In article ,
says...

In article . network,
Dave Liquorice writes
On Thu, 12 Jun 2003 19:34:18 +0100, Jolltax wrote:

PLUS you get the sadistic thrill of gunning the throttle as you
approach a meaty thistle knowing it is going to DIE.

Takes more than strimming the top off to kill a thistle. Only sure
fire way (short of chemicals) to remove them is to dig 'em up,
carefully. a) so you don't suffer to much from the prickles b) you get
as much of the tap root as possible.

I've just dug up three that had tap roots 1/2" dia that just went down
and down, I suspect they got buried a year or so back when we had some
excavations done, it's taken them a little while to find the surface
again...

Don't you know the old rhyme about getting rid of thistles?:

Cut them in May, they'll grow next day
Cut them in June, they'll grow again soon
Cut in July, they'll surely die
Cut in August, die they must.

But as for docks and burdock, I agree with you.
--
Roy Bailey
West Berkshire.


I think you need to distinguish between creeping thistle, which is a pernnial
and the annual one. Creeping thistle spreads with suckers and is not killed by
strimming. In my experience the annual ones are.
--
Jonathan Ward
Remove the 'X' when replying

In article , Simon Avery
writes

Absolutely not!

Standard unleaded works on nearly all small engines, but the golden
rule is that all strimmers run on 2/stroke. Neat petrol will kill your
strimmer.

Buy 2-stroke oil (most garages, garden centres, agricultural centres)
and follow the instructions. on the bottle to mix at 25-1 strength.
All this will be covered in the manual, btw.

Not necessarily, Simon. The recommended mixture for my Jonsered strimmer is
50-1 (2%) if using Jonsered oil, and 25-1 (4%) if using any other 2 stroke
oil. I am using another make and running it on 50-1 with no problems.

Some 2-stroke engines actually run on 100-1 (1%), and using a 25-1 mixture
would probably cause the plug to oil up.

I suppose it is all down to RTFM!
--
Roy Bailey
West Berkshire.

On Mon, 16 Jun 2003 11:16:46 +0100, Roy Bailey wrote:

Don't you know the old rhyme about getting rid of thistles?:

Cut them in May, they'll grow next day
Cut them in June, they'll grow again soon
Cut in July, they'll surely die
Cut in August, die they must.

Nope, but I do no. B-)

Trouble is the climate up here is a bit different to most of the
country. Only cut the grass 4 times this year and I think all four of
them have been in June... Come late October we'll be expecting the
first snow. B-)

Unless any more appear later in the year I think I've got 'em all (for
the time being). Digging out has been highly effective from the tiddly
3 to 4" across small plants to the 2' across monsters.

But as for docks and burdock, I agree with you.

Yep, nothing seems to stop them. Areas that were mixed dock/nettle are
now just dock after a few years of strimming a couple of times/year.

--
Cheers
Dave. Remove "spam" for valid email.

The message
from Roy Bailey contains these words:

Don't you know the old rhyme about getting rid of thistles?:

Cut them in May, they'll grow next day
Cut them in June, they'll grow again soon
Cut in July, they'll surely die
Cut in August, die they must.

I hadn't heard that before; but the bad news is, neither have thistles.

The implication is that if cut after they flower/seed, the thistle's
tap root can't survive. It does, many thistles are perennial and severed
ones can easily grow new leaves in early autumn.

Janet.

On Mon, 16 Jun 2003 23:27:41 +0100, Janet Baraclough wrote:

The implication is that if cut after they flower/seed,

No point in doing anything if you let the damn things go to seed! I'm
sure everyone will have seen "thistle fog" from the wind blown seed
from a field of thistles.

At least out local council runs a garden waste collection service. All
our "nasties" go into that, thistle, ground elder, spanish bluebells,
ragwort.

--
Cheers
Dave. Remove "spam" for valid email.

Roy Bailey wrote:

Hello Roy

Standard unleaded works on nearly all small engines, but
the golden rule is that all strimmers run on 2/stroke. Neat
petrol will kill your strimmer. Buy 2-stroke oil (most
garages, garden centres, agricultural centres) and follow
the instructions. on the bottle to mix at 25-1
strength. All this will be covered in the manual, btw.

RB Not necessarily, Simon. The recommended mixture for my
RB Jonsered strimmer is 50-1 (2%) if using Jonsered oil, and
RB 25-1 (4%) if using any other 2 stroke oil. I am using
RB another make and running it on 50-1 with no problems.

Yes, but... No 2-stroke will die if you run it on 25/1 - some will if
you run them on 50/1. Also note that oil bottle markings are
notoriously unreliable and you've removed a whole lot of your safety
margin.

I know Jonsered, Husqvarna and others recommend their own-brand 50-1.
I've also known 2-stroke engines to sieze whilst using it at the
correct ratio. Hence I now use 25/1 exclusively.

YMMV

As for RTFM - if you're using another make you should be using 25/1...

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

In article , Simon Avery
writes

Yes, but... No 2-stroke will die if you run it on 25/1 - some will if
you run them on 50/1. Also note that oil bottle markings are
notoriously unreliable and you've removed a whole lot of your safety
margin.

I know Jonsered, Husqvarna and others recommend their own-brand 50-1.
I've also known 2-stroke engines to sieze whilst using it at the
correct ratio. Hence I now use 25/1 exclusively.

YMMV

As for RTFM - if you're using another make you should be using 25/1...

You've convinced me! I'll add some more oil.
--
Roy Bailey
West Berkshire.

Roy Bailey wrote:

Hello Roy

RB You've convinced me! I'll add some more oil.

It's worth it, imo. The worst you can do with too much oil is foul the
plug (cost œ0, just one minute with a small knife). The worst with too
little - seized block (Cost œ100+). Oil cost is negligable, especially
for home use quantities.

When Husqy and Jonsered (Both Electrolux, iirc) first bought out their
50-1 oil we switched all our new chainsaws over to it. Two seized in
the first week. Hence we switched back, and never had another saw
seize. Wasn't as if it was high summer either.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

Tim wrote:

Hello Tim

Standard unleaded works on nearly all small engines, but
the golden rule is that all strimmers run on 2/stroke.
Neat petrol will kill your strimmer.

T They aren't all 2-stroke, but the vast majority are. The
T 4-stroke ones are rare, but I know I've seen some in the
T shops.

(Googles) - You're right, Honda do a 4-stroke lightweight engine that
seems to overcome the traditional 4-stroke problems of verticality and
weight. More expensive though, and I can't think of any advantage it
gives you over a 2-stroke, but your point is valid.

Never seen one on sale, mind, nor being used - apart from 20-year old
strimers that have gimble mounted 4-stroke engines and weigh half a
ton.

--
Simon Avery, Dartmoor, UK Ý http://www.digdilem.org/

In article , Simon Avery
writes
More expensive though, and I can't think of any advantage it
gives you over a 2-stroke, but your point is valid.

2-stroke engines will soon be a thing of the past, won't they?
Aren't there plans afoot to ban them? EEC and something to do with the
pollution they cause.
--
Jane Ransom in Lancaster.
I won't respond to private emails that are on topic for urg
but if you need to email me for any other reason,
put jandg dot demon dot co dot uk where you see deadspam.com

On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 21:25:33 +0100, Jane Ransom
wrote:

~In article , Simon Avery
writes
~ More expensive though, and I can't think of any advantage it
~gives you over a 2-stroke, but your point is valid.
~
~2-stroke engines will soon be a thing of the past, won't they?
~Aren't there plans afoot to ban them? EEC and something to do with the
~pollution they cause.

Well they'd have to ban lots of motorbikes, trabis :-) half the garden
machinery there is, and a lot more besides. Sometimes I wonder when
the EC will ban breathing cos humans are a pollutant...

jane, feeling particularly anti-EC at the moment as her bought-in (ie
no idea of variety) cucumbers have powdery mildew and there's nothing
left to cure it...

On Mon, 23 Jun 2003 07:14:52 +0000 (UTC), jane
wrote:

On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 21:25:33 +0100, Jane Ransom
wrote:

~In article , Simon Avery
writes
~ More expensive though, and I can't think of any advantage it ~gives
you over a 2-stroke, but your point is valid. ~
~2-stroke engines will soon be a thing of the past, won't they?
~Aren't there plans afoot to ban them? EEC and something to do with the
~pollution they cause.

Well they'd have to ban lots of motorbikes, trabis :-) half the garden
machinery there is, and a lot more besides. Sometimes I wonder when
the EC will ban breathing cos humans are a pollutant...

jane, feeling particularly anti-EC at the moment as her bought-in (ie
no idea of variety) cucumbers have powdery mildew and there's nothing
left to cure it...


No, they're just developing cleaner 2-strokes. Which are, BTW, more
efficent and powerful than 4-strokes if you go by weight or cylinder size.
Tim.

On Sat, 21 Jun 2003 21:25:33 +0100, Jane Ransom
wrote:

In article , Simon Avery
writes
More expensive though, and I can't think of any advantage it
gives you over a 2-stroke, but your point is valid.

2-stroke engines will soon be a thing of the past, won't they?
Aren't there plans afoot to ban them? EEC and something to do with the
pollution they cause.

The italians would never allow it. Just think of the worlds biggest
moped market without 2 strokes!!!!