what kind of weed killer do people use ? I use round up . I'm sure there is a lot of better weed killer in the market can any one please help?
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what kind of weed killer do people use ? I use round up . I'm sure there is a lot of better weed killer in the market can any one please help?
I usually buy a 20 (25?) Litre drum each time.
I've once used the Roundup brand, the Wipeout 450. Currently I'm using Guardian 450. It's all the same active ingredient.
I belience that the genuine roundup has better adhesion to plant surfaces due to added wetting agents, but I found little difference between various brands of glyphosate concentrates - I get what's cheapest at the time. 450 is 25% stronger that 360 - so it goes further.
Salt......
..... and a bit of hand weeding here and there.....
no sense poisoning ourselves (and the planet) for the sake of a bit of sweat & labour...
:p lifestyle, I knew too much salt was not too good for an old fella like me :rolleyes:, doc told me it was not good at all :i dunno: but he didnt mention anything about it killing my weeds though! PLEASE EXPLAIN?????? :eek:
Many of the homemade weed killer recipes include salt. Most suggest regular table salt, some say water-softener salt, others mention rock salt. Salt is salt. Salt kills plants. It may be added to some recipes to kill the plants when vinegar alone won’t.
Salt also acts as a desiccant, drawing moisture out of the plant. Most recipes are intended for use as a foliar spray. A few will instruct you to drench the soil around the weeds, expecting to kill the root more successfully.
Salt is problematic. It will get rid of your weeds, but also anything else nearby. It will hang around, leaving you with long term difficulty when you want to grow desirable plants. You may have heard the term “burned a plant with fertilizer”. That is because regular fertilizer is a salt. Apply it too heavily and plants die. Salt can remain in the soil, even affecting roots from distant plants.
If your desire in wanting to use home made weed killer is because you want natural products, instead of chemicals, don’t use salt as a weed killer. It defeats the effort of trying to develop healthy soil.
The one exception might be if you are spot treating weeds that pop up in cracks in your driveway, patio or sidewalks. Just use it sparingly, as it can leach into the area where good plants live.
I would agree with the above.Quote:
Originally Posted by Islandhead
some ideas
weeds like all plants need their leaves to absorb sunlight to produce food.there are many diffrent kinds of weeds that will need to be tackled diffrently to eridicate them organically and without damaging the soil.oxalis can be gradually taken out with a mix of baking soda diluted with water and a couple of drops of dishwashing liquid sprayed onto leaves,plus the leaves must be cut down frequently.over a period of time the bulbs in the ground will rot.amonium nitrate can be placed on weeds to burn them,not organic,a organic subsittute could be a pile of fresh lawn clippings on top of weeds in a garden bed,away from other shrubs,once weed is dead remove grass and add to compost.gas/flame weed eridicaters that burn weeds with the flame can be used.mulching,elbow grease and tools......maybe looking at weeds as a source of liquid plant food,placing them with water in a barrel with tap,in a few weeks one will have liquid fertiliser for the garden,hassel with a benefit....
I use any of the Glyphosate 360's (roundup, zero, powermax), which ever is cheapest in 20 Litres drums. Depending on the job if there are a lot of ivy, wandering dew, blackberry I add a bit of Brush off, that knocks the tougher weeds off as well.Quote:
Originally Posted by happyeds
Totally agree with the salt comments.
- I use it to spot kill flat weed in lawns
- Sprinkle along fense lines (especially in the gaps of double pailing and tin/colourbond fencing.
- I also Brush a little salt into the cracks of pavers. A little over time eliminates weeds growing through the cracks.
Salt becomes a problem when used in garden beds and in areas where regrowth is required. Thats where a little labour or thinking outside the box comes in handy.
Constant adding of organic matter to the soil helps eliminate weeds and at the very least, makes pulling them out a whole lot easier.
i understand where you are coming from lifestyle as it is urgent that we address this over use of poison,it is killing us and the planet,for sure.we do use round up(one litre this year),but only where we have no alternative,which can be sometimes budget related ,as hand weeding can be more expensive.But that depends how one quotes to use a chemical.if the quote for example is to take a range of weeds out of a lawn one mows for $45,say we charge $55 for chemical removal,then(depending on the weeds) a weeding tool posiable could do it for $55 as well in the same time,which I doubt,if it was posiable the client would say go for it.if we price the same chemical useage at $95,then manual labour becomes more viable.really up to goverment and the industry to make chemical useage expensive,this will encourage organic ways.Quote:
Originally Posted by lifestyle
To each their own, as the saying goes.Quote:
Originally Posted by geejay
I am often asked if I can spray weeds to which i reply a simple "NO, but i can pull the weeds out for you".
I find there's plenty of work out there for me without having to do spraying. If a client tells me they are going to spray for something I will always encourage the use of something organic.
Our Business has just become a reseller for "Greenpatch organic seeds" which allows me to buy seeds and a few organic things like Neem Oil, Organic Snail & Slug etc. at wholesale and resell and or use for clients where appropriate.
Increasing your turnover while avoiding chemicals just takes a little thinking outside the box...
do you have a distributor for the organic neem oil etc here in Melbourne?Quote:
Originally Posted by lifestyle
we would be interested in a price list with the view to purchaseing organics for use in our gardening business.
Try searching in google ("Organic Neem Oil Melbourne") or visit greenpatch www.greenpatchseeds.com.auQuote:
Originally Posted by geejay
Let me know if you can't find anyone locally.
I am all for being organic and limiting the use of chemicals but how much does hand weeding suck especially on some of the acreage properties I work on , that would have to be one of the Jobs I hate doing the most I usually try to recommend sheet mulching lolQuote:
Originally Posted by lifestyle
I fully agree, I would rather avoid spraying, but like BGS, if I had to hand weed some of my properties, the owners would just laugh at the bill and/or quote. It is just not always practical, not many people can afford to pay for 3 or 4 days weeding. Even some of the smaller properties, the owners just aren't prepared to pay for hand weeding, when you can hit it with spray.Quote:
Originally Posted by Bgs
And sorry to say it for the organics, but I havent yet seen one that works as well, and as cost effective as Glypho (which is now getting expensive)