Page 34 - ALG Issue 4 2017

Q&MAike Thurlow...
I have tried to select questions that may be topical and cover most aspects of the vegetable garden/ allotment. Allotment gardening covers a wide range of interests; if you want to include any other areas of gardening please send your questions in.
QClearing weeds on a plot
I have brambles, grass, tough weeds, dandelions, couch grass and two small pyracanthas trees growing on my
allotment. My plot has been up and running for just four years now; before that it was just left as a eld but 30 odd years ago it had been an allotment site.
A member of the allotments has informed me that if I cut down the trees, brambles etc., I cannot take the roots off the site to dispose of them if they have any earth on them as it is against the allotment association rules. Is this correct? It would be much easier to load up tree stumps, bramble stumps and bare roots
of weeds into a wheelbarrow and take them away to dispose of, rather than leaving them on site to slowly rot! I am running out of
time to plant up the remaining veg that I have grown at home for transplanting onto my plot. I haven’t got the time now to weedkill all of the weeds as I would have to
wait four weeks for this to take effect, then get rid of dead remainder so I can plant my veg. I
don’t really like using chemicals although I felt pressured into giving this a try about 3 months
ago but it didn’t kill off all the offending weeds anyway! It is almost July and I
have a professional chap with his own company to help me next week. What exactly am I allowed to do concerning the
disposal of weeds/roots please? Thank you for your time,
Mrs. Noelle Tyson
AThere is no legislation that prohibits any of the plants that you have listed above being dug up and
disposed off-site. However, many tenancy agreements include a
clause that restricts the removal of soil from the plot. Therefore, you will need to remove all
the soil from around the roots before disposing of the plants. They can either be put through your local authority’s green recycling system or
perhaps the gardener that you are employing has their own means.
There is a list of invasive non- native plants that can’t be put
through a green recycling system and more information
on these can be found on the Natural England and Plantlife websites.
QBlanket spraying weedkiller
I am seeking your advice on the matter of blanket spraying the oor of a wildlife tree area (part of an
allotment) with glyphosate weedkiller, for the purpose of clearing a large area and planting bulbs and other small shrubs.
My questions are:
1. Will it kill all plant life?
2. Will it kill or adversely affect the living creatures?
3. Will it have any long lasting effect?
I very much welcome your help and comments in this matter. Thank you.
Alan Brown
AYou are acting responsibly in wanting to nd out more about
a chemical before using it on your allotment. Glyphosate
is classi ed as a translocated (systemic) herbicide that is absorbed through the leaves of plants and is then transported through the sap system of a plant down to its roots. It is totally non- selective and will kill any type of plant that it comes into contact with.
The answers to your speci c points are:
1. Glyphosate will kill all plant life that it comes into contact with. Some deep-rooted docks or thistles may attempt to recover but can be controlled by further applications but it isn’t so effective on woody plants. It is stated that glyphosate will need at least six hours of dry weather after application to be effective. If it does rain before, then you will have to re spray the area.
2. Glyphosate may not directly kill living creatures but it will cause injury and suffering to some such as small mammals and birds. The destruction of any type of natural habitat will in ict further harm on birds, insects and any other forms of animal life. Importantly, it is forbidden by law to use glyphosate near water courses, rivers or ponds because it is toxic to aquatic organisms and will cause long- term harm in the aquatic environment.
3. Manufacturers of glyphosate claim that it has no long-lasting effects, eventually becoming harmless after breaking down in the soil. They also state that it is safe to allow pets and children on to the sprayed areas once the chemical has dried. I would be more cautious in this capacity. I have read accounts of glyphosate taking longer to break down in clay soils than it does in others, although I have no technical data to present to you.
Always read the instructions before buying any chemical and always follow the manufacturer’s directions when preparing and using them. Herbicides are expensive. To be effective they should be applied at the optimum time in the growing life of plants. This usually is between March and the end of September. Wait until just around owering time if possible. The use of modern, sophisticated chemicals in the garden is a personal decision. All that I would say is please consider and only use them as a last resort and not a quick x, especially on the allotment.
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