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Originally Posted by fairy  Weed clearing next to a hedge?!
Having learnt my lesson that I will need to occassionally use weed killer e.g to clear my site, my next concern is that my new allotment is right next to a hedge. The allotment is full of different sized roots - presumably from the hedge. Q-1 If i weed kill the plot using Glyphosate a couple of times, will it harm the hedge at all? It's about 2m away from the actual trunks. Q-2 And also, how the heck am I gonna get the roots out of my allotment.... dig, dig and more digging? |
Q-1 first.
Either.
Use a watering can, pretty well any time.
or
Sprayer on a windless day.
Glyphosate is absorbed via the green parts of the plant, once it hits the ground it will not affect the roots.
The only way it will harm the hedge is if the spray drifts onto the leaves, hence the above advice.
Q-1.
Depends how big the roots are. If they are from the hedge than removing too many will do (potentially) as much harm as some spray drift.
Within ten feet or so of the hedge, provided you can single dig I would leave them alone, but consider constructing raised beds on the rooty area, or using it for compost bins etc.
Remember that a healthy hedge will suck up quite a bit of water in the summer so these alternative uses may be the best way to use the ground nearest the hedge.
Further away they are unlikely to be hedge roots, more likely to be perennial weeds such as couch, bindweed and nettles, potentially also bramble and blackthorn (both these two will invade as some of my fellow plotholders know only too well), all of which the glyphosate should see off,
provided you have left enough greenery above ground to absorb it.
Hope this helps, it is based on an assumption of a more or less suburban hedge, guess you'll say its twenty foot tall hawthorn
, in which case, get permission to layer it this winter, then follow same plan above next year, but over ten foot out use the mattock and hand axe to cut and remove any substantial roots, anything below 1/4 inch should decay over a year or two he says
hopefully.
Layering involves cutting most of the way through the tree/shrub stems and the using stakes from surplus limbs/stems weaving the stems (or arranging the stakes if the stems are too thick to weave) into a living fence, it removes alot of top growth, makes the hedge a manegable height and cuts its water demand allowing the roots to be curtailed.
Run away with myself a bit on this one, but very sympathetic to your plight.
