Super strong weed killer?

[chimichangaz]

I've had someone clear out a whole load of very deep weeds behind my garden fence (in a shared access route that no one seems to care about) and the weeds are making a big comeback - mostly thistles.

What is the strongest weed killer that anyone can recommend, that would have an effect on these and be easy(ish) to apply to a fairly big area?

I'm planning to put down some weed suppressant membrane and paving slabs once these have been killed.

Watching with interest. My guess is that the really powerful weed killers have all been banned now and the ones that you can buy at a DIY store have limited powers

The strong stuff is not on sale to the general public.

If it isn't your land, you need permission before you do anything. You can't just put paving stones where it would be convenient, and strong weedkillers are (thankfully) strictly controlled.

I have had some success with Weedol Rootkill Plus but that was against specific plants (horsetail), not a general-area application.
I applied it mixed with wallpaper paste to make it stick.

Weedol rootkill plus is indeed impressive. I got it from Amazon as garden centres tend not to have glysophate weedkillers

Loads of vinegar. Like gallons of the stuff. It smells horrendous but does kill the buggers. You just need ordinary white vinegar.

@strawberriesarenot the land is owned by all the householders equally and has been neglected for what looks like years (I moved in 18 months ago). I'm sure the others are very happy I've spent my own money getting them cleared already and would not object to having paving slabs and weed suppressant down so they can also use it.

Thanks @senua - I'll definitely have a look at the rootkill stuff.

@Puppypads I did buy loads of white vinegar a few weeks ago but the buggers seemed to brush it off!! Maybe I should have used more!

Oh blast sorry!!
Flame thrower?!

I'd be tempted to put down the membrane and slabs first then use weedkiller/flamethrower on whatever still makes it through.

Weed killer is not so effective at this time of year. I think glyphosate is taken in to the roots but this works best in spring when weeds are making growth.
I would think thistle seeds will be in the ground and they will come back anyway.
Perhaps just use the groundciver and closely laid paving slabs.

Wait until spring and buy some Ammonium Sulfamate. Perfectly legal strong weed-killer that breaks down harmlessly. Best to buy it as a powder and dissolve as required.

white vinegar essence is very effective agains thistles. A tablespoon, wait an hour, and it will already be going brown. Whilst vinegar is natural, it will "poison" the soil, so I don't think it is suitable for spraying, you have to put in directly on the thistle, in the middle bit. Our lawn was just thistles when we got it, and they never really came back after the vinegar massacre.

I'm trying several out atm.
Weedol is better than roundup. Can confirm that.
The weeds that grow up between the cracks in my back garden. 😞
I had it cleared recently too but I can't keep up with the weeds qnd the garden is so small!!

Glyphosate when the weeds are actually growing

Will it kill other weeds? What type of vinegar? The chipper chips kind?

You can try and buy undiluted glyphosate but then you have to mix it to the concentration you require and it needs a bit of specialist knowledge- it can all be found online. Just wear coveralls and dispose of them after you’re done, wash yourself thoroughly after and rinse the spray pump thoroughly too (the rule of thumb I was told is rinse until all the bubbles are gone then rinse a further 3*.

You can buy disposable overalls from screwfix for around £2-£3. Also don’t apply it during winter- it’s pointless. You want to apply it during spring/summer preferably on a dry day so the weeds absorb the poison and it goes to the roots and kills them. If it rains shortly after you’ve applied it you’ll need to reapply. The ideal is when you’ve had 2-3 sunny days and no rainfall, after which you expect a day or two of good weather. The plants then absorb the poison and it works very effectively.

the other trick I was told is to rotovate the soil during winter months- exposing the roots to winter frost will help kill them also.

I just boil the kettle and pour into my weeds, kills them off within 24 hours 😂

For any stubborn buggers it's a mixture of salt, vinegar and fairy liquid in a spray bottle and the acetic acid in the salt and vinegar do the trick by drying out the plants.

Wow - such a lot of advice, thank you!! The weeds are too high to just lay the membrane and slabs at the moment, so I'll have another go with vinegar first then try and clear the ground to lay the membrane.

After paying someone to clear them not long ago it's really disheartening to see how quickly they grow and how bloody resistant they are!!

This is very similar to the one I used. www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-distilled-vinegar-568ml.

www.sainsburys.co.uk/gol-ui/product/sainsburys-distilled-vinegar-568ml

sorry, hope this one works