France in Focus

I've done a search here and there seems to be nothing on Weedkillers!

Now that Glysophate has been banned, I am still spending a fortune on products that don't work i.e. yes they do and very quickly, but the weeds re-grow pretty quickly too - so only the top growth is killed.

I've done searches on Amazon for "systemic" weedkillers but there don't seem to be any.

Any advice please?

What are you trying to kill and where - for example dandelions in the drive.

Most here I think tend to shun commercial weed killers in most locations. There are often alternatives but they may entail rather more work. The problem with anything that you apply is that it is likely to turn up where it is not required - for example a sample on German rivers showed that 70% had traces of glyphosate in the (drinking) water. This despite the claims that it is deactivated on contact with soil.

We have this week used for the very weedy gravel drive a mixture of white vinegar, table salt and a little bit of washing up liquid as told to us by someone we met at a bar last week with the same problem and it had been passed on to him by someone else with the same problem - know what........ it works....... so off to buy some large containers of white vinegar and bags of table salt

Yes that is an excellent mix but probably of limited use on the lawn

You do need to be a little bit careful of salt run off if you do regular applications but I would have suggested something very similar for a drive.

Is Glyphosate totally banned - or only for amateurs?

It is in the process of being phased out for professionals but I am not sure anymore where we are in that process.

exile wrote: ↑Fri Jul 01, 2022 1:04 pm What are you trying to kill and where - for example dandelions in the drive.

Most here I think tend to shun commercial weed killers in most locations. There are often alternatives but they may entail rather more work. The problem with anything that you apply is that it is likely to turn up where it is not required - for example a sample on German rivers showed that 70% had traces of glyphosate in the (drinking) water. THIS DESPITE THE CLAIMS THAT IT IS DEACTIVATED ON CONTACT WITH SOIL.

You can thank Monsanto, etc. for that lie.

Whatever you use, the risk of the liquid leeching to unwanted areas will remain. I now use a propane bottle and a long burner as used by flat roofers to burn the weeds off. It also starts a BBQ quite well. Word of warning: Keep well away from a box hedge, they go up quicker than you can say "Oh sh*t!"

We have a very old and uneven terrace and I spot treat any weeds that pop up with white vinegar - as you say, it works a treat. I also have to battle with ants every year as they have contributed to the unevenness with their nests, throwing up sandy soil from under the stones.

I've hardly used any weedkiller in Oradour, but I used to treat our gravel drive at the last place with neat white vinegar - a few holes in the lid and you create a spray bottle. Used during a warm dry spell, it works well but not durably. I used to trat around 4 times during the spring/summer.
For "lawns", regular mowing and that spiky tool you press (I've got one but don't know the name) will see off most unwanted weeds.

MAD87 wrote: ↑Fri Jul 01, 2022 3:02 pm that spiky tool you press

Sounds interesting - any chance of a photo, please MAD ??