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[tunnie]

Planning on a little light garden clearance, the back garden is a bit infested with over grown plants.

The ground is like clay here, its really hard work with a spade. So was thinking about one of these.



I need to measure and see if it fits down the side path, does anyone know any places in Northamptonshire area that are cheap to hire these?

Cheapest i found is about £70+ vat each day

[kris9128]

theres a weed killer i've used a few times whilst clearing overgrown land. called SODIUM CHLORATE. rather lethal stuff. kills everthing. lot cheaper and a lot easier. just a thought.

[tunnie]

theres a weed killer i've used a few times whilst clearing overgrown land. called SODIUM CHLORATE. rather lethal stuff. kills everthing. lot cheaper and a lot easier. just a thought.

We have dogs and a cat, we would like to avoid weed killer.

I was thinking of digging down, and then covering the area with pond liner or something for a month, starve it of light and kill it.

[kris9128]

theres a weed killer i've used a few times whilst clearing overgrown land. called SODIUM CHLORATE. rather lethal stuff. kills everthing. lot cheaper and a lot easier. just a thought.

We have dogs and a cat, we would like to avoid weed killer.

I was thinking of digging down, and then covering the area with pond liner or something for a month, starve it of light and kill it.

probably a good idea then if you have animals.
will be hard work tho and covering with a liner may not kill the weeds. they have a habbit of going into a type of hibernation. when you remove the cover they may just grow back. good look tho.

[kris9128]

or you could dig down then rotorvate  the garden to destroy any weeds/roots that are left behind.

[tunnie]

or you could dig down then rotorvate  the garden to destroy any weeds/roots that are left behind.

Yep, thats a good idea  

[waspy]

or you could dig down then rotorvate  the garden to destroy any weeds/roots that are left behind.

Agreed

[beemerdevil]

yup................heavy duty rotavator

[cem_devecioglu]

I would like to play with one of them..

[Darth Loo-knee]

Think I would give the JCB one a miss they leak more oil and breakdown  

[TheBoy]

If you really want one, CHC in Croughton are who I used.  You need to tell them width of back gate, so they send you one that will narrow itself and go through.

Fact of the matter, it won't allow you to get up big bushes, you need a bigger one for that, and you won't get it round the back.  Also, the hardest work is getting all the stuff in the skip

[tunnie]

the big bushes are not the problem, its that nasty green big leaf plant which has spread everyware, the big bushes can stay its that over grown crap we want out

[TheBoy]

the big bushes are not the problem, its that nasty green big leaf plant which has spread everyware, the big bushes can stay its that over grown crap we want out

You will never get rid of that sort of stuff by digging it up, you'll just make a mess.

Treatment is the best cure for that.

[tunnie]

the big bushes are not the problem, its that nasty green big leaf plant which has spread everyware, the big bushes can stay its that over grown crap we want out

You will never get rid of that sort of stuff by digging it up, you'll just make a mess.

Treatment is the best cure for that.

My though was starving it of light... the soil is thick heavy clay, useless stuff, thought of digging down, and putting top soil down, then cover for about a month to kill it, then put small amounts of Roundup where ever it comes through.

With the dogs and cat, don't really want to use strong stuff...

[shyboy]

If your ground is infested with 'ground elder' it will find its way back whatever you do. It must be the most tenacious plant ever, because it will re-grow from the tiniest fraction of leafless root left behind, and seemingly no matter how deep it is in the ground.
In our old house, before I knew what it was, I let it spread because the leaf, (it doesn't flower), is quite attractive, and we became overrun and never conquered it. In my present much smaller garden, I've spent two years dealing with an outbreak introduced by a plant donated by a friend, and it's still showing up after a short period of rest after I've attacked it.
In a raised bed, we have put down bark chippings which suppresses many weeds, and this makes the appearance of this curse easy to spot as it pushes up from below. I then dig down, sometimes to 18 inches or more, tracing the root, which has often spread underground and try to remove it intact. Just when I think we've cracked it, up it comes again. Definitely getting paranoid about it, and although I'm slowly getting there, this is in a small confined area.
The trouble with using large quantities of aggressive blanket weedkiller is the drastic effect they have through getting into water courses etc., and it has to be used very carefully. Remember also that Sodium Chlorate is very toxic, kills everything, and can cause spontaneous combustion on fabrics if stored in the right (or wrong), conditions. If you want to keep a garden weed free, it means continual hours of attention with little let up in the attack.
Good luck, Tunnie.