Clearing out advice

[Bigboo]

Hi, absolute beginner to allotments and have just taken on a plot. I was looking for advice in regards to clearing it out.
My current plan is this:

Strim it down and then dousing it in weed killer. Covering it over with tarpaulin for two weeks and then digging it over.

Is this a solid plan?

[Logunner]

Hi, absolute beginner to allotments and have just taken on a plot. I was looking for advice in regards to clearing it out.
My current plan is this:

Strim it down and then dousing it in weed killer. Covering it over with tarpaulin for two weeks and then digging it over.

Is this a solid plan?

imo not the best... as it depends on the weeds present.

Any marestail? If there is it’s not a good plan, as the fight is much longer. Plenty of threads on that fight.

Is it all weeds? If it is then spray everything and wait a week, rake off the dead weeds and wait a few days, then spray again. After another week rake off the dead weeds and wait a few days... mostly dead? Then dig it over and cover until you are ready to plant.

[veggiechicken]

Hi Bigboo and welcome.
Personally, I wouldn't use weedkiller on any ground where I intended to grow crops to eat.
First identify your weeds, then tailor your plan to what you have.
You may find that you actually have useful plants already growing there - rhubarb, strawberries and soft fruit are the usual finds.

[burnie]

I agree with the above, don't spray chemicals where you are growing edibles, for one thing even if you did go down the chemical route, you still need to id what are the problems. One chemical would not kill all the weeds, if it did your soil would probably not be any good for anything afterwards.
If the plot has not been cultivated for a while it would benefit from being dug, a bit at a time and remove the weeds by hand, strimming could just scatter seeds and cuttings everywhere making the problem worse. Don't try and do it all in one go, divide the plot into sections, clear one section and plant some crops, then move onto the next section and so on.

[Chestnut]

Hi, and welcome to the vine

As with many things gardening, you’ll find many different views on the matter! Read them all, then take your pick

I personally chose not to use weedkiller, but from what I read I think the plants need to be exposed to sunlight for it to work. I’d also say you need to be very very careful not to let any weedkiller drift onto neighbouring plots, as you won’t be popular if you destroy your neighbours crops! There may also be rules about not getting weedkiller into natural watercourses, such as ditches and streams.

I have tested a few different techniques on various bits of my plot. All worked, despite weeds being over 6 feet high when I got the plot.

1. Strim, then dig and hand weed. Relatively hard work/good exercise, depending how you prefer to think of it.
2. Strim, cover for 2-12 months to exclude light(few layers of cardboard plus your tarpaulin should do the job), then dig/weed the few weeds which survived. Slower, but the digging is much easier without all the roots...
3. Strim, dig out perennials like docks and brambles, then cover with multiple layers of card to block light, weighted down with 4-6 inch depth of manure or other organic matter, Charles Dowding style. Only possible for a full plot if you have a plentiful and cheap/free supply of organic matter. It involves less digging, and seems to work (only did this bit last autumn, but the cauliflowers seem to be growing fine!).

Whichever you choose, good luck, and enjoy your new plot ;-)

[ameno]

Hi Bigboo and welcome.
Personally, I wouldn't use weedkiller on any ground where I intended to grow crops to eat.

Glyphosate takes a maximum of 2 weeks to break down into harmless substances in the soil.
What's more, even if it did potentially linger longer it would still be impossible to ingest any, as if any plants absorb it it would simply kill them, so there would be no contaminated vegetables to eat in the first place.

[mcdood]

There is contradictory evidence all over the internet on Glyphosate from Ameno's view above to much more critical views of the chemical so unfortunately no one piece of evidence to point you to. I assume the crops are to feed you and your family so my advice would be to do a bit of your own research and then decide if you want to use it. Personally I don't.

[Bigboo]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've had a look around and it looks to be mostly just overgrown grass but because of the length of it it's hard to tell. The only reason I mentioned dousing it in weedkiller is that I'm going away for a couple of weeks and it be nice to make that time that's useful for the plot.

[bikermike]

Cover it and block the light. Then you'll be clearing it back.

The problem with glycophosphate is the effect it has as part of a cocktail of chemicals. Research is showing that it is much more toxic and hs longer effects in the field than it does in the lab. The lawsuits are coming over deaths from it too.

[Logunner]

Thanks for the advice guys. I've had a look around and it looks to be mostly just overgrown grass but because of the length of it it's hard to tell. The only reason I mentioned dousing it in weedkiller is that I'm going away for a couple of weeks and it be nice to make that time that's useful for the plot.

Catch 22. If you have just weeks then weedkiller will do almost all of the job. If you have 12 months then covering will do almost all of the job.

As you see many are against chemical approach, but I counter that argument with, what happened on the plot before your time? A ‘onetime’ chemical approach in the beginning to get you started followed by a no chemical approach seems like a good compromise and one I have followed ( and am following on my new project ).

If you find marestail then no amount of covering, digging or praying will sort it! You are left with a choice of live with it, or chemical attack.

P.S

Many of the plot holders on our site are in there 70’s some 80’s, they’ve all used chemicals at some point, and some do so every year... welcome to russian roulette ��

[mrmauy]

Unfortunately you can't control what has happened before you, although I would hope that a plot left to go fallow for a while wouldn't have much residue from previous tenants.

If you're only away for a couple of weeks cutting it down at ground level and covering will at least help to weaken whatever is growing there. You could then follow a no dig or a dig it out approach depending on weeds and access to resources.

Whilst I can see the appeal, and in some cases merit, of a chemical approach I don't think it's something I would consider if I was planning to grow things in the same space in a short period of time. Spraying in autumn and growing in spring would be different to spraying today and planting out in two or three weeks time.

[ameno]

There is contradictory evidence all over the internet on Glyphosate from Ameno's view above to much more critical views of the chemical so unfortunately no one piece of evidence to point you to. I assume the crops are to feed you and your family so my advice would be to do a bit of your own research and then decide if you want to use it. Personally I don't.

There is indeed conflicting evidence about how harmful or not glyphosate is to humans

However, the chances of humans ingesting glyphosate through contaminated plants is utterly impossible. The reason being, even the tiniest trace of glyphosate will kill the plant, so if your plant grows big and healthy enough to produce a crop in the first place you can guarantee that there is no residual glyphosate.

[veggiechicken]

If the "tiniest trace of glyphosate will kill a plant" how much harm does it do to bees and wildlife?

All threads about Glyphosate/Roundup end up being closed because people can not discuss it rationally.
Its not fair on Bigboo that this thread is hijacked by Glyphosate. I suggest we leave the subject for another day.
Bigboo has decided dig out the weeds. https://www.growfruitandveg.co.uk/gr...ted_99457.html

[SarrissUK]

In my view, what kills a plant will just not be good for me either.

Covering the weeds doesn't have to take a full year. I have a plot that was full of cough grass, bind weed, thistle and all sorts of goodies. Covered in cardboard and horse manure from February this year onwards, a massive bed is now planted up with lots of plants with very few weeds coming through.

There ARE alternatives to weedkillers that are also not killing us or wildlife.

[Logunner]

In my view, what kills a plant will just not be good for me either.

Covering the weeds doesn't have to take a full year. I have a plot that was full of cough grass, bind weed, thistle and all sorts of goodies. Covered in cardboard and horse manure from February this year onwards, a massive bed is now planted up with lots of plants with very few weeds coming through.

There ARE alternatives to weedkillers that are also not killing us or wildlife.

I also use the cardboard and manure approach, but, and it’s a big but...

Once the cardboard has rotted down strong plants like thistles and bindweed will come straight back. Even CD recommends digging these as much as possible before setting up the beds. I just add another level to the initial task to speed up the process, and then move on to the no dig and no weedkiller.