"Laurie Moseley" wrote in message
...

Hi. Has anyone got any suggestions. I bought an apple tree this spring
and planted it. Unfortunately, there is a large amount of dock leave
weeds around the base. I would like to get rid of them without
posoining my tree. Any suggestions would be gratefully appreceiated

We have had some success with the following method (albeit with brambles
rather
than dock). Mix your weedkiller (probably glyphosate) with some wallpaper
paste. Then paint this mixture on the leaves of the plants which you wish
to
kill. It is quite easy to do this without spilling the mixture on to
surrounding plants.

It worked for us. One warning. Someone recently told me that for some
reason
this is not permitted (EU directive, I think). Does anyone know whether
that
warning is true, and if so what is its source?

I have in my stock of baddies a commercial preparation containing glyphosate
prepared a gel, which you paint on to broad leaves as you describe. I am
not aware that that product is illegal.
Make sure that you dilute the glyphosate has been diluted to working
strength before you make wallpaper paste with it.

Franz