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Organic weedkiller

slwslw Posts: 14
in Fruit & veg
Just taken over an allotment which is brand new but the plots have been left for 3 years and so is wild with weeds. I am wanting to use an organic weedkiller and have started to research products. Does anyone have any recommendations which won't hurt the worms?
 
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Posts

  • slwslw Posts: 14
    Grass, thistles and dock leaves mainly.
  • slwslw Posts: 14
    Thanks for the link. Some of the weedkiller I have looked up use natural based products like oil and vinegar. I know a lot of people may think I am a wimp not digging it all up manually but it is super cloddy clay.
  • nutcutletnutcutlet Posts: 27,445
    Don't forget, organic does not mean safe. Digitalin is organic, and Ricin and many other poisons.
    Plus what Pansyface says about soil ecology, from that point of view you're probably better off with a recognised weedkiller. Not that I would recommend that, nasty stuff


    In the sticks near Peterborough
  • DovefromaboveDovefromabove Posts: 88,147
    The only organic weed killer is a sharp hoe and elbow grease. 
     :) 

    Gardening in Central Norfolk on improved gritty moraine over chalk ... free-draining.





  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    And then thick layers of mulch.  Worms love mulch.   :)
    Utah, USA.
  • Green MagpieGreen Magpie Posts: 806
    The oil- based products can sometimes be used to kill insects, but not plants.
  • Allotment BoyAllotment Boy Posts: 6,774
    edited April 2018
    Neudorf make a "natural" weedkiller based on plant extracts but it is an organic acid. It always amazes me that people say they don't want to use nasty chemicals but they propose putting all kinds of other toxic substances down which are in some cases worse than the "chemicals" they despise so much. There is another thread on here where the OP is proposing salt and vinegar- it should be saved for their chips.
    Apart from the other suggestions the only other thing you can do is to put down a heavy mulch sheet that will exclude all light, if plants can't photosynthesise they will weaken and die-EVENTUALLY  it may take a year or two.
    AB Still learning

  • PurplerainPurplerain Posts: 1,053
    It's good that you have your allotment, but I wouldn't be impatient to grow anything just yet. Keep turning the soil and lifting weeds by hand over and over, then work at improving it to your satisfaction.

    I wouldn't use any kind of weedkiller, just a bit of patience and muscle. It will pay dividends in years to come.




    SW Scotland
  • hogweedhogweed Posts: 4,053
    Think a sharp spade rather than hoe is called for. Why not divide your plot into 2 or more. Cover one half with thick layers of cardboard and leave it until next year. Dig the other half and plant it up this year. That way it will not be so daunting. 
    'Optimism is the faith that leads to achievement' - Helen Keller
  • Blue OnionBlue Onion Posts: 2,995
    I agree with hogweed.  Strim it down and cover up a fair amount with cardboard and tackle it next year.  This doesn't need to be wasted space.  Plant cucumbers and squash next to the cardboard to scramble across, or make planting pockets in some of the cardboard areas for courgettes and other space hogs.  Dig in straight rows and cover the undug soil either side of it with three feet wide pieces of cardboard covered in straw or grass clippings, etc.  Do be careful though, the cardboard can be quite slippery.  
    Utah, USA.
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