White vinegar as weedkiller

ArbitraryRandom

Danien said:

twopenny said:

I've just looked up Weedol for cats. As I said I used to cover the area treated until it was dry and curled because of my dogs and the wildlife.

Maybe not if the cats eat random plants and aren't fussy.

It's a frequently asked question if you do a search for Weedkiller safe for cats but here is one that was asked 18mts ago

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6377050/weedkiller-that-wont-harm-neighbourhood-cats-does-it-exist

I might try the vinegar and baking soda method mentioned as a start.

NOT vinegar AND baking soda - the baking soda would immediately neutralise the acid and all you would do is give your patio a good clean. The suggestion is vinegar and salt OR baking soda, water, and salt.

As I said above, neither of these options would kill the roots of the weeds, so any perennial weeds will come back. 

I have cats and have used glyphosate based weedkiller at high concentration to clear an area of brambles and bindweed. What I did (and what is recommended) is to keep pets indoors for at least 48 hours after application. 

If you do not wish to do this then you may need to pay your gardener to come around every few months to keep on top of the problem. 

Danien

Emmia said:

Danien said:

Emmia said:

Danien said:

Green_hopeful said:

Depending on the type of weeds and whether there are plants you want to keep you could strim and then mow the area. Not much survives regular mowing. Vinegar is just an acid so probably no better for the environment than anything else. There is probably  lots of wildlife living in your weeds but mowing will disturb them as well. After all the rain we have had I have had some wonderful luck pulling weeds out. Very satisfying to pull out dandelions and docks with a pop and a whole root. 

I should have said that apart from a border the garden is just patio and concrete. There is only one nice plant we would like to keep in the border.

I would consider strimming as others have suggested, if that might work, but won't the weeds just grow back? Would the area need to be treated afterwards?

I've not heard of flame sticks, I'll have to look that up.

We seriously have no gardening knowledge at all.

Is it that the mortar between slabs is also broken allowing weeds to thrive? Ultimately if that's the case (and you don't fix that) it will be a constant battle against the weeds whether you strim, flamethrow, use weedol, or pull them out.

We're planning on using something that you sweep in between the joints that stops further weed growth once the weeds are gone - a family member suggested it, not sure about the name of it though. 

I've just used the Silka version of this type of product on our patio - it's more than just sweeping in though, you need to also press it into the joints (can you get down on your hands and knees to do this, if you can't pull weeds out?). It does work well though and I'm happy with the finished effect. 

Before using the brush in stuff the patio really needs to be thoroughly weeded (i.e. pulling them out / killing with chemicals) otherwise they can pop back through. I missed a bit and have needed to chip a bit out, re-weed (I also put chemicals down) and then put more of the brush in stuff back. It looks like a pretty seamless joint though so I'm hoping it will stay weed free.

Nope, we can't get down on hands and knees- I can't do it at all and husband can't get back up.

So I'm probably going to have to pay to have that done.

Danien

ArbitraryRandom said:

Danien said:

twopenny said:

I've just looked up Weedol for cats. As I said I used to cover the area treated until it was dry and curled because of my dogs and the wildlife.

Maybe not if the cats eat random plants and aren't fussy.

It's a frequently asked question if you do a search for Weedkiller safe for cats but here is one that was asked 18mts ago

https://forums.moneysavingexpert.com/discussion/6377050/weedkiller-that-wont-harm-neighbourhood-cats-does-it-exist

I might try the vinegar and baking soda method mentioned as a start.

NOT vinegar AND baking soda - the baking soda would immediately neutralise the acid and all you would do is give your patio a good clean. The suggestion is vinegar and salt OR baking soda, water, and salt.

As I said above, neither of these options would kill the roots of the weeds, so any perennial weeds will come back. 

I have cats and have used glyphosate based weedkiller at high concentration to clear an area of brambles and bindweed. What I did (and what is recommended) is to keep pets indoors for at least 48 hours after application. 

If you do not wish to do this then you may need to pay your gardener to come around every few months to keep on top of the problem. 

Thanks for the clarification.

One of my cats is like houdini and can get through a locked catflap, the little scamp!

Yes, I'm beginning to see this is something we're going to have to pay for. 

FlorayG

Best I can offer is cardboard - it's cheap and it works. Cut the weeds down to ground level with a strimmer then put several layers of cardboard (Amazon boxes etc.) on the top of them. Wet then so they don't fly away, put some rocks on top to hold them down or cover with compost ready to plant nicer things. A few weeds will come through but you can spot them with glyphosate as you see them. I have a whole no-dig vegetable bed made like this and it's thriving in year one. Not hard work at all!