Getting rid of weed on block paved driveway

[WabbitPoo]

All pesticides go through rigorous testing for toxicity, bioaccumulation and mutagenicity. There are hundreds and hundreds of such studies for glyphosate that show it's safe. Not marketing hype - science.

Just like Thalidomide did then......

Just saying - I don't think you should be so naiive as to think that being passed as safe means it is safe - there's an awful lot of skullduggery involved in chemical approvals, with big money involved. Do some research, but stay off the conspiracy sites as they get carried away.

 

[pinenot]

Just to add that you won't see natural remedies (that work) neither tested nor approved, simply because no one stands to gain any profit from there use. Oh! am I being too cynical...pinenot

 

[Deleted2797112]

All pesticides go through rigorous testing for toxicity, bioaccumulation and mutagenicity. There are hundreds and hundreds of such studies for glyphosate that show it's safe. Not marketing hype - science.

Just like Thalidomide did then......

Just saying - I don't think you should be so naiive as to think that being passed as safe means it is safe - there's an awful lot of skullduggery involved in chemical approvals, with big money involved. Do some research, but stay off the conspiracy sites as they get carried away.

I wasn't aware that thalidomide is/was used as a pesticide. I was a bit too young in the 1950s to be aware of what people were spraying their gardens with.

Thanks for the patronising pat on the head though. When I (and a few hundred other gardeners) became victims of pesticide abuse a few years back, I did a pretty decent amount of research into their use, abuse, licensing, distribution, control etc. - enough to do media interviews, speak to ministers, government departments, manufacturers and work on a campaign to improve the stewardship of the culprit pesticide, which was largely successful. I'm pretty sure I'm not naive about pesticides.

 

[ABCwarrior]

Maybe instead of using chemicals to save myself and the "environment" I should just rip em all out by hand. Thirsty work that, then I could stand back and take a nice big glug of Aspartame riddled juice to quench my thirst and give myself brain cancer....
Everything has a risk, it's called living....

As for Rosate 36 being for "professionals"? Is that those with a sprayer certificate then? Most folk I know that are gardeners are thick as sh*te, left school asap, and probably 80% of the course is knocking the basic maths (of dilution rates, sprayer nozzle rates etc) into their thick skulls because they couldn't understand it at school....At my last job they wasted money putting one of the labourers through this course and he failed spectacularly. Never mind get a grip on the chemistry and biology involved.....

(5 Litres of Rosate 36 delivered for £35, or spend ten times that buying some diluted crap from B&Q that won't do the job properly?)

 

[Deleted2797112]

As for Rosate 36 being for "professionals"? Is that those with a sprayer certificate then?

If you don't know, then your use of it is illegal.

 

[pinenot]

Having gone through various certificate 1 days, albeit for a different commercial sector, I have to agree with ABCWarrior somewhat, these things aren't worth the paper they're written on. But did you know you can eat many of them, with benefits. For instance dandelion leaves and roots are highly praised, so instead of pulling them out by your hand perhaps you should get down and nibble them up...Eh! what's up doc

 

[Deleted2797112]

Maybe we should all only comply with the bits of the law we approve of. Quite fancy doing a bit of gas work myself.

Agree about eating the weeds though, a lot of them are good eating.

 

[scbk]

I'd use weedkiller- Rosate 36 is a pretty strong one. Entrenched weeds can't be pulled out especially in tight joints without usually ripping out the sand/mortar. I've just done all around my house last week and it's working a treat. Kept the dog off the garden for 2 days, and didn't go mental with application- 100ml to 5 litres is plenty.

You don't even need a mix as strong as that, I use glyphosate 360 (Rosate 36) at 100ml to 10litres, which works well on graveled areas, and it only needs a light spray

 

[JohnD]

no need for anything strong or industrial. For a domestic drive and a householder, a small bottle of any-brand Glyphosate (the patent has run out now so no need to pay Roundup prices) from ther High Street will kill the weeds effectively. Or Pathclear will kill them and prevent new weeds germinating on that area for several months as long as no-one disturbs the surface by digging, hoeing or hand-weeding.

 

[r896neo]

5 Litres of Rosate 36 delivered for £35, or spend ten times that buying some diluted crap from B&Q that won't do the job properly?

This is the kind of crap people peddle so often. The stuff from B&Q will do the job fine and is exactly the same active ingredient. The only difference between it and Rosate 36 is the concentration.

The increased concentration is only so that contractors don't have to sotre such a large quantity it has nothing to do with the dilution rate at which the product is applied.

I so often hear the point of view that putting it on twice the strength recommended is a 'proper job' . In reality it is only wasting your money both in terms of excess product that makes it no more effective and also less obviously in the millions they spend every year trying to extract pesticides from drinking sources derived from ground water.