In article , Janet Baraclough
wrote:

The message
from (paghat) contains these words:

In article .com,
wrote:

I've seen it before on the Web and this news group and am hoping for
new ideas.

I have a yard that is heavy shade and therefore all moss. Well, that
is when we moved in. I think the housewife living here before us had
the time to go out every day and pull weeds. Now weeds are growing in
the moss. It's all kinds of weeds, not just broadleaf.

How do I get rid of the weeds but keep the moss?

Mosses are easily harmed by toxins, & there is no magic
poison to kill everything but the moss & you.

Actually there is; it's a weedkiller called paraquat in the UK. I'm
not sure if it's available over there or under what label.Years ago I
read that tip in a gardening mag and tried it out to make moss paths in
the wood,,works fine. Take care though, its nasty stuff..wear gloves,
and use a watering can rather than a spray to avoid inhaling.

Janet

Since I don't use chemicals I have no personal experience, but paraquat
was supposed to be highly non-selective & could be used to kill ALL
plantlife in a given area, though not at the formerly recommended
concentrations. It best killed weedy winter annuals, followed by broadleaf
weeds lacking taproots (taprooted weeds like dandylions survived it at the
concentrations that were formerly legal), followed by grasses, but only
retarded moss growth so virtually all of the old paraquat products added
diquat for full eradication of moss too. These products are generally no
longer available because of extreme hazard.

It claimed to be mostly harmless to large woody shrubs & trees so was very
commonly used on tree farms. It harmed beneficial insects, washed into
watersheds killing & deforming frogs & into streams & lakes killing fish,
& is a possible human carcinogen. It is banned in many countries since a
single teaspoon would kill a human (there is no known antidote), or cause
fibrosis of the lungs for whoever unfortunately survives, & accidental
exposures causing death or permanent injury had become so commonplace that
country after country began banning it despite the manufacturers PR
blitzes insisting on its safety, & the easily lobbied EPA's slowness to
admit how dangerous it is.

In the United States it is classified a "restricted use pesticide"
(herbicides are categorized as pesticides) & is no longer available for
general use in gardens, though it was not very long ago paraquat was as
common & overused as RoundUp is now. It is illegal to obtain without a
special handling permit for certified applicators, who are banned from
using it around homes, schools, golf courses, playgrounds, or recreational
areas -- it still gets used on crops & near watersheds unfortunately. I
thought it was banned last year in the UK too but if you can still buy it
I guess not.

-paghat the ratgirl
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