On Apr 13, 10:07 am, "Innumerical"
wrote:
Is a good soaking with Sodium chlorate, then covering up with black plastic
a good way to clear a relatively large area of weeds?
I'm not a fan of Sodium chlorate but it's a relatively cheap fix - i think?
Am i on the right tack here?

Only if you are posting through a time warp from the 1960's. This
could almost be a troll question.

Sodium chlorate will wreck the soil for ages possibly years afterwards
and may present a fire hazard when the weeds have died back and dried.
As they so coyly put it on the tin "may assist combustion". Ulitmately
it has to slowly decompose and wash out so covering it with polythene
isn't smart either. Unless you want to turn the ground into a lifeless
desert it is not a good choice - such powerful oxidiser kills
everything not just weeds, bacteria, fungi, worms etc.

Glyphosate in one of its many formulations is by far the most cost
effective and least environmentally damaging of the broad spectrum
chemical weedkillers available today. Choose one with maximum active
ingredient per unit price (ie DIY own brand rather than feeding the
coffers of Monsanto for "Roundup" for the brandname version).

Regards,
Martin Brown