taking on more space!! and weedol question

[mrs baggins]

only had my lottie for about 2 months or so but the bug has caught me1 I dont think mines a big plot as its about 20 foot wide or so but some of it is fairly unusable at present. there is a tree halfway down which casts shadow across the whole plot and the last 12 feet or so have been used as a dumping ground and nettles/brambles abound so using the main area only at the moment. There was a nother small plot next to mine about maybe 10 feet wide and I kept meaning to ask about it but when i got round to it someone had just taken it on! to cut a long story short they never signed/turned up so they have said I can have it!!! so now I have a widish plot divided down the centre with a line of gooseberries. The new bit though is totally grassed area with nettles/docks/dandelions. Sprayed it the other day with weedol as my intention is for now to kill it off, rotovate it then turn it over and weed it again. I sprayed on monday and the top growth is already dead but not sure how quickly the roots die off if anyone knows i would be grateful as I want to get it rotovated soonish

[Two_Sheds]

I used some Roundup, as per instructions, and the topgrowth died back after about a fortnight. The roots however, are still white and alive, and ruddy difficult to dig out. (some are dead and blackened, but they are just as tough to dig out).
I'm not convinced that weedkiller is the be all and end all ... there's still a lotta digging to be done!
On my mum's plot, we covered the weeds with carpet and fence panels - after 6 months (winter) the soil is beautiful to dig, there are virtually no weeds remaining, and the ones that are struggling to survive (dock, bindweed, couch) get dug out with little resistance. If you have the time, this is the way to go.

[Mrs Dobby]

Have to agree that covering the plot over is the best way to remove / suppress the weeds, but weedkiller does have it place too! Our new second plot has some really bad areas, so we are going to spray these (along with the weeds that are coming thru the bark chipping on the paths, as it will help to control the weeds and give us some breathing space. In an ideal world we'd have the time to double dig every bed abd remove as much as possible, but the growing season is here, and we arent going to have time! What I would also recommend is to plant thru weed control fabric, or mulch heavily wherever you can, as this will help control the weeds in those beds you've already cleared, saving time and effort!

[Two_Sheds]

plant thru weed control fabric, or mulch heavily wherever you can, as this will help control the weeds in those beds you've already cleared, saving time and effort!

This is key - once you've cleared a bit, get it planted up or covered with something (carpet, thick cardboard, whatever) or else the weeds will re-colonise.

[Norm]

Sprayed it the other day with weedol as my intention is for now to kill it off, rotovate it then turn it over and weed it again. I sprayed on monday and the top growth is already dead but not sure how quickly the roots die off if anyone knows i would be grateful as I want to get it rotovated soonish

Your first problem is using weedol. It only kills top growth and does precious little to the roots. You need a glyphosate weed killer to shift the roots. B&Q and Wilkinsons (amongst others) sell their own brand of Glyphosate weed killer but the strength varies, as do the results. I use Roundup 2000 which is a very concentrated liquid, diluted according to the instructions on the bottle and it works.
It is expensive (£40) but it will wipe out everything green on the plot, including the roots, to give you a clean sheet to start on. Don't be tempted to rush the job, It could take up to 3 weeks to kill the roots as well.

[chuffa]

I, like Norm, use roundup. It becomes inactive once it touches the soil and when dry does no harm to wildlife and kids. You can also sow straight away when dry.

[mrs baggins]

thanks for the advice. I know its gonna be hard but really want to basically get what I can this year. will also take advice about covering ground but will have to use that weed suppresant fabric as carpets are not allowed on the allotment site. or maybe use some heavy duty black polythene