New Allotment Roundup Weedkiller

palmski

Good evening all
i have at last been given my plot however its in a bad way. some 5 years worth of growth and weed. I really want to start but in need of help to make head way. I have been advised by a number of people to spray the plot with a product called Roundup and this will kill all weeds etc roots included and give me the help i need. i must stress i am a hard worker and not scared to get the spade out however want to get ontop of it now. What are your thoughts on doing this just the once? Has anybody used Roundup? what were result? most importantly is it safe to plant veg into like it says on bottle. Many thanks in advanced.

Leif

It is a systemic plant killer, and rots away leaving no harmful residue (apparently). As you say, it will kill the whole plant. I don't see why not. But take care not to let the spray drift onto neighbouring allotments. By the way, Roundup is a brand name for glyphosate, and you can buy the same stuff cheaper under other names. Examine the box to find out what it really is. I recently bought some stump killer, and was annoyed to find that it is no more than glyphosate marketed at an outrageous price.

When you dig over the allotment, you'll bring up seeds and get more weeds.

matt987106

i used some glyphosate weed killer today, i let a bed go after we pulled the onions

i used it this time last year aswell, to do the borders of the plot, it worked well and i planted in the soil after about 4 weeks

poppysarah

You need the least windy day possible.
Ask if the allotment has a spraying policy.

Follow all instructions to the letter.

tim_n

Fair bit of press on that glyphosate does do harm, I've used it to decimate couch grass (about the only thing that worked) but I'm not growing in that soil and probably wouldn't. I grow in raised beds.

poppysarah

How many weeks before you can plant in the soil?

It's the start of the season.

5 years of neglect is a really long time.
BUT is tackling it without chemicals the better way?

Are there any less worse bits you could start clearing?

Putting the money into something to block the light out and kill the weeds that way would be the best IMO.
Strim it all down.

Mark off the beds with stakes and string and then make a start covering them all with either layers of cardboard and muck - or the old fashioned hard way of weeding them.

You might discover all sorts of plants hidden away - and if you weed kill it then they will be killed too.

Humbug_2

Hi Palmski. Here's my view:

If you have the time, energy, and strong back to dig over your plot with spade and fork within the next 2-3 weeks, this is the best way to go. Advantages are that you aren't paying for and using an expensive product (Glyphosate), saving you some cash, you may well find that there are useful plants on the plot already(Rhubarb, Rasps, Currants, Chives, etc) that can be retained, saving cash yet again, and you will get to know very well the condition of your soil and plot generally. The current spell of dry weather makes digging easy to do at the moment, certainly at my plot.

Using Glyphosate as a one off is fine in my book, have done it myself, but it will kill everything regardless, which may or may not be what you want. It is a quick solution and your plot will be useable in 3 weeks or so. It doesn't seem to leave any problematic residue. Downside is the cost, and it ain't organic if that bothers you.

Strimming and covering with tarpaulins/cardboard/carpet is ok but areas won't be available for some time, possibly not for a good few months.

The other thing to bear in mind is that you don't need to do it all at once. Clear an area and plant something. Then Clear some more and plant some more. Onions need to go in now, spuds in the next couple of weeks, beans/peas/corn/lots of other stuff in April/May. If you plant a bit later than the books advise, the plants always seem to catch up anyway. Work out a planting schedule and this will determine how fast you need to clear the plot.

Enjoy it whichever way you go though.

Humbug

quietheart

Leif wrote: »

. But take care not to let the spray drift onto neighbouring allotments.

please take this into account. I've lost a load of long standing plants due to my over zealous spraying neighbour

Conrad

Personally I've never used any weedkiller and found digging did the job, even with ground elder, although I was ever vigllilant the first year, so the spade was constantly out. 5 years of neglect will take a long time to dig out though, many many weekends.

matt987106

i do not spray

just mix in with a watering can, less chance of it blowing away

Ambidou

tim_n wrote: »

Fair bit of press on that glyphosate does do harm, I've used it to decimate couch grass (about the only thing that worked) but I'm not growing in that soil and probably wouldn't. I grow in raised beds.

How did you get it to kill couch grass? mine just dies back for 2-3 months then re-grows, even after a heavy application, Dock leaves too lol

You may be able to buy Glyphosate from your local allotment association, might want to ask around to see if you have one in your area. We can get a 750ml bottle here for £5, rather than the £20-30 for branded Round-up off the shelf, and it works just as well. HTH