I am going to be using glyphosate on my new allotment shortly but I'm
very concerned that the stuff might easily get blown onto my
neighbour's plot, which is very well cultivated with various
flourishing plants. The instructions say wait for a windless day, but
you can never be sure about that. Just thinking out loud about this,
might it not be an idea to spray it onto black plastic sheeting first,
and then lay the plastic on the ground, secured with bricks or
whatever?






Ken Cohen

On 23 Jun 2003 14:36:16 -0700, (ken cohen)
wrote:

I am going to be using glyphosate on my new allotment shortly but I'm
very concerned that the stuff might easily get blown onto my
neighbour's plot, which is very well cultivated with various
flourishing plants. The instructions say wait for a windless day, but
you can never be sure about that. Just thinking out loud about this,
might it not be an idea to spray it onto black plastic sheeting first,
and then lay the plastic on the ground, secured with bricks or
whatever?






Ken Cohen

How are you thinking about spraying it? If you`ve a knapsack you`ll be
surprised at just how accurate you can be with it. When I did my
allotment you can go down the rows that I missed. I did`nt get my
neighbours plot at all even tho there was a slight breeze. I would`nt
really want to do it any other way than a knapsack tho.

In message , ken cohen
writes
I am going to be using glyphosate on my new allotment shortly but I'm
very concerned that the stuff might easily get blown onto my
neighbour's plot, which is very well cultivated with various
flourishing plants. The instructions say wait for a windless day, but
you can never be sure about that.

You shouldn't be using it if there is sufficient wind to cause spray
drift. Some plants and many seedlings are exquisitely sensitive to
herbicides. You don't want to use any aerosol spray if there is wind -
fine particles can drift a long way. And you always get fine mist when
spray hits the leaves.

Just thinking out loud about this,
might it not be an idea to spray it onto black plastic sheeting first,
and then lay the plastic on the ground, secured with bricks or
whatever?

If you must use a weedkiller on a windy day then do not spray it at all.
Spray hitting any surface will always generate some even finer spray.

If you can't wait then use a paint brush to apply it as a precision spot
weeder. ISTR someone sells a glyphosate based spot weeder using shoe
polish packaging and wet sponge technology. The implementation is
rubbish but there is no reason why it cannot be made to work.

Regards,
--
Martin Brown

Xref: kermit uk.rec.gardening:150903

ken cohen wrote:
I am going to be using glyphosate on my new allotment shortly but I'm
very concerned that the stuff might easily get blown onto my
neighbour's plot, which is very well cultivated with various
flourishing plants. The instructions say wait for a windless day, but
you can never be sure about that. Just thinking out loud about this,
might it not be an idea to spray it onto black plastic sheeting first,
and then lay the plastic on the ground, secured with bricks or
whatever?


I used a type of weedkiller that mixed with water and used an old
watering can to apply, I found this to better than spraying as it didn't
get blown all over the place.

HTH

If you can't wait then use a paint brush to apply it as a precision spot
weeder. ISTR someone sells a glyphosate based spot weeder using shoe
polish packaging and wet sponge technology. The implementation is
rubbish but there is no reason why it cannot be made to work.


I use a 1/2 inch paint brush to achieve the same effect - I'm _still_
trying to get rid of brambles and I use a mixture of SBK and parafin and
use the brush to paint the leaves and stem.

Brambles are a total nightmare, I hope I'll eventually get rid of them...

ken cohen wrote:

I am going to be using glyphosate on my new allotment shortly but I'm
very concerned that the stuff might easily get blown onto my
neighbour's plot, which is very well cultivated with various
flourishing plants. The instructions say wait for a windless day, but
you can never be sure about that. Just thinking out loud about this,
might it not be an idea to spray it onto black plastic sheeting first,
and then lay the plastic on the ground, secured with bricks or
whatever?


Erm..

Erm number 1.. Follow the instructions..

The best times to find a 'still' period are often at dawn and closer to
dusk.

Apply close to the ground.. You may be better off cutting the weeds to
the ground and then applying with a can to 'new growth'.. with a can
you will also have the advantage of a spray that is not so fine and
won't 'drift'.... Yes it will take you a while to cover the area, but
it will be precise in terms of application.
//
Jim

The message
from (ken cohen) contains these words:

I am going to be using glyphosate on my new allotment shortly but I'm
very concerned that the stuff might easily get blown onto my
neighbour's plot, which is very well cultivated with various
flourishing plants. The instructions say wait for a windless day, but
you can never be sure about that. Just thinking out loud about this,
might it not be an idea to spray it onto black plastic sheeting first,
and then lay the plastic on the ground, secured with bricks or
whatever?

No, because A)you won't get sufficient leaf coverage for enough stuff
to enter the plants and B) permanent darkness is likely to prevent the
translocation of the weedkiller from the leaves to the roots.

Before you spray anything, you should check your allotment agreement to
see if there are rules about it.

If spraying and weedkiller are permitted, then you will just have to
wait for windless conditions..try very early morning. But why not just
use the black plastic sheeting ,held down, as a weedkiller? It will work
just as well if not better.

Janet.

"ken cohen" wrote in message om...
I am going to be using glyphosate on my new allotment shortly but I'm
very concerned that the stuff might easily get blown onto my
neighbour's plot, which is very well cultivated with various
flourishing plants. The instructions say wait for a windless day, but
you can never be sure about that. Just thinking out loud about this,
might it not be an idea to spray it onto black plastic sheeting first,
and then lay the plastic on the ground, secured with bricks or
whatever?

If you can get use of a professional knapsack, with a proper herbicide jet you will be able to spray quite accurately.
These jets apply a fan shaped pattern which stays as a 'sheet' of water 'til it gets close to the ground. 2 other things
that might help, try to work against the light then you will see a little 'rainbow' pattern outside the main spray
pattern if there's any drift.
If there is *any breeze at all* work in such a way that the drift is carried into your plot.

Rod

Green Earth wrote in message ...
[...]
I use a 1/2 inch paint brush to achieve the same effect - I'm _still_
trying to get rid of brambles and I use a mixture of SBK and parafin and
use the brush to paint the leaves and stem.

Brambles are a total nightmare, I hope I'll eventually get rid of them...

They really are a nightmare, aren't they? I've had a hell of a lot of
brambles, and try to deal with them by digging up the crowns, which
isn't usually too dificult, but I just haven't got the oomph to do it
every year, so I've never eliminated them completely: there are always
a few I must have missed along the bank, or seeds waiting to germinate
when my back's turned. Once you *have* got the crown out, they won't
shoot from any remaining root, though.

I'm probably stating the obvious, but you are cutting them back, and
waiting for the new shoots to come out before using weedkiller, I
imagine. That's what I do with the ones I can't dig out: cheaper,
easier, safer, and more effective. I also use a water-colour brush to
dab SBK on the freshly-cut surfaces: but this doesn't seem to work
100% of the time. Would your paraffin approach be better for that?

Mike.

They really are a nightmare, aren't they?

yeah!


I'm probably stating the obvious, but you are cutting them back, and
waiting for the new shoots to come out before using weedkiller, I
imagine. That's what I do with the ones I can't dig out: cheaper,
easier, safer, and more effective. I also use a water-colour brush to
dab SBK on the freshly-cut surfaces: but this doesn't seem to work
100% of the time. Would your paraffin approach be better for that?


I mix the sbk with parafin to make it shower proof so the rain can't
wash off the sbk. I cut them right back, I paint the leaves and the
stem so I can get more SBK on them. The real difficulty is getting rid
of brambles that are growing up through another plant or shrub.

If we could just find a way of making them appetising to slugs...perhaps
disguising them as dwarf bean plants or something!

"Green Earth" wrote in message
...
ken cohen wrote:

I used a type of weedkiller that mixed with water and used an old
watering can to apply, I found this to better than spraying as it didn't
get blown all over the place.

HTH


Hardly a green method because of the droplet size you need a lot more weed
killer for the same effect.

"Green Earth" wrote in message
...
snip
I use a 1/2 inch paint brush to achieve the same effect - I'm _still_
trying to get rid of brambles and I use a mixture of SBK and parafin and
use the brush to paint the leaves and stem.

Brambles are a total nightmare, I hope I'll eventually get rid of them...




With brambles before applying the weed killer crush the stems a a bit so
the weed killer can penetrate ( try using two bricks as with camels it
dosent hurt if you keep your fingers out the way ; -)

Hardly a green method because of the droplet size you need a lot more weed
killer for the same effect.

No, but I didn't get any overspray only had to do it once!