Alternative Weedkiller

RomfordNavy

Any suggestions for making an acid based weedkiller?
I found One-shot drain cleaner worked well but it melted the spray bottle I was using to apply it.  Perhaps too strong, any weaker but effective acids that might do the job?

-taff

Hydrochloric acid

Farway

Vinegar? Body is 2 characters too short.

Davesnave

Lysergic acid diethylamide. You won't see the weeds any more and the whole garden will be full of riotous blooms.*

*But watch out for the marshmallow pies, newspaper taxis and the girl with kaleidoscope eyes.

Stompa

What type of weeds are you trying to kill? Vinegar works well on liverwort.

RomfordNavy

I had read that vinegar doesn't soak in and kill the roots so the weeds keep coming back, don't know if that is true or not.

Read elsewhere about making a herbicide from Sulphamic Acid and I happened to have some of that laying around so for the moment have mixed that up and will see how well / if if works.

Davesnave

Excuse me asking, but why do you not simply use existing proprietary weedkillers rather than concocting something of your own?

Stuff you knock up in the garage will not have been tested for environmental effects in the same way as weed killers that are licenced for sale in the UK. You might not think it matters very much, but if we all did as you're proposing. watercourses would be even more polluted than they are already.

RomfordNavy

Davesnave said:

Excuse me asking, but why do you not simply use existing proprietary weedkillers rather than concocting something of your own?

Stuff you knock up in the garage will not have been tested for environmental effects in the same way as weed killers that are licenced for sale in the UK. You might not think it matters very much, but if we all did as you're proposing. watercourses would be even more polluted than they are already.

Because most commercial weedkillers contain Glyphosate!  This stuff is destroying our planet and I do not want to contribute to the spread of such vile synthetic chemicals.
Edit:
So looking for more natural lass harmful alternatives.

Justagardener

"Because most commercial weedkillers contain Glyphosate!  This stuff is destroying our planet and I do not want to contribute to the spread of such vile synthetic chemicals.
Edit:
So looking for more natural lass harmful alternatives"


So you want to use DRAIN CLEANER instead?!!
If you want a natural acid try pelargonic acid

RomfordNavy

Justagardener said:

...

"So you want to use DRAIN CLEANER instead?!!

What do you think Glyphosate is, it was invented as a pipe-cleaner!

Davesnave

Drain cleaner that dissolves the sprayer doesn't strike me as particularly benign or natural, though I realise that some corrosive chemical compounds occur naturally in very limited places.

I'm not a great fan of any synthetic chemicals, or their prices, though I use them in a very limited manner to manage land that would be beyond my capabilities otherwise. I've yet to observe any harmful effects. Species diversity in flora has increased here. Previously, docks, ragwort and thistles represented about 50% of our 'crop' and smothered out many smaller plants. We pulled much of  the ragwort, but that wasn't possible for the docks and thistles.

You can assert that glyphosate is destroying the planet if you like, but without evidence, few will take much note. I don't saythat it or several other chemicals I use sparingly are totally benign, but in the absence of anything better, I'll use them in order to produce crops and maintain our land as part of the traditional landscape people expect to see in this rural area. Like the garden, once it's under control, few chemical interventions are needed, but if they are, some corrosive substance probably isn't the answer.

My sprayer is 11 years old and I've not needed to change the seals on it yet!