Robert Gailey, 79, watched in horror as sparks from a gas-powered garden tool caused the lawn and shrubs of his neighbours, Stuart and Phyliss McLean, to catch light.
Mr Gailey had been using a Weed Wand, a £20 hand-held flaming device which burns weeds, to treat the driveway of his semi-detached home in Paisley, Renfrewshire.
Within seconds, the McLeans's manicured lawn and evergreen trees were aflame and Mr Gailey's wife, Mary, called the Fire Brigade. From The Telegraph
WEED CONTROL IN LAWNS: This is the time of the summer when many folks want to know how to kill weeds in their lawn. Some people just don't understand that there are many very prolific weeds out there that can be extremely hard to kill.
Many weeds have to be sprayed more than one time before they die. This is especially true with perennial weeds.
Also keep in mind that the more mature a weed gets the harder it is to kill. A young weed is much easier to kill than one that has been growing for several months.
There is no "silver bullet" out there that kills all the different types of weeds. Most of the time you will need two and sometimes three different weed killers to tackle all the weeds in your lawn. There are herbicides that can be safely used on some turf grasses but not others.
It is best to spray for weeds shortly after a good rain. Drought-stressed weeds are harder to kill than succulent weeds that have good moisture in them.
When you are applying herbicides, there is no reason to use a higher rate than is recommended on the label. From the Augusta Chronicle
Don't Kill Weeds; Eat Them!
For years, I tried various ways to rid my garden of weeds. Then I decided t look into their edibility. To my surprise many weeds are not only edible but very nutritious. They can be used in salads, soups, herbal teas and wine. Some have medicinal properties but we will leave that area to the doctors...
Who decides what plants are weeds! You do. Identifying weeds could become a challenging hobby. I am sure there are many plants in your yard that you are unable to name. Once you become aware of them, you will be amazed at the variety of these volunteer plants. There is a whole new world under your feet. Did you know that many weeds are out of control garden plants? Weeds are vegetables but most of us are not in the habit of using them.
From BCLocal NewsDon't Kill Weeds -- Grow Stronger Grass
The most effective method of controlling lawn weeds is to maintain a dense and vigorously growing turf cover. Weeds are often an indication of problems in the grass plant environment, and killing the weeds without correcting the underlying problem will lead to unsatisfactory results. For example, a problem with knotweed is usually an indication of severe soil compaction. Control of knotweed without correction of the soil compaction will only lead to sparse soil cover until the area is again invaded by weeds that grow in compacted soil.
Often turf weeds can be controlled simply by altering the cultural practices to favor the grass plants rather than the weeds. The cultural controls may include raising (or lowering) the mowing height, changing the frequency of mowing, lengthening (or shortening) the period between irrigations, increasing (or decreasing) the application of fertilizer, or aerifying the soil. From The Extension Service of University of Minnesota
I have no idea how this could fit in -- but I am intrigued with this:
No comments:
Post a Comment