The most powerful, most long lasting, best value single dose path weed-killer.

[Paul L]

One important detail is to get the strength right by following the recommendations. Too little and an ineffective waste of money, too much and the surface growth will get attacked too quickly but not the roots. As I understand it the right strength should show nothing for a few days or even a couple of weeks (which makes many people think it’s not working and they are tempted to repeat or go stronger next time) but this is when the surface weeds are taking the weed killer down to the roots which is what you want of course.

It’s the approach I learned from a mate and have also accepted that life finds a way so, no matter how effective the weed killer is, new weeds will return over a season or two because there will be plenty more in the soil. Excepting for the industrial products not available to us consumers and I had this done once many years ago. Boy did that create a barren wasteland for a long time and no doubt was not good for the soil or wildlife, as others have alluded to.

 

[mandryka]

What about this?

https://www.pitchcare.com/shop/pistol-herbicide-1l.html

The residual's a low dose of DFF, persistent but not a wide spectrum. It'll kill onions and oilseed rape well if you make a mistake though. Expensive too.

 

[Vinny]

Is DFF not part of the current pathclear - a selective herbicide, as dweezil suggests?

(I've not checked.)

At the end of the day, there is an ENORMOUS aversion to anything residual today, for essentially very good reason.

 

[mandryka]

But I can still buy it. Probably cheaper than Pathclear -- as far as I can see it is the old Pathclear which we all merrily used without a care in the word for years. I just added a link to my post above

https://www.pitchcare.com/shop/pistol-herbicide-1l.html

What's the issue with residual weedkiller? On a path!

 

[Vinny]

I am assuming that DFF is an acronym for diflufenican - part of current Pathclear.

If every scrap of Pathclear sold could be guaranteed to be used on a path on heavy soil, there would be minimal risk in residual wedkillers, but.........................

 

[mandryka]

So what's the difference between old and new pathclear?

 

[Vinny]

Just checked - DFF is diflufenican, and it is NOT broad specrum - see link back on page 1 of thread.

 

[tuga]

A goat?

 

[Vinny]

So what's the difference between old and new pathclear?

1 (bashplots.org.uk) - the OLD Pathclear - compare to what it is now - glyphosate and DFF

 

[foxwelljsly]

If you use Pathclear you’ll get away with twice a year, once beginning of April and once round about July. But it will cost you much more money. Gravel might as well be bear earth as far as many plants are concerned, they can happily root in it.

Re hoeing, it could work, but there’s a gardeners’ saying about it. They say that if you hoe when you can’t see any weeds you’ll never have weeds. The trick is to keep a hoe near the area, and pass the hoe over it once a week. Pass the hoe everywhere, turn all the ground - not just where you see a seedling. It really is easy to do, it will not take long, and it will work. But you have to be disciplined about it.

What's the guidance around children and animals? Plain Glyposate is fine after a day or 2.

 

[Vinny]

What's the guidance around children and animals? Plain Glyposate is fine after a day or 2.

When it come to people and pets there will be a margin of at least 10-fold involved, of that you can rest assured. Under perfect conditions, glyphosate is absorbed or destroyed by bacertia within tens of minutes.
Data for DFF will be online somewhere.
Neither will be 1% as persistant or potentially harmful as what was Pathclear 10 years ago.

I know that Brushwood killer (old recipe - 24D etc. as well) was discontinued a very long time ago as it didn't make enough money to ensure 101% that it was dioxin-free. That too, some at least, is now glyphosate.

I have most of a 30-year-old bottle of Garlon that I use for brambles and suchlike - still available agriculturally, but probably needs a pesticide licence today.

 

[stevec67]

Agent Orange was basically a reaction mixture, unpurified. Nominally 24D and 245T. As the link says, the problem with it being unpurified was the trace comtaminant - dioxin.

I have a tin of SBK left over from the 80s, it's 2-4D and 2-4-5 T. I rescued it from my Dad's shed when they moved. I use it very sparingly on non cultivated areas and ensure that I am wearing a Pathogen Level 4 Hazmat suit when I go within 1 yard of it. There may well be a circular zone of dead flies and spiders around where it sits on the shelf in the shed.

 

[aion1944]

Not really - household bleach contains sodium hypochlorite and caustic soda (sodium hydroxide). There is no realistic way to get to chlorate from there outside of a chemical lab or plant.

check that ! boiled bleach until it evaporates and leaves a deposit on the sides of the container is sodium chlorate

 

[Vinny]

check that ! boiled bleach until it evaporates and leaves a deposit on the sides of the container is sodium chlorate

And you propose doing that at home?

Did you know that chlorine was one of the poison gases used during WW1?

Good luck with that.

 

[Darth Vader]

check that ! boiled bleach until it evaporates and leaves a deposit on the sides of the container is sodium chlorate

You have absolutely no idea about what you are talking about and its utterly foolhardy and dangerous what you are doing so I respectfully ask you to stop it before you cause yourself and others damage.

Cheers,

DV