Weedkiller

mrbadexample

:hello:

I'm looking for the household equivalent of Agent Orange.

For use on patio and block paving. I don't want anything to grow there, ever. I don't want to keep re-treating. I have no children or pets to consider (apart from cats of unknown origin that use my garden as a toilet. :mad: ).

I am not a gardener - I have a bad back and any garden-related activity other than drinking beer and having a barbeque make it hurt. I'd happily slab it and paint it green. However, I would like to be as environmentally friendly as possible, whilst still doing the job.

I've had a shufti through the threads and it seems sodium chlorate and salt are the favoured options. I know where I can lay my hands on a limited quantity of free road salt. Do I just sprinkle it on? Is is environmentally sound? How long will it last? I live in the Midlands so coastal salt-tolerant plants are unlikely to be an issue.

Any other tips / suggestions?

Thanks.

MBE

Fraserca

I believe that there are legal restraints on what you can use as a garden chemical and the pundits on Gardener's Question Time are always saying that they can only recommend products from an aproved list.

Hovever I have ' noticed ' that when I pour some petrol I have been using to clean parts of my motorbike into cracks in my paving stones the weeds immediately die and don't come back for a very long time....

If you are careful it shouldnt spread and affect other plants nearby.

Paraffin works too - ' They don't like it up 'em Mr Mannering... '

GUMPO

Say it in hushed tones but the old favorite PARAQUAT is still out there to them that has a licence. Ask your local farmer. Tell him you want total kill not greenleaf he will know what you mean.

mrbadexample

GUMPO wrote:

Say it in hushed tones but the old favorite PARAQUAT is still out there to them that has a licence. Ask your local farmer. Tell him you want total kill not greenleaf he will know what you mean.

Don't know any farmers up this way - you don't really "farm" concrete, do you? :rotfl:

I might see what happens if I "accidentally" spill a bit of petrol though....

Thanks for the help.

Benidormqueen

I have tried almost everything on my block paving the best thing I have used is Asda's Sodim Chlorate weed killer, it's in a green upright container, with pictures of paving on the front,
and say's Total weedkiller for contol of weeds on paths and drives.
It's brill just use old watering can spinkle about and brush into nooks &cranny's my drive fits three cars on I only used half of tub two months ago not got a weed back yet.only cost's £1.85. and I made it up slightly stronger.

Lord_Gardener

Take care in using all those chemical weed killers. Although they have their place, remember they are not just harmful to weeds! Also, they will need to be reapplied on a regular basis. A more friendly route for block paving/ patio is to strim - I have plenty of clients who request this rather than pour gallons of chemicals everywhere - which doesn't take long and lasts a reasonable amount of time!

methekidsandthecat

Hi

I had loads of weeds on my gravel drive and no money to buy weedkillers so I thought I would try household salt.

Wow.... it killed thistles, dandelions, chickweed, and others I can't name in two days... Info I have seen on here - somewhere - says that they should not come back for 6 years.

Cannot use this in a flowerbed or lawn as I believe it will effectively poison the soil but it is great on the drive.

Me.

Lord_Gardener

methekidsandthecat wrote:

Hi

I had loads of weeds on my gravel drive and no money to buy weedkillers so I thought I would try household salt.

Wow.... it killed thistles, dandelions, chickweed, and others I can't name in two days... Info I have seen on here - somewhere - says that they should not come back for 6 years.

Cannot use this in a flowerbed or lawn as I believe it will effectively poison the soil but it is great on the drive.

Me.

Depends on how quickly the rain will soak it away - I've seen plenty of drives and paths salted for ice in the winter only for the weeds to be growing rapidly in 2 - 3 months!

point3

If you're looking for Agent Orange you need 2,4-D weedkiller
(also known as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or DCP) :silenced:

mrbadexample

point3 wrote:

If you're looking for Agent Orange you need 2,4-D weedkiller
(also known as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid or DCP) :silenced:

Commercially available from?

point3

mrbadexample wrote:

Commercially available from?

Available to the industry as Depitox (Nufarm) and Dormone (Bayer) in the U.K.
Depitox 5 litres available here: http://www.bhgsltd.co.uk/prod_4.html

Seriously though, there are a lot less toxic substances available for domestic use :cool: .