Plastic 'weedkillers'...

ohherewegoagain | 20:49 Sun 30th Mar 2014 | Gardening

13 Answers

Previous owners of our house have laid that horrible heavy-duty plastic over the garden to try to stop weeds coming through, and over the years, the weeds have indeed grown through, including thick ones and brambles. Trouble is I can't remove the plastic as it's pinned down by the weeds and I can't remove the weeds as they're held down by the plastic! Added to the mess is a load of pebbles, heck knows why. If I could afford to I'd deck the lot, but has anyone any ideas? Ideally I'd like to turf it but it's in too much of a mess. The area is about 35 feet by 35.

Magic Lamps!

Rosemary

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woofgang

weedkiller and patience, or a team of husky diggers and money!

Maydup

The low cost chemical free option is to smother the weeds somehow. It would talk a bit of time, maybe a whole season, but If you could cover the area with old carpet or new plastic sheeting or huge pieces of card board weighed down with a few stones, the weeds would eventually die off. You could then remove your covers, pull up the old plastic and dig the area over.

Maydup

^^^ take not talk ^^^ sorry :)

ohherewegoagain

Question Author

Thanks both. Trouble is I need a quick fix so we can sell. Gonna try some industrial weedkiller from eBay, hope it kills the weeds so then I can lift the plastic. Wonder how much it would cost to concrete and slab it?

tonyav

You could use one of these.
http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Parasene-Metal-Garden-Weed-Wand-Torch-Butane-Gas-Burner-Blowtorch-Killer-Blaster-/131121355472?pt=UK_Home_Garden_Garden_Plants_Fertiliser_CV&hash=item1e87711ad0

woofgang

tony I've got one of those, they are good for the odd weed here and there but would take WEEKS (exaggeration) to go over a whole plot. I also wouldn't want to use one over plastic sheeting, the stink would be horrible.

tonyav

I didn't realise it took so long using a burner ( I thought it would be a quick fix ), woof.

Maydup

Industrial weedkiller it'll have to be then. You'll need to clear it to lay the concrete slabs anyway, and at least you'll not have to worry about trying to get anything to grow in the soil if you slab it.

Chipchopper

The person what put down the plastic sheeting probably thought it was a labor saving task and it probably was for a year or two. Trouble is nature will always try to reclaim what its lost and plants with creeping roots like bramble will soon be happy to grow under the plastic, then just wait for a weak spot to appear then put out runners on the surface.
What I would do is spade off the area or use a mattock on the tough bits, rolling the sheeting as you go (hard work but it would be worth it ,I think).

Putting it down to lawn would be less labor intensive in the long-run.

DaisyNonna

Son refused to buy me one of those Tony. What damage could I do? Does keep muttering under his breath about something called Napalm.

woofgang

oh they have their uses Daisy. For dealing with the odd weed in paving or where you don't want to use weedkiller they work well but tough stuff like docks and brambles need two or three treatments and if its late in the year and they have got big then you have to take the top off and treat the new growth. Its just that its a slow business treating the stuff then you have to leave it to die, then retreat if it shoots again.