We ..//.. do not use herbicides at all, or any home remedies which can be equally or more damaging ...
With the steady drip drip of this type pf statement that is unsupported by any evidence, I am becoming influenced. Should I resist?
Why then not provide some irrefutable evidence that "home made remedies" (salt.vinegar, bleach or WHY) have no detrimental effect on organisms in the soil ? You would have to test it yourself to prove the point. If you are readily open to influence from any source, you will never be able to form an opinion and act accordingly. Good luck with your trial.
Some of us are blessed with something called 'Common sense' this tells us that pouring chemicals into the soil is not a good idea, we don't need to do a test to prove it.
To be clear, are you saying it's a good idea to tip salt, vinegar and/or bleach into the soil or not? Sorry, but i'm not quite sure where you stand.
If you look at the post to which I responded, you will see that he/she appears to be unsure of what's what re "home made" remedies and is easily swayed. As he/she also claims that no evidence exists, a trial would seem to be the only answer to their predicament. Of course I SHOULD have said that the best trial would be to lay in the bath and have someone drench you with a solution of salt, vinegar and bleach and leave you to stew for some length of time. If you don't suffer any ill effects, case proven. As to where I stand ? salt stays in the kitchen as does the vinegar. Bleach ? used very sparingly in the WC ( and not so sparingly on the odd WUM ). Hope you "get" it now
I have not yet tried anything of the sort, but I have been thinking about it: after pulling the weeds between pavers and using a scraping tool to remove 1/4" - 1/2" of soil, could you mix some Preen weed preventer (is this or similar available in the UK?) into sand and sweep the mix into the cracks? Preen prevents seed from germinating, so it won't work on perennials that already have roots down, but I don't see why it wouldn't keep annual weed seeds at bay. Granted, it would need to be reapplied periodically, but perhaps easier than hand-pulling all the time?
I have heard of it @SYinUSA but I wouldn't feel happy about using it. Keeping garden beds, borders weed free can be a big help. When mature weeds take root in a path they can be difficult to remove. It is a gardening job that needs addressing all year round so that weeds are removed at the seedling stage then it is not such a task.
I have worked as a Gardener for 24 years. My latest garden is a new build garden on heavy clay.
SYinUSA said:some Preen weed preventer (is this or similar available in the UK?) into sand and sweep the mix into the cracks? Preen prevents seed from germinating
What is "Preen"? Can you get it in the UK? Is it netter or woerse that the things advised so far on this thread?
location: Surrey Hills, England, ex-woodland acidic sand. "Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I'm not sure if it's available in the UK or not, but the active ingredient is Trifluralin (1.47%). You can sprinkle it (it's a granular form) in existing beds without harming established plants. It prevents seed germination, so you can't use for direct-sown seed or anywhere you want plants to self-seed, and it doesn't do anything to kill existing weeds. Everybody has their own entrenched opinion about glyphosate, so I'm just staying out of that argument.
I have used it in my flower beds if I'm sure I don't want to direct-sow and it has worked quite well. It does eventually lose efficacy (label says 9-12 weeks, and that seems about right in my own experience) and you need to reapply.
You've lost me completely. You don't need chemicals. Weeding is a part of the routine of gardening and often one of the joys. Working out there with just the fresh air and the birdsong, peace, time to think. I see many people spending a fortune on gym membership and doing classes in relaxation and mindfulness. Weeding is ten times as restorative, it costs nothing and you end up with an improved garden.
Preferring as others have said with the manual approach to removing weeds I find the Japanese hoe is an excellent tool for levering out the weeds. If the gaps are particularly narrow, an old kitchen knife is good to get into those tight spaces.
The original poster was having a hard time hand-weeding and doesn't want to use Roundup. It was just a suggestion, as OP requested, then follow-up information for another user who asked a specific question.
Posts
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
Of course I SHOULD have said that the best trial would be to lay in the bath and have someone drench you with a solution of salt, vinegar and bleach and leave you to stew for some length of time. If you don't suffer any ill effects, case proven.
As to where I stand ? salt stays in the kitchen as does the vinegar. Bleach ? used very sparingly in the WC ( and not so sparingly on the odd WUM ).
Hope you "get" it now
"Have nothing in your garden that you don't know to be useful, or believe to be beautiful."
I have used it in my flower beds if I'm sure I don't want to direct-sow and it has worked quite well. It does eventually lose efficacy (label says 9-12 weeks, and that seems about right in my own experience) and you need to reapply.
When you don't even know who's in the team
S.Yorkshire/Derbyshire border