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AIBU?

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Original poster

To Chuck weedkiller over fence ?

135 replies

incognitodorrito · 06/09/2021 11:17

I recently paid £7 K to fence in my garden. Both neighbours very tight and I wanted a safe garden so I've paid the lot. I won't ever be able to afford to finance this again. The neighbour on one side is allowing her garden to go to pot and I've got thorns and weeds and branches growing over and pushing against my new lovely fence. She did not allow my fencer to cut anything back on her side which ok fine, but now it's pushing against my fence. Her garden is so absolute mess but she doesn't seem to want to do anything about it any I don't want the fence damaged. AIBU to cut back what comes on my side and Chuck weed killer over the side ...?

OP posts:
Original poster
incognitodorrito · 07/09/2021 07:30

@Lostmarbles2021

My point is that you are still happy to consider poisoning the plants on the other side of your fence.

Less harmful? How much less harm? Any harm? Do you know? Do you care?

I’m pretty shocked that you even posted the question to be honest.

WIBU to vandalise my neighbours property? Er.....yes. It’s pretty obvious that anyone with a moral compass wouldn’t consider it. Think it? He’ll yes! Imagine doing it? Totally. Do it? Only if you have dubious moral standards. Sorry to be blunt but you asked for opinions and that’s mine.

Thank you for voicing your thoughts and sorry to have shocked you, are you this melodramatic in real life too ?
OP posts:
Rubyupbeat · 07/09/2021 07:19

@LaundryForever
100% what you said

Lostmarbles2021 · 07/09/2021 07:13

My point is that you are still happy to consider poisoning the plants on the other side of your fence.

Less harmful? How much less harm? Any harm? Do you know? Do you care?

I’m pretty shocked that you even posted the question to be honest.

WIBU to vandalise my neighbours property? Er.....yes. It’s pretty obvious that anyone with a moral compass wouldn’t consider it. Think it? He’ll yes! Imagine doing it? Totally. Do it? Only if you have dubious moral standards. Sorry to be blunt but you asked for opinions and that’s mine.

Original poster
incognitodorrito · 07/09/2021 06:37

@Lostmarbles2021 a pp also mentioned a much less harmful mixture that they used and i asked exactly the same question you've just quoted ?!

OP posts:
Lostmarbles2021 · 07/09/2021 06:23

Spoiler alert: I poured weed killer over the fence. And painted it on the leaves of anything that poked through the fence
And tipped it at the base of the fence

Did it work ??

OP It’s very clear that there is an overwhelming majority that are horrified by your immoral, nasty and dangerous idea. You have had it pointed out that you would kill wildlife (whole issue here with us relying on said wildlife to live), possibly kill a pet and could cause cancer. ... yet still you are thinking about it. Why ask if you aren’t prepared to listen?

EveryFlightBeginsWithAFall · 06/09/2021 22:37

Next door to me was empty for 3 years. The ivy and brambles have totally destroyed the fence and after having a shitty time last year it took over my whole garden

Mn would hate me, I'm not sure how much weed killer I've stuck on my garden now but it worked.

EarthSun · 06/09/2021 22:24

Also you spent £7k on a fence knowing exactly what the neighbours and their garden are like, so you can hardly complain about "protecting your investment" when your "investment" clearly wasn't suitable in the first place if it's being damaged by the garden that was there already.

Cut back anything your side by all means but you can't go chucking weedkiller around.

EastWestWhosBest · 06/09/2021 22:24

@LaundryForever

Weed killer has a massive environmental impact on plants and wildlife (birds, insects, hedgehogs, etc) so no you should definitely not chuck weed killer over. Think of the wider impact.
This. My neighbours garden is a complete mess of brambles and nettles. It looks bad but it’s a haven for wildlife.
DocAutumn · 06/09/2021 22:03

Don't put poisonous chemicals in the soil on any side of any fence!

MyPatronusIsACat · 06/09/2021 22:01

@LaundryForever

Weed killer has a massive environmental impact on plants and wildlife (birds, insects, hedgehogs, etc) so no you should definitely not chuck weed killer over. Think of the wider impact.
This in spades! ^

You can't just go flinging bloody weedkiller around @incognitodorrito FFS Hmm

I agree with previous posters... Cut the offending foliage back, and get over it.

Also, £7K for a FENCE! WTAF? Shock Do you own Alton Towers?

MyPatronusIsACat · 06/09/2021 22:01

@HoundofHades

Definitely don't throw weedkiller over the boundary fence, *@incognitodorrito* - you're leaving yourself wide open to a potential claim of criminal damage... not to mention other nasties!

A few years ago, my parents NDN put down some weedkiller on their side of the fence, to get rid of their garden weeds. It seeped through the soil against the fence and killed not only a shrub of sentimental value to my parents, but also poisoned their cat (who never left their garden, and liked to lie in the shadey soil under the shrub. Because the cat died (a horrible death, too, as it happens), as the vets couldn't save him - my parents had a post mortem done on him. When they realised the shrub was done for, too, they actually took the neighbour to the small claims court for a replacement shrub, the vets fees and the cost of the PM/toxicology reports - and won. My father (ex-policeman) also explained to the upset neighbour that they were very lucky that they'd not been reported to the police - but that if it had been their dog who'd ended up poisoned/dead, they wouldn't have hesitated to press charges (dogs = property, whereas cats don't).

My parents and their neighbours are no longer friends - and all because they didn't think about the potential consequences of getting shot of a few dandelions around the bottom of their rose bush...

It's really not worth it, OP.

Oh no, that poor cat. Sad How upsetting.
MyPatronusIsACat · 06/09/2021 21:59

@EvenRosesHaveThorns

Absolutely not, would you think someone chucking harmful chemicals, linked to cancer, into your garden, without your knowledge, was acceptable? You're off your rocker. Just prune back what comes over your side, don't sneakily apply chemicals. If their garden is overgrown, it's likely home to lots of wildlife, which the chemicals could have crippling effects on.
100% this! ^
SW1amp · 06/09/2021 21:44

@ItsJustASimpleLine

Contact the council and report the untidy garden, depending on how bad they have powers to get it tidied up
Where do you live that the council are the garden police?! Shock
billy1966 · 06/09/2021 21:44

Pouring hot water with loads of salt dissolved in it should do the trick of killing the weeds naturally.

UrbanRambler · 06/09/2021 21:36

Encouraging wildlife is one thing, but it can be taken too far. Neglecting a garden to the point where the weeds and brambles invade neighbouring properties - that's unneighbourly behaviour. It's fine to leave part of a garden to grow wild, but when people take it to extremes then claim their doing their bit to save the planet it is galling.

Moonface123 · 06/09/2021 21:32

There may be hedgehogs or other wildlife living amongst it all, so l wouldn't use boiling water or chemicals.
I grow lots of climbers, trees and shrubs up and alongside my fence, have done for years and it hasn't affected the longevity of the fence. If brambles, or ivy start creeping through my fence from next door l just trim it back.
I can understand your concerns but l think your over worrying.

ItsJustASimpleLine · 06/09/2021 21:26

Contact the council and report the untidy garden, depending on how bad they have powers to get it tidied up

UrbanRambler · 06/09/2021 21:23

Boiling salted water kills weeds and is not toxic. You could also get a sharp pair of secateurs and reach under the fence to chop off any weed/bramble stems on the boundary line, then the growth will die back and your neighbour can dispose of it (although they sound like they will just let it sit there, but at least you will be literally nipping the problem in the bud).

I feel your pain, OP, it is frustrating when people neglect their gardens like this and it impacts on nearby neighbours. In an ideal world people who have no interest in gardening, or lack time to keep their gardens nice would either pay someone to maintain them or just move to places with tiny courtyards/no gardens, so others can buy/rent the properties with gardens. It's such a shame when people neglect precious garden space.

NeverDropYourMooncup · 06/09/2021 21:04

One of my neighbours did that because they were scared of bees that visited the rose I was specially bought (by somebody who died suddenly and traumatically a month before they got the roundup out, so I had the initial shock and then the experience of watching the plant shrivel up and die for the duration of the gap between ITU, death, police investigation starting and then the funeral - for which I couldn't use their flowers as had been intended).

Ever since, they've had a fence (mine, by the way) topped by dead rose and a billion spiders, beetles and anything else that likes dead plant matter.

Dead stuff can stay there forever. Unless they set fire to it, which would take their shed, trampoline, swing seat and plastic fucking grass along for the ride.

Be careful how you proceed. Some wildlife gardeners are more than happy to have a convenient supply of food and shelter for creepy crawlies if a neighbour gets the poisons out.

Lostmarbles2021 · 06/09/2021 20:56

No. No weed killer. Def not. Awful idea on all fronts.

Original poster
incognitodorrito · 06/09/2021 20:54

@Sparechange

Did you buy my old house?! Grin

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2661296-to-pour-weed-killer-over-the-fence-to-next-doors-garden

Spoiler alert: I poured weed killer over the fence. And painted it on the leaves of anything that poked through the fence
And tipped it at the base of the fence

Did it work ??
OP posts:
Sparechange · 06/09/2021 20:45

Did you buy my old house?! Grin

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/2661296-to-pour-weed-killer-over-the-fence-to-next-doors-garden

Spoiler alert: I poured weed killer over the fence. And painted it on the leaves of anything that poked through the fence
And tipped it at the base of the fence

OhGiveUp · 06/09/2021 20:41

I care more about my time being taken up with unnecessary gardening and an aching back.
If the wildlife want to play, they can play in my neighbours jungle.

TheVolturi · 06/09/2021 20:24

Seriously though do people not care about wildlife? We have a huge garden that the neighbours trees and bushes have grown over as the years have gone by, it wouldn't cross my mind to trim them back, it's nature and its greenery! We have lots of different types of trees and bushes in our own garden, we have lots of wildlife, hedgehogs and birds, it's lovely, I'd hate to think I'd poisoned anything.