Vinegar - 1001 uses!

rsj

After lots of effort, I managed to get on top of the bindweed at the bottom of my garden and made a little veg plot. Unfortunately I back on to an old folks home and the bindweed is now working its way back in from there, does anyone have any miracle cures for bindweed that I could chuck over the fence that wont seep through and affect my veg? The area behind my fence is awkward to get to, so isnt mown or tended to and is left to overgrow, so please dont think Im trying to kill off some old biddys rose garden

valk_scot

rsj wrote: »

After lots of effort, I managed to get on top of the bindweed at the bottom of my garden and made a little veg plot. Unfortunately I back on to an old folks home and the bindweed is now working its way back in from there, does anyone have any miracle cures for bindweed that I could chuck over the fence that wont seep through and affect my veg? The area behind my fence is awkward to get to, so isnt mown or tended to and is left to overgrow, so please dont think Im trying to kill off some old biddys rose garden

Well, the obvious solution is to ask if you could go round and dig it out the other side of the fence as well. I'm sure they'll be delighted. There's no chemicals that will both kill bindweed and not seep back through the soil. Bindweed is tough to kill. Regular digging is the only thing that keeps it under control.

In general...As to home made weedkillers just remember that you'll be working with strong chemicals. It doesn't matter that these chemicals come from a natural source. Digitalis is a nice natural foxglove extract after all and it's deadly if consumed in even small quantities. The Victorians used to make home weedkiller with arsenic and nicotine and really, these were one reason that control legislation and rigourous testing were introduced.

I've got a strong science background in botany and environmental sciences and have done a lot of lab work and really, I'd not even contemplate making this sort of thing in my kitchen on a domestic stove using my kitchen equipment. If you do feel you've got to DIY, then brew these up outside, where there's plenty of ventilation. Use a camp stove and pots from the charity shop that you keep seperate from these used for cooking. Wear good chemical resistant gloves, eye protection and a filter mask. Long sleeves, not synthetic. Keep pets and children well out the way. Handle chemicals with all due precautions and mix them appropriately...for instance, mix acids by adding small quantities of the acid to the water, not the other way round. Many mixtures can produce corrosive fumes that will irritate eye and mouth tissues.

And at the end of it...did it save you any money? Time? Is it really more effective than shop bought? And is it really better...as in safer...than the chemical mixes produced by the big labs and tested to various rigourous safety standards?

rsj

lol there goes my hope for a miracle 'brew-a-strong-pot-of-Lady-Grey-and-pour-it-over-offending-plant-and-watch-it-scarper' type cure

cootambear

white wine vinegar and garlic infused olive oil is what I dress salad with.

Sally_A

cootambear wrote: »

white wine vinegar and garlic infused olive oil is what I dress salad with.

...and then beat yourself with a rhubarb stalk whilst eating strawberries. ;):silenced::whistle:

cootambear

Sally_A wrote: »

...and then beat yourself with a rhubarb stalk whilst eating strawberries. ;):silenced::whistle:

you know too much................................

Spirit_2

rsj wrote: »

After lots of effort, I managed to get on top of the bindweed at the bottom of my garden and made a little veg plot. Unfortunately I back on to an old folks home and the bindweed is now working its way back in from there, does anyone have any miracle cures for bindweed that I could chuck over the fence that wont seep through and affect my veg? The area behind my fence is awkward to get to, so isnt mown or tended to and is left to overgrow, so please dont think Im trying to kill off some old biddys rose garden

I second the go round and ask them if you can deal with it. We have a large plot and have to deal with persistent nettle, bindweed, horse tail. What has worked for us is clearing the offending patch then covering in an old carpet ( in an area that is out of sight) and in black membrane (where it was visible). But we have then cultivated it so in your case the covered area will just be left covered and undisturbed by your neighbours for the longer term so they do need to be happy with this - they may even have an old carpet they are happy to use.

For small areas of bind weed letting it grow up a cane and individually poisoning it with weed killer does work if you can be bothered with that.

Mojisola

brogusblue wrote: »

* NOTE: Rhubarb leaves contain high amounts of oxalic acid. If ingested, your heart will stop and you will die.."

You would need to eat kilos of the leaves before it stopped your heart! You'd be so sick long before you'd eaten that much, that you'd have to really work at it.

Glyphosate is the best thing for getting rid of bindweed, especially if you can't get at the roots. Bindweed wants to grow up to the light so stick some canes in the ground, let the bindweed scramble up them and then you can spray or paint the leaves without damaging your plants.

MrsB2100

Crikey, I didnt realise that this was going to be so difficult! Guess I'll just have to persevere with pulling the damn things out when they sprout!

Maybe I'll pour a bit of vinegar on one plant on a hot day and see where that leads me ...

oligeo

hmm, think i'll just stick to digging out the bindweed then............