"David Hill" wrote...

David.WE.Roberts wrote:
After being pressured by a couple of old timers on the allotment to start
frantically digging and planting last year when we took the allotment on,
we still have loads of perennial weeds, mainly docks, grass and nettles.

This year I am going to do what I intended to do last year - that is
clean
out all the weeds using Glyphosphate and wait long enough for the seeds
to
start germinating again and zap them a second time.

Hopefully this will then give me the chance to dig over and plant without
constantly back tracking to attack the perennials which are popping up
again.

First spraying day today - that is first day with little enough wind for
it to be safe to spray, and also warm enough that everything is growing
actively.

If I treat again in a week or so when I can see the bits I missed in the
first pass, I could have the majority of the weeds knocked back by the
beginning of June.

At that point I could start digging over and raking out and waiting for
the next rush of germination.

So probably no chance of planting anything out until mid June.

So - what can I think about planting out then to crop before the end of
November or after the end of January?

Regrettably not potatoes - I am on a permanent low carbohydrate diet so
the main crop used for bringing land back in production is no good to us.

Cheers

Dave R

I wouldn't use Glyphosate (Round-up) more than once in a season.
After hitting your weed crop go ahead and dig about 3 weeks after spraying,
then when you get a flush of weed seedlings, either hoe or if you must
spray then use something like Weedol which is a contact killer and you can
go ahead and plant a day or two later.
I find that spraying in the evening gives better results as the spray
doesn't fry so fast and seems to get into the plants better, also the wind
tends to drop in the evening.
If you do have any lurking perennial weeds then either spot treat them or
better dig them out by hand.

I agree, hit them once and then in three weeks they will be totally dead
including the roots so you can dig certain that the old weeds are dead. Like
David I'm not sure you need to re-apply glyphosate on seedlings, they are
what a decent hoe is for. I use mine for the first ten minutes of every
visit to the plot to clear any newly emerged weeds and any I've missed last
time.
Something like the Wolf Garten Push Pull weeder (the smaller of the two)
with a handle to suit your height.

http://www.wolfgarten-tools.co.uk/mu...ll-weeder-10cm

Used correctly, back and forth, it's self sharpening too and is used both at
the RHS Wisley and at Kew Gardens.
--
Regards. Bob Hobden.
Posted to this Newsgroup from the W of London, UK