Also doing some gardening at my workplace, which has become overrun
with weeds and such. The weeds themselves are easy to deal with, but along several
long stretches of road/curb are patches of grass I'd like to remove, grows back VERY
quickly. Nothing dangerous is allowed, for example someone told me diesel would
do the trick heh.

"Desireless" wrote in message
...
Also doing some gardening at my workplace, which has become overrun
with weeds and such. The weeds themselves are easy to deal with, but along
several
long stretches of road/curb are patches of grass I'd like to remove, grows
back VERY
quickly. Nothing dangerous is allowed, for example someone told me diesel
would
do the trick heh.


glyphosate is the way to go

Desireless wrote:
Also doing some gardening at my workplace, which has become overrun
with weeds and such. The weeds themselves are easy to deal with, but along several
long stretches of road/curb are patches of grass I'd like to remove, grows back VERY
quickly. Nothing dangerous is allowed, for example someone told me diesel would
do the trick heh.


Pathclear may help - it is supposed to prevent re-growth for a period of
time

Malcolm

"Desireless" wrote
Also doing some gardening at my workplace, which has become overrun
with weeds and such. The weeds themselves are easy to deal with, but along
several
long stretches of road/curb are patches of grass I'd like to remove, grows
back VERY
quickly. Nothing dangerous is allowed, for example someone told me diesel
would
do the trick heh.

Why not just mow it instead of having bare earth? That will also clear most
of the weeds.

--
Regards
Bob Hobden
W.of London. UK

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:50:47 +0100, "Desireless"
wrote:

Also doing some gardening at my workplace, which has become overrun
with weeds and such. The weeds themselves are easy to deal with, but along several
long stretches of road/curb are patches of grass I'd like to remove, grows back VERY
quickly. Nothing dangerous is allowed, for example someone told me diesel would
do the trick heh.


Depends what you want to do afterwards. Glyphosate will kill virtually
anything green it touches but you can replant the area soon after
application. Equally, anything else can grow fairly soon - bare soil
will quickly be colonised by weeds.

For a longer effect, Pathclear is an option but I've found longer
lasting results with Bayer's Groundclear and Path Weedkiller products
which can effectively stop anything growing for 4-6 months.

If you've got a large area that you want to keep clear, you could
scrape the surface down by a couple of inches, then lay some of that
permeable membrane stuff you buy on rolls (or usually more cheaply cut
off a large roll in a DIY place rather than a garden centre) and then
lay a couple of inches of decorative gravel over the top. This looks a
lot better than bare earth, will be less easy for weeds to colonise
and can be kept tidy with a spray of Pathclear/Groundclear type stuff
each spring.

If you want to replant, adapt the membrane idea - dig the soil over a
bit, lay the membrane a couple of inches lower than the level you
want, cut through it to plant something and then cover over with a
mulch of either gravel or bark chips.

Jake

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:50:47 +0100, "Desireless"
wrote:

Also doing some gardening at my workplace, which has become overrun
with weeds and such. The weeds themselves are easy to deal with, but along
several
long stretches of road/curb are patches of grass I'd like to remove, grows
back VERY
quickly. Nothing dangerous is allowed, for example someone told me diesel
would
do the trick heh.


Depends what you want to do afterwards. Glyphosate will kill virtually
anything green it touches but you can replant the area soon after
application. Equally, anything else can grow fairly soon - bare soil
will quickly be colonised by weeds.

For a longer effect, Pathclear is an option but I've found longer
lasting results with Bayer's Groundclear and Path Weedkiller products
which can effectively stop anything growing for 4-6 months.

If you've got a large area that you want to keep clear, you could
scrape the surface down by a couple of inches, then lay some of that
permeable membrane stuff you buy on rolls (or usually more cheaply cut
off a large roll in a DIY place rather than a garden centre) and then
lay a couple of inches of decorative gravel over the top. This looks a
lot better than bare earth, will be less easy for weeds to colonise
and can be kept tidy with a spray of Pathclear/Groundclear type stuff
each spring.

If you want to replant, adapt the membrane idea - dig the soil over a
bit, lay the membrane a couple of inches lower than the level you
want, cut through it to plant something and then cover over with a
mulch of either gravel or bark chips.

Jake

Pathclear at least used to be Atrazine/Simazine, both of which got into the
water supply and were supposed to have been banned.

I have spent a fortune on glyphosate trying to kill Japanese Anemones and
evergreen alkanet: it is totally useless. All it does is turn green weeds
brown and then they gradually turn back green again, so you are better off
just mowing.

S

"Spamlet" wrote in message
...

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:50:47 +0100, "Desireless"
wrote:

Also doing some gardening at my workplace, which has become overrun
with weeds and such. The weeds themselves are easy to deal with, but along several
long stretches of road/curb are patches of grass I'd like to remove, grows back VERY
quickly. Nothing dangerous is allowed, for example someone told me diesel would
do the trick heh.


Depends what you want to do afterwards. Glyphosate will kill virtually
anything green it touches but you can replant the area soon after
application. Equally, anything else can grow fairly soon - bare soil
will quickly be colonised by weeds.

For a longer effect, Pathclear is an option but I've found longer
lasting results with Bayer's Groundclear and Path Weedkiller products
which can effectively stop anything growing for 4-6 months.

If you've got a large area that you want to keep clear, you could
scrape the surface down by a couple of inches, then lay some of that
permeable membrane stuff you buy on rolls (or usually more cheaply cut
off a large roll in a DIY place rather than a garden centre) and then
lay a couple of inches of decorative gravel over the top. This looks a
lot better than bare earth, will be less easy for weeds to colonise
and can be kept tidy with a spray of Pathclear/Groundclear type stuff
each spring.

If you want to replant, adapt the membrane idea - dig the soil over a
bit, lay the membrane a couple of inches lower than the level you
want, cut through it to plant something and then cover over with a
mulch of either gravel or bark chips.

Jake

Pathclear at least used to be Atrazine/Simazine, both of which got into the water supply and were
supposed to have been banned.

I have spent a fortune on glyphosate trying to kill Japanese Anemones and evergreen alkanet: it
is totally useless. All it does is turn green weeds brown and then they gradually turn back green
again, so you are better off just mowing.

I've had that same experience with glyphosate with weeds.

Thanks to all for the replies, unfortunately the grass
is growing in patches he

Work building
Path
Curb
(between these two)
Car Park

....so I can't mow it.

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:38:20 +0100, "Spamlet"
wrote:
earliier stuff snipped
I have spent a fortune on glyphosate trying to kill Japanese Anemones and
evergreen alkanet: it is totally useless. All it does is turn green weeds
brown and then they gradually turn back green again, so you are better off
just mowing.

S

Funny that but I've never known glyphosate not to kill whatever I
touch it with, apart from the mother-in-law who seems immune to
everything (I'm talking about "pure" glyphosate, not some product
that has it as an ingredient). Though I've never tried it on Japanese
anemones I must admit. Given the propensity of some varieties to be
super-invasive it may well be that the weedkiller isn't going as far
as it needs to through the "system".

Maybe my "trick" for marestail will do the biz for you. Background is
that I didn't want to bruise the blasted stuff before spraying it as
all those little bits break off and you're back to where you started!
Actually tried it for years without really achieving anything other
than a growing area of the stuff.

So I bought a pack of syringes from my local chemist, mixed up some
glyphosate double strength, sucked that into a syringe. Chopped the
marestail stems about an inch above ground. Inserted point of needle
into centre of each stump and delivered a reasonable shot. (Repeat the
dose about a fortnight later if the stem remains strong.) Result, no
marestail for the last few years. (My chemist takes back used syringes
for disposal.)

J

On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 20:22:07 +0100, "Desireless"
wrote:

snipping applied again

Thanks to all for the replies, unfortunately the grass
is growing in patches he

Work building
Path
Curb
(between these two)
Car Park

...so I can't mow it.

Are we talking about a tarmac car park surface edged with kerbstones
and grass growing in the "groove" between the two (and maybe between
the kerbstones)? If so, the best approach is probably a weed burner
(the instructions will say something like singe the top growth but
give the grass a longer shot). Councils and licenced landscapers will
have access to stronger chemicals than you. Few "domestic" products
will be effective in this situation.

Then check the surface and if it's worthwhile, buy a bag of drive
patch stuff from somewhere like Wickes and tamp it well into the gaps
between tarmac and kerbs.

"Jake" wrote in message
...
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 18:38:20 +0100, "Spamlet"
wrote:
earliier stuff snipped
I have spent a fortune on glyphosate trying to kill Japanese Anemones and
evergreen alkanet: it is totally useless. All it does is turn green
weeds
brown and then they gradually turn back green again, so you are better off
just mowing.

S

Funny that but I've never known glyphosate not to kill whatever I
touch it with, apart from the mother-in-law who seems immune to
everything (I'm talking about "pure" glyphosate, not some product
that has it as an ingredient). Though I've never tried it on Japanese
anemones I must admit. Given the propensity of some varieties to be
super-invasive it may well be that the weedkiller isn't going as far
as it needs to through the "system".

Maybe my "trick" for marestail will do the biz for you. Background is
that I didn't want to bruise the blasted stuff before spraying it as
all those little bits break off and you're back to where you started!
Actually tried it for years without really achieving anything other
than a growing area of the stuff.

So I bought a pack of syringes from my local chemist, mixed up some
glyphosate double strength, sucked that into a syringe. Chopped the
marestail stems about an inch above ground. Inserted point of needle
into centre of each stump and delivered a reasonable shot. (Repeat the
dose about a fortnight later if the stem remains strong.) Result, no
marestail for the last few years. (My chemist takes back used syringes
for disposal.)

J

That is going to rather dangerous extremes! Generally quicker to dig up in
the long run. In my case the roots are into solid chalk and rockery stones
which are rather important for stopping the house falling down the hill if
they were to get too disturbed - they are also intertwined with dreaded
mahonia/berberis roots which are also indestructible: thrashed/paraffined
whatever. On the driveway I did achieve minor success for a while with old
engine oil and then covering with plastic and putting the wheelie bin on
top, but the anemones are flowering profusely again now and will no doubt
soon push down the reset concrete building blocks they pushed down before.

They *are* pretty though!

S

"Jake" wrote in message
...

Are we talking about a tarmac car park surface edged with kerbstones
and grass growing in the "groove" between the two (and maybe between
the kerbstones)? If so, the best approach is probably a weed burner
(the instructions will say something like singe the top growth but
give the grass a longer shot). Councils and licenced landscapers will
have access to stronger chemicals than you. Few "domestic" products
will be effective in this situation.

Then check the surface and if it's worthwhile, buy a bag of drive
patch stuff from somewhere like Wickes and tamp it well into the gaps
between tarmac and kerbs.

Yes, to the first sentence. Actually, the have a shrink-wrapper at
work, that would do the trick? It's basically a large version of a butane torch.

The tamping would be simple once that is done.

On 16/09/2010 20:22, Desireless wrote:
wrote in message
...

wrote in message
...
On Thu, 16 Sep 2010 15:50:47 +0100, "Desireless"
wrote:

Also doing some gardening at my workplace, which has become overrun
with weeds and such. The weeds themselves are easy to deal with, but along several
long stretches of road/curb are patches of grass I'd like to remove, grows back VERY
quickly. Nothing dangerous is allowed, for example someone told me diesel would
do the trick heh.


Depends what you want to do afterwards. Glyphosate will kill virtually
anything green it touches but you can replant the area soon after
application. Equally, anything else can grow fairly soon - bare soil
will quickly be colonised by weeds.

For a longer effect, Pathclear is an option but I've found longer
lasting results with Bayer's Groundclear and Path Weedkiller products
which can effectively stop anything growing for 4-6 months.

If you've got a large area that you want to keep clear, you could
scrape the surface down by a couple of inches, then lay some of that
permeable membrane stuff you buy on rolls (or usually more cheaply cut
off a large roll in a DIY place rather than a garden centre) and then
lay a couple of inches of decorative gravel over the top. This looks a
lot better than bare earth, will be less easy for weeds to colonise
and can be kept tidy with a spray of Pathclear/Groundclear type stuff
each spring.

If you want to replant, adapt the membrane idea - dig the soil over a
bit, lay the membrane a couple of inches lower than the level you
want, cut through it to plant something and then cover over with a
mulch of either gravel or bark chips.

Jake

Pathclear at least used to be Atrazine/Simazine, both of which got into the water supply and were
supposed to have been banned.

I have spent a fortune on glyphosate trying to kill Japanese Anemones and evergreen alkanet: it
is totally useless. All it does is turn green weeds brown and then they gradually turn back green
again, so you are better off just mowing.

I've had that same experience with glyphosate with weeds.

You are not using it right then. Grass is exquisitely sensitive to
glyphosate and that is the standard way to kill it. Takes 2-3 weeks for
full effect and if clearing rough ground you can torch the dry material
to get an additional weed seed kill.

A few things resist it notably waxy leaves like holly and ivy seedlings
and in my experience sometimes buttercup roots. Apart from that it kills
most green things it touches very effectively. Sometimes too effectively
causing collateral damage if there is any wind.

Thanks to all for the replies, unfortunately the grass
is growing in patches he

Work building
Path
Curb
(between these two)
Car Park

...so I can't mow it.

This time of year things are stopping growing so a quick blast with
glyphosate or sodium chlorate (now banned) is as good as it gets. Next
year at the start of the growing season try a persistant like PathClear
(nolonger as good as it once was). But it is total waste of time to
apply it now going into wet winter weather (and would be totally
irresponsible if it still contained simazine).

Regards,
Martin Brown