were invented that used the concept of heat to kill weeds without fire we wouldn't need to use much poison.

Andy B
12-09-2009, 08:49 PM
My ***** likes roundup, stupid girl rubs it on the side of her face just after I spray. I soak her with the hose and she likes that more. :laughing:

GreenHaven
12-09-2009, 09:31 PM
The steam system would have to be huge to make the method economical. I have used a commercial steam cleaner (used for cleaning ovens) to kill weeds but it just takes too long, and the results weren't 100%. boiling water is quick to cook the weeds but you need a lot of water for a large area and organising it takes the time. Perhaps if a more focused contraption were invented that used the concept of heat to kill weeds without fire we wouldn't need to use much poison.

the blow torches i asume would work just it would char wood chip mulch i cant see them using much butane as they take those cans for filling up lighters the were only bout 50 bucks

Glenofcarwoola
12-09-2009, 11:16 PM
My guess is that using a blowtorch would start fires before destroying enough cells in the weed to kill it. The boiling water or steam on the other hand would "cook" the weed and probably speed up the decompisition process as well. I still find the easiest way to kill a weed is to expose its roots to UV (ie pull it out :i dunno: ) it can be hard work in some soils but the use of the right tools makes a huge difference.

On some types of surfaces such as granite or pebbles I find that spraying quite a bit of poison is the only economical way to get rid of a carpet of weeds. It would be nice if there was a safer way of treating these surfaces

NLALM
13-09-2009, 04:29 PM
What about a weed freindly pet poison anyone got any ideas?I'm sick of lawns covered in dog crap

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
15-09-2009, 08:30 PM
Well ..after much thought and research, looking at what others have to say and reading a great deal of posts in another earlier thread (glyphosate what ails you), I've decided to do the job at hand the hard way. Get on my hands and knees and pull them out by hand. Mulch afterwards. Gee that word HAND seems to come up a lot. :p Might try the corn meal afterwards though. be interesting to see what if any difference it makes. Thanks for the input everyone. :wave-hi:

lawngreen
17-09-2009, 03:29 PM
Well ..after much thought and research, looking at what others have to say and reading a great deal of posts in another earlier thread (glyphosate what ails you), I've decided to do the job at hand the hard way. Get on my hands and knees and pull them out by hand. Mulch afterwards. Gee that word HAND seems to come up a lot. :p Might try the corn meal afterwards though. be interesting to see what if any difference it makes. Thanks for the input everyone. :wave-hi:

Do you realise there are 2 ways of doing things? The easy & the hard way....

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
17-09-2009, 06:03 PM
Do you realise there are 2 ways of doing things? The easy & the hard way....

Yeah ...but this is garden beds and paths and the customers dog likes to lick everything. I have worked out an hourly rate with the customer, and I like being in their garden anyway. Its like an old world rustic garden, quite a relaxing place to work. :Rain:

geoff
17-09-2009, 06:06 PM
Yeah ...but this is garden beds and paths and the customers dog likes to lick everything. I have worked out an hourly rate with the customer, and I like being in their garden anyway. Its like an old world rustic garden, quite a relaxing place to work. :Rain:
glenno mate you a clever boy , the hand weeding in a garden you enjoy will be a regular..you wil get more out of that approach than spray and run...onya mate

Glenofcarwoola
17-09-2009, 09:00 PM
I used to hate weeding with a passion and would always suggest whipper snip and poison without a thought. lately I have come to realise that using a bit of calm and the right tools can be more effective and a bit of a rest from the hard work. People generally hate weeding and are quite willing to pay good money for some one else to do it.

Slowing down and getting a bit closer to your clients garden beds gives you a better understanding of what type of soil they have and can enable you to suggest ways of improving the overall health of their garden. Win win if you ask me.

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
18-09-2009, 10:10 PM
I used to hate weeding with a passion and would always suggest whipper snip and poison without a thought. lately I have come to realise that using a bit of calm and the right tools can be more effective and a bit of a rest from the hard work. People generally hate weeding and are quite willing to pay good money for some one else to do it.

Slowing down and getting a bit closer to your clients garden beds gives you a better understanding of what type of soil they have and can enable you to suggest ways of improving the overall health of their garden. Win win if you ask me.

To true Glen. I find it is a nice break from mowing, bit of a chance to smell the roses so to speak. :)

Bluey
18-09-2009, 10:25 PM
Yes very true. For my regular gardening clients the very first thing I always do when I get there is walk through the garden and look at what is happening. You see that new flower, the first aphids on a rose, the dying plant. It only takes a small amount of time and impresses your clients no end when you say did you see this or that and they haven't seen it themselves. I have one client who always takes this walk with me and we discuss what needs to be done. She calls it her Bruce time.

To me this is what being a gardener is all about. You are the keeper of the realm and you need to see everything. You definitely need to take the time and look but the hardest is learning to "see" the garden.

Bluey
18-09-2009, 10:43 PM
Do you talk to your plants and animals in the garden. I do. I know it sounds silly but I truly believe you begin to bond with a garden the longer you tend for it. The other day I was in one of my regular gardens and talking to the owner when a lone bee started hanging around me. I watched it for a while and realised it was trying to get my attention.

I asked the owner if her bird bath had any water in it and she didn't know so we went and had a look and sure enough it was stone dry. There is a bee hive somewhere close to her garden and the bees always water on her big bird bath and I always clean it out and top it up. Bees like clean water close to their hive and will water on it as soon as they leave the hive. I have previously told the owner to always keep it topped up for the bees but she forgets.

So when we found the bird bath empty she asked how I knew. I told her the bee had told me and it had. It knew I filled the water all the time and as soon as the bird bath was filled there was a steady stream of bees watering on it. She is starting to believe I can talk to the bees and in a way we all can. Not by voice but by knowing and understanding plant and animal actions and watching what is happening.

I am also pretty good at imitating some bird calls. Makes a good show if you can get a bird to talk back to you. It was a trick I learned from an old aboriginal rabbiter who worked on the station where I grew up. He taught me a lot about understanding the bush and animals.

So next time you find yourself alone in a nice garden and a little old bee comes along say G'day to him and tell him Bluey sends his regards and give him a drink as he is probably thirsty.

redbackmowing
18-09-2009, 11:03 PM
Do you talk to your plants and animals in the garden. I do. I know it sounds silly but I truly believe you begin to bond with a garden the longer you tend for it. The other day I was in one of my regular gardens and talking to the owner when a lone bee started hanging around me. I watched it for a while and realised it was trying to get my attention.

I asked the owner if her bird bath had any water in it and she didn't know so we went and had a look and sure enough it was stone dry. There is a bee hive somewhere close to her garden and the bees always water on her big bird bath and I always clean it out and top it up. Bees like clean water close to their hive and will water on it as soon as they leave the hive. I have previously told the owner to always keep it topped up for the bees but she forgets.

So when we found the bird bath empty she asked how I knew. I told her the bee had told me and it had. It knew I filled the water all the time and as soon as the bird bath was filled there was a steady stream of bees watering on it. She is starting to believe I can talk to the bees and in a way we all can. Not by voice but by knowing and understanding plant and animal actions and watching what is happening.

I am also pretty good at imitating some bird calls. Makes a good show if you can get a bird to talk back to you. It was a trick I learned from an old aboriginal rabbiter who worked on the station where I grew up. He taught me a lot about understanding the bush and animals.

So next time you find yourself alone in a nice garden and a little old bee comes along say G'day to him and tell him Bluey sends his regards and give him a drink as he is probably thirsty.

great post bluey, i only thought Dr Doolittle could talk to the animals. :laughing: can we call you Dr Bluelittle :laughing: :laughing:

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
18-09-2009, 11:27 PM
Do you talk to your plants and animals in the garden. I do. I know it sounds silly but I truly believe you begin to bond with a garden the longer you tend for it. The other day I was in one of my regular gardens and talking to the owner when a lone bee started hanging around me. I watched it for a while and realised it was trying to get my attention.

I asked the owner if her bird bath had any water in it and she didn't know so we went and had a look and sure enough it was stone dry. There is a bee hive somewhere close to her garden and the bees always water on her big bird bath and I always clean it out and top it up. Bees like clean water close to their hive and will water on it as soon as they leave the hive. I have previously told the owner to always keep it topped up for the bees but she forgets.

So when we found the bird bath empty she asked how I knew. I told her the bee had told me and it had. It knew I filled the water all the time and as soon as the bird bath was filled there was a steady stream of bees watering on it. She is starting to believe I can talk to the bees and in a way we all can. Not by voice but by knowing and understanding plant and animal actions and watching what is happening.

I am also pretty good at imitating some bird calls. Makes a good show if you can get a bird to talk back to you. It was a trick I learned from an old aboriginal rabbiter who worked on the station where I grew up. He taught me a lot about understanding the bush and animals.

So next time you find yourself alone in a nice garden and a little old bee comes along say G'day to him and tell him Bluey sends his regards and give him a drink as he is probably thirsty.

Bluey... After a post like that what can I say.
I always thought I must be crazy, but oviously other people must feel the same as I do when your in a beautiful garden or a grand estate. I just feel so much solace when I'm somewhere like that.
And yes I do talk to the bee's and the bugs and the animals.
I've always fantasized about being the old gardener in a great old estate with never ending gardens and living in the little old caretakers cottage. I'm Guessing I'm not the only one. :wave-hi:

DavidS
19-09-2009, 06:13 AM
Great post Bluey,

That is what it is all about, to be one with nature and to enjoy the job we do. If we just rip, tear and bust we will never be one with nature and enjoy what we have. :)
Glen I would rather be a young gardener in your estate and grow old looking after it. Magnificent dream, stick to it maybe one day it will happen :)

lawngreen
19-09-2009, 09:21 AM
Do you talk to your plants and animals in the garden. I do. I know it sounds silly but I truly believe you begin to bond with a garden the longer you tend for it. The other day I was in one of my regular gardens and talking to the owner when a lone bee started hanging around me. I watched it for a while and realised it was trying to get my attention.

I asked the owner if her bird bath had any water in it and she didn't know so we went and had a look and sure enough it was stone dry. There is a bee hive somewhere close to her garden and the bees always water on her big bird bath and I always clean it out and top it up. Bees like clean water close to their hive and will water on it as soon as they leave the hive. I have previously told the owner to always keep it topped up for the bees but she forgets.

So when we found the bird bath empty she asked how I knew. I told her the bee had told me and it had. It knew I filled the water all the time and as soon as the bird bath was filled there was a steady stream of bees watering on it. She is starting to believe I can talk to the bees and in a way we all can. Not by voice but by knowing and understanding plant and animal actions and watching what is happening.

I am also pretty good at imitating some bird calls. Makes a good show if you can get a bird to talk back to you. It was a trick I learned from an old aboriginal rabbiter who worked on the station where I grew up. He taught me a lot about understanding the bush and animals.

So next time you find yourself alone in a nice garden and a little old bee comes along say G'day to him and tell him Bluey sends his regards and give him a drink as he is probably thirsty.

Help!...where are my pills?

Stripes
19-09-2009, 09:37 AM
The only insects I speak to are the flies, and its normally a **** OFF rather than a friendly G'Day!

There is a pet friendly herbicide that has been getting advertised on the radio. Not sure if they sell it as concentrate though.

http://www.richgro.com.au/my_general_garden/pest_disease_weed.php

Package Sizes
1L
3L

Natural Beat-A-Weed Weedkiller
The perfect product for:
Getting a weed free garden naturally
Killing weeds safely with pets and kids running around
Controlling algae, lichen, liverwort and moss
Natural BEAT-A-WEED is a fast acting weedkiller made of natural actives (acetic acid/vinegar and sodium chloride/salt). It works by dehydrating the unwanted plants, burning it from the top down. Results are seen as browning and wilting of the plant and can be seen within hours of application (apply as directed for optimum results). BEAT-A-WEED is safe to use around children and pets. Active = 90g/L Acetic Acid, 40g/L Sodium Chloride.
See also: How To Use | MSDS | FAQ |

Islandhead
19-09-2009, 09:41 AM
The only insects I speak to are the flies, and its normally a **** OFF rather than a friendly G'Day!

Lol... Amen to that brother. :laughing:

But I'm with you too Bluey, gardens are a living entity and it can't hurt to 'be one with the garden' :)

Stripes
19-09-2009, 09:47 AM
Lol... Amen to that brother. :laughing:

But I'm with you too Bluey, gardens are a living entity and it can't hurt to 'be one with the garden' :)

They always wait until you have your hands full before they come and annoy you. Whether its holding a Spray bottle, taking a wheelbarrow of soil or whipper snipping. Agghhhh! Its the worst part about this job.

ian
19-09-2009, 01:54 PM
the best way to get rid of flies is to get a can of fly spray it's almost guaranteed that as soon as you get the can the fly disappears until you put it down and walk away and then like magic the fly will appear again :)

Bluey
19-09-2009, 08:41 PM
Hmmm....seems I struck a cord with some of you out there. And I bet there are quite a few who will find themselves talking to their plants and animals over the next week. If you do you are not mad you are just becoming a better gardener. How many of you can tell it is going to rain by the ant activity or that you have a a catepillar problem by what the birds are doing.

Dr Blue Little ..I like that but I am no expert...old Sam my teacher was and so was my Dad. If I only knew half as much as they did then I would be genuinely smart.

My point is...as someone said that started me to post this...to slow down. Take the time to just watch and learn from your garden. You have so much to learn from it and if you do it right it will "talk" to you.

Oh and Cranbourne. When you get to that cottage in your dream go out the back. You will find me and Geoff out there sitting back enjoying a bit of shine.

geoff
19-09-2009, 08:54 PM
geez Bluey your sounding like our old friend geejay..reckon hes on the same gas talking to the plants and trees...i normally talk to the clothesline when i wack my head on it from the dopey cutomer not winding it up.......i say clothesline you @%#$ er :laughing: :laughing:

Bluey
19-09-2009, 09:55 PM
Lol...see for me I don't wack my head on the clothes line. my little mates the bees warn me :russ:

geoff
19-09-2009, 10:03 PM
the last time i had an experience with bees when a ex customer got a bee hive ..stupid person..any way bright yello tee shirt and a whipper stirring up the air was the right receipe for a huge stinging..ended up with heaps of bites and offwork for days...f@#$ers those bees..they must love *** people :laughing: :laughing: :laughing: :laughing:

Bluey
19-09-2009, 10:09 PM
Bees are bees. You stir em up and they fight back. But in terms of a garden there is no better ally for a gardener. Better learn bee speak Geoff. As a kid my Dad taught me how to rob bee hives using andold hand powered bellows smoker. Gotta love the taste of fresh honey straight out of the hive

Islandhead
19-09-2009, 10:11 PM
Bees are a gardeners best friend, second only to ladybirds (although the wife hates both of them with a passion)

Was reading the other day that as crop pollinators they are worth $8billion to the US economy... awesome little creatures

geoff
19-09-2009, 10:24 PM
geez now we are getting sloppy :laughing: :laughing: bees are cool for the garden as are lady birds as long as you havent nuked the garden with all the various poison sprays...i am amazed in the number of gardenrs that nuke their gardens with these sprays...all of my well maintained gardens have only soapy water for aphids..and the rests is for bees and etc..bloody bees hurt like hepp though F@#$% ers

Cranbourne Lawnmowing
20-09-2009, 12:20 AM
I go out in my front yard in the mornings and watch all the bee's in my garden. I have one particular shrub that they seem to love. I can lean over and watch them working with my face only 12inchs from them. I'm allergic to bee stings, but I don't bother them and they don't bother me. I learnt a long time ago to respect them. I reckon they know that I don't want to hurt them and I haven't been stung in nearly 30 years :)

DavidS
06-12-2009, 03:29 PM
Bees are great, the only time I get stung is when I accidently grab one when I am pruning, they still hurt just as much now as when I was a kid. Bloody paper wasps are the nasty ones, I got stung 3 times in 2 weeks last summer, the third time I ended up all swollen around the sting site. Dr told me to avoid them for a few weeks LOL very hard when you are gardening.

Stripes
06-12-2009, 03:41 PM
Bees are great, the only time I get stung is when I accidently grab one when I am pruning, they still hurt just as much now as when I was a kid. Bloody paper wasps are the nasty ones, I got stung 3 times in 2 weeks last summer, the third time I ended up all swollen around the sting site. Dr told me to avoid them for a few weeks LOL very hard when you are gardening.

Ive been done twice in the past two weeks by wasps at the same job. The second time I found their nest in a tree and went ape**** with the brushcutter on them. First was in the middle of my back, second on my shoulder. I had a good run for a few years though.

ian
06-12-2009, 05:22 PM
i was driving with the window down and felt a pain like a sting in the lower back quickly pulled over jumped out of the seat and there was a bee on the seat i believe it flew in through the window and then i had sat back on it hurt for a while

Andy B
06-12-2009, 11:13 PM
i was driving with the window down and felt a pain like a sting in the lower back quickly pulled over jumped out of the seat and there was a bee on the seat i believe it flew in through the window and then i had sat back on it hurt for a while

I've seen cars written off because of that.

BTW: best thread I've read in a while, love your work Bluey! I know it's true about talking to nature but it's funny when someone puts it to words. A lady named Glenda John wrote a book called Nature's Weather Watch, it's a guide to forecasting the weather by observing animal and plant life. ISBN 0 646 35167 2 if anyone has the time to track to down a copy. I have a copy Glenda gave me when she used to live up the road from us in Goomboorian.