Can one of you educated gardeners please advise me as what weed killer I
need to buy for the following application? I am about to dig up my garden
and lay a shingle path. I have been advised to lay a membrane under the
shingle and wonder if I should apply weed killer first to stop the weeds
coming through later. Any help would be appreciated

Many thanks in advance

Colin Williams

"Colin Williams" wrote in message
...
Can one of you educated gardeners please advise me as what weed killer I
need to buy for the following application? I am about to dig up my garden
and lay a shingle path. I have been advised to lay a membrane under the
shingle and wonder if I should apply weed killer first to stop the weeds
coming through later. Any help would be appreciated

Many thanks in advance

Colin Williams

You have choices, depending on your approach to Life and the Universe and
Everythang.
The uninformed would use a glyphosate and hang the consequences of
groundwater contamination.
If you are willing to put a bit more into your own property, consider
digging up/turning over the garden area where your path is to go, allowing
the overturned stuff to decompose once it is covered. You could flame the
area first, using a propane torch that has a similar effect on plants,
exploding the cellular structures and thus rendering them incapable of
growth...THEN turn them over. You could spray (most gardeners just love to
spray) 20% vinegar on them plants first to kill them off.
My suggestion is not to skimp on the quality of membrane, cheap weedcloth
should be doubled (folded over) before you add the path's material. I have
actually placed thick poly bits directly on a pathway area, then added
weedcloth, then a layer of screening (smallish stones) then level the
substrate then add the path surface materials and gently raking that level.
Some weed seeds can be dormant for decades, the trick is to cut off oxygen,
moisture and light so as they remain dormant.
Hey, YOU asked.

--
You have to remember that 80% of people are part of The Herd.
The 80% of the population that is braindead.
So you work with the remaining 20%.
Howard Lyman


http://www.renaissancegardens.com/
msn messenger: Hortus Plasticus )
Outgoing email checked by Norton AV

"Colin Williams" wrote in message
...
Can one of you educated gardeners please advise me as what weed killer I
need to buy for the following application? I am about to dig up my garden
and lay a shingle path. I have been advised to lay a membrane under the
shingle and wonder if I should apply weed killer first to stop the weeds
coming through later. Any help would be appreciated

Many thanks in advance

Colin Williams

I'm not sure what a shingle path is. Can you explain? For my own paths I have
solarized them for an entire year using clear plastic. Then I saved all our
newspapers for the year and lay those down before putting a thick layer of
leaves. Live oak leaves to be exact. They break down very slowly. Next spring
the paths will be ready for crushed and decomposed granite and weeds will be
virtually gone. In my paths I want wildlower seeds to feel free to germinate.

If you want an easy way to control weeds using landscape fabric, I say go for
it, but do not buy the inexpensive, perforated junk. Use true landscape fabric.
It looks like a finer version of roofing paper, but it has backing and is hard
for anything to penetrate. You do not need a herbicide to do this. If you
have any plants in the paths now, I would simply use a weeding blade to remove
them at the base and lay the fabric down. If you turn it over, you disturb
dormant weed seeds and make a bigger headache than if you left them in place and
just go over the stumps of weeds you cut off at the base. You can also scalp
them with the lawn mower on the lowest setting and going very slowly, raising
the deck as necessary for taller weeds. Go over that a few times with the
mower, then lay down the landscape fabric.

Victoria

On Sun, 12 Oct 2003 10:36:18 +0000 (UTC), "Colin Williams"
wrote:

Can one of you educated gardeners please advise me as what weed killer I
need to buy for the following application? I am about to dig up my garden
and lay a shingle path. I have been advised to lay a membrane under the
shingle and wonder if I should apply weed killer first to stop the weeds
coming through later. Any help would be appreciated

Many thanks in advance

Colin Williams


You may want to consider soemthing that won't harm the garden plants
from runoff or overspray. I use a propane torch to kill weeds. You
don't need to burn the plant, just enough heat to wilt it. Or, some
weeds are easy to pull when the soil is wet. I have clipped weeds
off at the stem in my garden path--many will die (or become weak)
after two or three clippings. Make sure you clip them before flowers
open. Add clippings to the compost.