Weed Killer......which is best? has anyone tried white vinegar ?

[PK99]

If you have plants you want to keep you could have problems Otherwise path clear is as good as any.If you do want to plant the beds look for one that is neutralised when it comes into contact with the soil Alternative s, cover with black polythene .it starves the weeds of lights If you do not intend planting add another two inches of gravel which will inhibit growth and make removing by hand easier Deep rooted weeds such as Dandelion if not removed when they are small can be a problem
There are available touch weed killers a bit like an under arm deodorant you could use on individual weeds

I made two alpine gravel beds.Laid a porous membrane , cut slots to plant through then covered with gravel.

That could be an alternative for you.Spray the weeds .Cover with membrane and lay fresh gravel.

A lot depends on what you want to do with the beds

Don't use a membrane. That isolates the soil from any future replenishment of organic matter.

100mm of gravel works well by allows worm action.

 

[MichaelW2]

Salt was used by the Romans to prevent Carthaginians from being able to grow anything on their fields.

 

[nickyboy]

I must admit to using glyphosate to kill off horsetails that grow through the block paving driveway. Having watched "Chernobyl" I may consider upgrading to a fusion reactor meltdown to get rid of the really stubborn ones

More seriously I agree that stuff like glyphosate has potentially serious side effects and as such I only spray it on the driveway and keep it well away from everywhere else

 

[pawl]

Don't use a membrane. That isolates the soil from any future replenishment of organic matter.

100mm of gravel works well by allows worm action.

One of my alpine gravel beds is three years old.Lots of grit worked in.Alpines don’t like rich soil.I give the bed a fed in spring of liquid sea weed feed.

Another bed in a shaded area oh the garden again planted through a porous membrane.Preparation consisted of a large amount of garden compost Fed in spring with bone meal and monthly foliar feed. Both beds are thriving.

 

[randynewmanscat]

View attachment 474719

This is my five burner flame weeder.. I use it post sowing, pre-emergent on direct seeded crops.. I carry the gas bottle in the backpack.

It wilts seedling weeds in one pass, then they die..

But you could have a trolley mounted bottle, if the pack is too heavy.

They're considering banning glyphosate (round up) in Europe, because of its effects on human health and the wider environment.

The white vinegar is an interesting idea. Or if it's on gravel, where you're not expecting anything to grow, at all maybe use salt..
Or even both for the full, fish n chip effect

Oh super stuff! I have been investigating these as a means to deplete the weed seed bank on some of my land. Old school and very much now due to there being no glyphosate available in my locale since January, that and the fact that I must have deployed a surfeit of the stuff over the years. I see some doner/barbecue LPG grills of different sizes on aliexpress and a trolley arrangement using those with a 4kg bottle might be just what I need.
Experiments tell me that taproot weeds are made of stern stuff and only the very juvenile will die with one pass. Thanks for the photo and the reminder that this works.

 

[randynewmanscat]

View attachment 474719

This is my five burner flame weeder.. I use it post sowing, pre-emergent on direct seeded crops.. I carry the gas bottle in the backpack.

It wilts seedling weeds in one pass, then they die..

But you could have a trolley mounted bottle, if the pack is too heavy.

They're considering banning glyphosate (round up) in Europe, because of its effects on human health and the wider environment.

The white vinegar is an interesting idea. Or if it's on gravel, where you're not expecting anything to grow, at all maybe use salt..
Or even both for the full, fish n chip effect

I have used various torches to burn weeds, propane hot air blowers, even a 110kw burner that I use for pre heating large pieces for welding, totally overkill and wasteful. You don't need much gas do you? I have burned right up to onions and the stems of maturing vegetables without harm coming to them. As long as the weeds are juvenile they are dried beyond recovery with very little fuel used. I want what you have in that photo and next year I will have my own version.

 

[mudsticks]

I have used various torches to burn weeds, propane hot air blowers, even a 110kw burner that I use for pre heating large pieces for welding, totally overkill and wasteful. You don't need much gas do you? I have burned right up to onions and the stems of maturing vegetables without harm coming to them. As long as the weeds are juvenile they are dried beyond recovery with very little fuel used. I want what you have in that photo and next year I will have my own version.

Yes I use it as a pre emergent weedkill.
Get the timing right and your direct seeded crop comes up into a clean seedbed.

You only need to bust the cell walls of the seedling weeds, so that they wilt and die, no need to frazzle to ash, .. A slow walking pace does it.

I imported this model from the States nearly ten years ago.
But theyre made in a small on farm workshop over there.

I've heard of other growers using something like roofers 5 burner gas torches to make something similar.