homemade weedkiller

Hi, I have a load of salt and vinegar and would like to make my own inexpensive weedkiller, I know salt and vinegar both kill weeds but how do I mix them? I have a pressurised sprayer but not sure how much of each I need and if any water needs to be added, anyone suggest a good mix to me.

Keith

 

Illegal under EU law so we can't advise i'm afraid

 

Why is it illegal? I thought it was much better for the environment than the toxic stuff you buy, never mind toxic stuff it is then

 

Hi Keith this isn't allowed because under EU law you are not allowed to use anything in the garden which isn't strictly for use as a garden chemical.

this is why you get chemicals withdrawn from the market each year because it's not financially viable to re-license them.

this thread may continue but not in reply to the original question.

 

Hi Keith,

I've just gone back to the thread on slugs & told myself off, I wasn't thinking but i've realised i've fallen foul of the same usesless bit of EU legislation.

Its all a big con aimed at making people buy stuff produced by big businesses. However a Government minister here has stated that they will not be prosecuting people for pouring the washing up water over the roses.

 

I think we're not allowed to use 'normal' vinegar that we put on fish & chips, use for pickling onions, making chutneys, etc. as a weedkiller, but agricultural grade concentrated acetic acid that's far, far more dangerous is permitted for use as a weedkiller.

 

if you use the proper vinegar (20-30% concentration), and it gets in your eyes, you will go blind

 

Can anyone find a list of what we can use? I've had a look but couldn't.

 

Garden Centres have got wise to this silly law now and all those wonderful old remedies like Green Sulphur are now sold as "soil conditioners" :WINK1:

 

This is banned



This isn't:

 

Surely on a forum its OK to discuss, what to use as weed killers, even if not cleared for use by the EU. Cant find a two fingers icon.

If not, why does everyone keep suggesting neem oil as an insecticide?

 

That stuff that you are asserting to be toxic to the environment has in fact been tested and been found to be safe for the environment. You may dispute that, but the testing is as good as is gets, as of this moment in time. Clearly the former tests, e.g. those used for DDT and Thalidomide, were not good enough, at that time.

Its people using Creosote and Jeyes Fluid to "sterilise the soil" and then finding it was getting into the ground water that have probably lead to a knee-jerk reaction from Brussels ... together with lobbying from Big Pharma :(

I have no idea how bad Salt and Vinegar are for the soil; my understanding is that Salt is definitely bad, but I may have mis-remembered. Either way, you should not assume that something you put on your fish & chips is going to also be safe to put on the ground.

Personally I think when legislation like this comes in ("All products must be retested before being allowed to be sold") then any products in common use (such as Sulphur as a fungicide and Ammonium sulphamate as a weedkiller - both "simple" chemicals by anyones' definition) and where manufacturers have no Patent monopoly to enable them to re-coup the cost of testing, then those products should have testing funded by the government - perhaps only where some learned body of Scientists form an independent opinion that the balance of probability is that the product is unlikely to harmful, and is likely to be effective.

 

Different forums take a different stance on whether they feel that they are "common carriers" or might actually be held responsible for opinions that people state on their website.

If a forum wants to take the second view they had jolly well better read every single post, and censor/moderate where necessary, otherwise they would definitely be held liable if they only did it in some places and not others ...

Probably better to have a very light touch on moderation / censorship in order to justifiably be able to claim "common carrier" [I think that's the correct term - the same as the Royal Mail delivering bomb making material, or the like, and not being liable]

 

our stance is that we try too educate in posts rather then eradicate posts and since this forum is now hosted within the EU it's probably best if we try and at least make an effort

 

So, just to be sure I'm clear

I can't use salt on my paths to kill the weeds?
But its OK to put it on the path (and road) when it is icy?

Hence why some research into whether Salt etc. is harmful to the environment would be good-to-know I reckon.