Can you use weed killer after you have removed the weeds?

[nikki1978]

Sorry that sounds a bit stupid! What I mean is that we have dug up the weeds but I assume they will start to grow again. What can I spray on the soil before I put new plants in?

Thanks :)

Sorry i can't help but i would also like to know!

Pathclear.

As well as killing live weeds, it leaves a film on the surface of the soil that prevents seeds germinating. Unlike older weed treatments it does not "poison the soil" and if you break up the film by hoeing or hand-pulling, or raking or digging, weeds will grow. It lasts several months.

If you are careful you can even apply it on the ground around e.g. roses or trees, taking care not to let it touch green parts of the rose or tree.

So if I put it on the soil then dig it a few weeks later to add plants the weeds will grow - or was that a typo above?

if you disturb the surface, weeds will grow.

If you want, you can water on some more, taking great care to protect the new plants so it does not touch their leaves and stems.

...or mulch heavily round the plants to suppress weeds. I use a thick layer of grass cuttings, after they have lain in the sun for half a day or more to wilt and dry so they do not ferment and get hot.

In the interest of the environment and those of us who live in it, including the birds and the fishes, please don't go unnecessarily putting herbicides on the soil. It all leaches into the water table eventually.

Weedkillers also destroy all of the active bacterias in the soil that create good living conditions for your plants.

Invest in a hoe (and use it), learn a bit about mulching - rotted bark is good and Lidls sell it so not a huge expense if you can get it there. To be honest Lidls compost is so awful, it would make a pretty good mulch as well.

Sorry PigletJohn but grass clipping are only ok to use with mature plants - they will rob the nitrogen from the soil as they rot down and prevent good growth in new plants and perennials.