It's all pretty grim Paul, we are all doomed but the good news is THE WEEDS WILL SURVIVE !
Crikey, all I wanted to know was how to rid our gravel drive of unsightly weeds. Now I find that we're all doomed anyway, and presumably weeds are the least of our problems!!
We could, but we won't, we are pretty much doomed Peter, we have only ourselves to blame. Lets just stop having babies, let the human race die out and let the animals and insects take over, they will do a much better job I am sure ;-)
Many thanks for all the replies and comments. I now have a plan B!.
My main complaint against the weed killer producers is that the claims made on their packaging and marketing blurb remains the same as 10 years ago despite the reduction in strength and % of the active ingredients.
Ban or restrict health damaging chemicals by all means, but don't continue to market a product that doesn't (any longer) do the job it is sold to do. Concentrate on developing hoe technology until we have the perfect instrument for removing weeds.
Me too to a certain extent Rachel but harmful chemicals used on the land will gradually be phased out in the EEC which is good but viable alternatives need to be found. Arguably an even more potent cause of serious illness is the burning of petrol & diesel etc The quality of the air is becoming unacceptable to many but we can't just ban the use of road and air travel can we ?
Doesn't mean we should excuse the use of chemical products Peter, no wonder there are so many people with serious illnesses. I would rather pay more and eat less :)
Great news for unemployment. Every farmer could employ 10 workers to take out weeds every day though I can't imagine you would enjoy paying ten times more for your weekly shopping !
I am totally against weed killers. One should use a hoe or something! Thank goodness these things are being banned!
Companes were forced to reduce the strength of Glysophate some years hence the reduction efficiency. There is a product, Mustang Duo used by professionals which contains the molecule Glysophate (at a reduced level) plus Diflufénicanil which works really well together - you would probably need to order this from somewhere like an agricultural dealer.
http://www.pfc.fr/fr/espaces_verts/?o1=54&o2=56&pid=146
Another way to kill some weeds is by spraying them with diesel, cheap and cheerful but they don't like it up 'em...
I bought the roundup spot treatment, for dandelions in the lawn, nettles in the flowerbeds, etc....a complete waste of time and money. I'll also be giving the 'cheapest in price/double the dose' a try as well.
It's not just France Paul. The french are governed by euro legislation and different chemicals are being taken out of service annually throught the EEC. Use of Herbicides, Insecticides and Pesticides are being drastically reduced in an effort to reduce pollution which is great for the Green Parties etc but bad for those of us working with the soil in any way. Glyphosate is still available (Roundup etc) though even the formulae have changed over the past few decades. As someone said, buy the cheapest available and double the dose.
I adore bamboo actually if it's contained. This was simply planted by someone and allowed free rein which is absolutely insane in a smallish garden. If it invades a public area or a neighbour's territory, presumably I'll be held accountable. I would love to dig down and install a barrier to keep a manageable patch of it but the majority of it (ie all the sections around the perimeter) needs nuking.
Glyphosate is the main ingredient in RoundUp - I never worked out why they'd ban one which contains the other. Glyphosate will work on yer old 'bog standard' weeds - failed dismally on the bloody bamboo which is still sending shoots up all over the lawn. Sorry, RHS, your recommendation was a bust in my garden.
Otherwise go eco unless you're in a desperate hurry - just mix a lot of vinegar (33c a litre) with some liquid soap and salt then spray everywhere. The combo kills off most things in sufficient quantities.
many thanks Bernadette, I shall look out for Glyphosate next time I'm in Le Clerc.
I use the cheap Glyphosate from the supermarket (less than ten euro a litre). Double the dose and it clears our weeds with no problem. It even killed off a Virginia Creeper and some Ivy that were not touched by the expensive brands.