On Fri, 03 May 2013 17:13:34 +0100, David Hill wrote:

On 03/05/2013 11:02, 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.
David @ the end of Swansea Bay where sunshine is already becoming a
memory

Interesting stuff.

The second spraying was intended to get all the weeds which had escaped
the first spraying (because you are never sure you have got everything).

In theory there should be perhaps 10%-15% of perennial weeds which escaped
the first spraying.

After that, Weedol seems a very good idea.
Wikipedia (the ultimate source) suggests that alternating Glyphosphate and
Paraquat is a very effective way of controlling weeds.

I plan to spray first thing in the morning or last thing in the evening
when the winds are more likely to be slight.

Still trying to work out the effective difference in action between
Glyphosphate and Paraquat - both seem to be contact weed killers which
degrade on contact with the soil and mess with the plant's ability to grow
and synthesise.

Cheers

Dave R