Hinotori
Sustainability Master
- Joined
- Nov 2, 2011
- Messages
- 5,475
- Reaction score
- 11,388
- Points
- 373
- Location
- On the foot of Mt Rainier
Epsom salt is a fertilizer that enhances leaf growth and health. Just leave it out.
The dish soap removes the plants oils and helps the vinegar penetrate on hardier plants. I don't think you actually need that much, though. Normal amount for a sink of dishes will work just fine.
I use straight vinegar 5% on the pavers at my back door. Boiling water is also very effective.
If you use a garden flamethrower, wilt and singe, but don't burn the top growth. This forces the plant to repair the damage and uses up the energy stores.
Plants store energy in there roots same as we store it as fat. If you can cause the plant to completely deplete that energy it kills it. This works on noxious weeds as well. Let it send up shoots to a few inches then cut or kill them back. Repeat until nothing comes back.
For blackberries, that is cutting them back every other week at a minimum and about 6 months of time. Wild rose takes longer. It does work on scotchbroom, but we actually dug the few patches out to be done with it. Have to get all the roots.
Smothering or solarizing works well but takes time.
I don't use weedkillers here. Chickens free range and eat everything. So it's digging here a lot. But I'm lazy and have old large rubber mats that I decided were better reused than trashed. I lay them where I want stuff dead and come back in a week or two.
The dish soap removes the plants oils and helps the vinegar penetrate on hardier plants. I don't think you actually need that much, though. Normal amount for a sink of dishes will work just fine.
I use straight vinegar 5% on the pavers at my back door. Boiling water is also very effective.
If you use a garden flamethrower, wilt and singe, but don't burn the top growth. This forces the plant to repair the damage and uses up the energy stores.
Plants store energy in there roots same as we store it as fat. If you can cause the plant to completely deplete that energy it kills it. This works on noxious weeds as well. Let it send up shoots to a few inches then cut or kill them back. Repeat until nothing comes back.
For blackberries, that is cutting them back every other week at a minimum and about 6 months of time. Wild rose takes longer. It does work on scotchbroom, but we actually dug the few patches out to be done with it. Have to get all the roots.
Smothering or solarizing works well but takes time.
I don't use weedkillers here. Chickens free range and eat everything. So it's digging here a lot. But I'm lazy and have old large rubber mats that I decided were better reused than trashed. I lay them where I want stuff dead and come back in a week or two.
Not in my Cheerios 
