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Animal friendly weed/grass killer?

aidanhoadaidanhoad Posts: 171
in Tools and techniques
Hi all,

I have a tarmac lane leading down to my house which is starting to see areas of moss/grass/weeds grow through... obviously I need to stop this before it breaks the tarmac up itself HOWEVER the lane is surrounded by Croft land and therefore has roaming sheep. Has anyone any suggestions as to an animal friendly product that I can use (not keen on having to use vinegar or boiling water as alternatives).

Thank you in advance,
Aidan.

Posts

  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,145
    A flame thrower?  You can get ones with small canisters.

    Other than that, the kinds of weed killers available to domestic gardeners have changed a great deal in toxicity and effectiveness in recent years so the best thing to do is go and read some labels in a good garden centre or DIY store or maybe online if there are none near you.  I expect most are not good if ingested but some would be OK within a few hours and once dry after being sprayed.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • Pete.8Pete.8 Posts: 10,294
    As far as I know, glyphosate (Roundup and the like) are safe once dry; and with the current weather it'd be dry within minutes.
    It is absorbed only by the leaves.
    It is also harmless to soil according to the blurb

    Or as Obelixx suggests above - a flame thrower. But a weed gun may be more controllable 😁
    Knowledge is knowing that a tomato is a fruit.
    Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad.
  • ObelixxObelixx Posts: 29,145
    Glyphosate has been measured in significant quantities in water courses and can affect plants and thus wildlife in ponds, streams, canals, rivers......   Presumably the same happens with other such products especially when people don't follow the correct dilution and application instructions.

    On the other hand, a flame thrower will burn any insets and so on lurking in the weeds so it's swings and roundabouts really.  Or train the sheep to eat the weeds.
    Vendée - 20kms from Atlantic coast.
    "We don't stop playing because we grow old; we grow old because we stop playing." - George Bernard Shaw
  • aidanhoadaidanhoad Posts: 171
    Hi both,

    thanks very much for the suggestions.

    I did have a ‘flame thrower’ of sorts but frankly it was useless as the slightest breeze would blow out the flame... perhaps I shall have to invest in a better one.

    Alternatively I’ll train the sheep to eat the weeds... Not sure how I’ll go about this but I’ll give it my best! 😂

    Thanks again!
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