phil@amdcad.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (10/06/85)
I have an area of my yard where I never ever want anything to grow,
namely the area next to my fence. I have tried Triox which is sold as
a persistent herbicide, but it was not effective. Handling such
chemicals isn't much fun either. Now I'm thinking of digging a trench
and putting a bag or two of water softener salt in it.
Does this sound like it would work? Are there any disadvantages or
advantages I might have overlooked?
--
Arthur Rudolph believed that technology is morally neutral and so,
therefore, are those who create it.
Phil Ngai +1 408 749-5720
UUCP: {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra}!amdcad!phil
ARPA: amdcad!phil@decwrl.ARPAsmh@rduxb.UUCP (henning) (10/06/85)
**** ****
From the keys of Steve Henning, AT&T Bell Labs, Reading, PA rduxb!smh
> I have an area of my yard where I never ever want anything to grow,
I would never use any "permanent" herbicide and salt certainly
will not work since it is water soluable and there are many weeds that
grow by the seashore that are tolerant to salt. The product that is
made for this application is ROUNDUP. It is a slow acting
spray which must enter green tissue, then is tranlocated to the roots where
it kills the roots. Then, about a week later, the plant dies, roots and all.
ROUNDUP is not toxic, it will not kill any plant unless it enters the green
tissue. It can not kill roots on contact since contact with soil completely
neutralizes it, hence no residual action. Grounds keepers have sprayed a
lawn one day and planted the same field two days later. The new grass
came in before the old grass died. By the way, ROUNDUP kills grass, as well
as weeds. It is most effective on plants which are near maturity and ready
to bloom. It should not affect moss. No promises on that one.
If you use ROUNDUP with a suitable pre-emergence herbicide which
your county agent can recommend, you will probably only need to
apply 2 to 4 times a year. If you have a small area, then boiling water
will kill any plants and is essentially free if you do much cooking.
You should have the waste water available from cooking eggs or potatoes
or something to make this practical.notes@harpo.UUCP (10/08/85)
ROUNDUP does work vry well as described. ORTHO sells it by the name of CLEANUP or is it spelled KLEENUP. Generally, ROUNDUP is meant to be sole to farmers in the larger amounts. As I recall a quart of ROUNDUP costs around $30 and you use one part to 50 parts water.
sdi@loral.UUCP (10/09/85)
---------------------------- I have heard from an old farmer that salt will kill just about anything you want. Right now I am trying it on some real persistant patch of bermuda grass. You can use a handfull of table salt mixed with a bucket of water, or rock salt. It doesn't matter.
thom@ewj01.UUCP (Thom Leonard) (10/10/85)
> ROUNDUP does work vry well as described. ORTHO sells it by > the name of CLEANUP or is it spelled KLEENUP. Generally, ROUNDUP > is meant to be sole to farmers in the larger amounts. As I recall > a quart of ROUNDUP costs around $30 and > you use one part to 50 parts water. Maybe someone out there with a background in organic chem. can fill us in on this, but an item in *Acres USA*, 5 October, '85, (10008 60th Terrace, Kansas City, MO 64133) warns against letting Roundup come into contact with "nitrates contained in substances such as nitrogen fertilizer." According to the item, the combination can result in a reaction which produces "deadly compounds that have been linked to genetic diseases and cancer." A little vague for my liking, but still enough to keep me from using Roundup on the same lawn that I'd fertilized with fertilome or any of its cousins. Thom Leonard, East West Journal, Brookline, MA
nemo@rochester.UUCP (Wolfe) (10/17/85)
> I have heard from an old farmer that salt will kill just about > anything you want. Right now I am trying it on some real persistant > patch of bermuda grass. I have reservations about using salt as an herbicide. The main one is that, while it is probably not an immediate danger to wildlife like some organic chemicals are, it does not decompose and will eventually reach the ground water below. Sure, municipalities dump tons of salt on the roads every year, and that bugs me too, but why should you contribute to the problem? And it is a problem, one that we are going to have to face squarely in the next twenty years or so. Water is a precious resource. Nemo -- Internet: nemo@rochester.arpa UUCP: {decvax, allegra, seismo, cmcl2}!rochester!nemo Phone: [USA] (716) 275-5766 school 232-4690 home USMail: 104 Tremont Circle; Rochester, NY 14608 School: Department of Computer Science; University of Rochester; Rochester, NY 14627