Apparently the term "weed" has no botanical significance. It's a plant in the wrong place. I am lucky really that I have any pernicious weeds like Japanese Knot-weed or Ground Elder. Both introduced from foreign shores. Apparently Mr and Mrs Roman Empire are said to have introduced Ground Elder to northern Britain because there weren't much fresh greens in those days, yawn!
Japanese Knot-weed is said to have come with the Rhododendrons from Asia and purposely planted in the sixties for ornamental purposes. The Edwardians planted it for game cover. Is there an organic cure to eradicate it? I have even read that it can be fed to livestock. Don't fancy it though, do you? We are just troubled with Montbretia, Creeping Buttercup, Brambles, Chickweed, Docks...?
I have been weeding with hand, bucket and trowel all week, weeding the paths and flower and veg gardens. I was wondering (weeding) if somebody could invent an organic spray weedkiller?
Do you use weedkiller? We some times spray the rushes in the fields. But we wouldn't use chemicals near the veg plot. I have read that Glyphosphates are rendered harmless when they make contact with the soil, but I don't like them do you?
We don't use weed killers. Not even on the paths around the houses. I know the Victorian gardeners at Heligan use to spread and sweep sand on to the paths. The sea salt kept the weeds away.
I have read about vinegar being used for a natural weedkiller. A lot of the commercial vegetable growers use weedkillers. I was once in a farm centre in West Cork and a man asked for weedkiller to put on the weeds on his potato rows. Would you use weed killer? Am I being paranoid and could I be saving myself a lot of work?
Please share your thoughts on using weed killers.
In the words of Mrs Merton: "Lets have a heated debate!"
Seriously: what do you think about using weedkiller?
