On 3/24/2014 10:26 PM, David Hare-Scott wrote:
Helen Middlemas wrote:
Hi All, I am desperate for some help in killing grass off on an area
we spent a fortune on last year with membranes, large gravel etc only
to find that there is grass ever where we look. We have tried bleach,
salt, black discinfectant, boiling water and not a thing has worked.

The problem we think is we have is that our neighbours decided to
seed a brand new lawn last year. And every couple of weeks they were
reseeding it. Now we have patches of grass all over it.

The membrane was a good membrane and we did everything we should. In
the rear it worked ok. But in the front it is terrible.

Our front garden is not used, only to look at basically, but we need
something super super strong that will kill this grass once and for
all. We have tried pulling it out by hand and that has not stopped it
at all due to obviously remaining roots.

It cost hundreds of pounds to get it done which we really didn't
have, a huge amount of back breaking hours and it looks utterly
dreadful.

Can anyone please recommend something which is fantastically strong
and will do the job. We have already spent quite a bit of money
sorting it out and are no further forward at all.

Thanks

As others have said use glyphosate. Roundup is the trade name of the
original and (often) the most expensive version. Follow the directions for
use and safety instructions carefully. The point about using it effectively
is to use it when the plant is growing strongly so that firstly it is
absorbed through the leaves and secondly it is carried down to the roots
through the plant's system. Some people use it when the plant is dormant
thinking when the plant is weaker it is vulnerable: wrong. Avoid spraying
when rain is coming or before using a sprinkler as if you wash it off before
it is absorbed it won't work, contact in itself does nothing.

I once read that, for vigorous perennial weeds, mix RoundUp slightly
less strong than the label instructions. It does damage the entire
plant not just the roots. By making it a bit weak, you ensure that it
does indeed reach the roots instead of killing the path to the roots.

For any spray or brush-on chemical, I always add liquid soap as a
wetting agent.

--
David E. Ross
Climate: California Mediterranean, see
http://www.rossde.com/garden/climate.html
Gardening diary at http://www.rossde.com/garden/diary