What fertilisers/ weed killers do you use?

Davy

What are the best products to be using in the garden and keeping the dog happy?

I have just avoided using any chemicals and just before, but the grass needs a little somethin this year

Thanks

taram

I got glyphosate, poured a bit into a cut in half milk bottle and got a paintbrush and painted it directly onto just the weeds. It specifically said that it'd be safe for animals within 24 hours, so I just waited 48 hours to be on the safe side, the dog never eats the weeds anyway, and the guinea pigs aren't allowed out on that lawn.

However I did put it on in July, so the plants were very actively uptaking nutrients, and therefore the chemicals went into the plants fast.

Try get a "pet safe" herbicide, a lot of toxicity issues aren't with the active ingredient, it's with the surfactants and additives, the "pet safe" ones usually are just standard chemical at a low rate.

EGAR

I know they aren't out yet but will be soon:

Nettle brew.
You will require…
1. A strong pair of gloves and clothes that cover all skin within stinging distance of the nettles.

2. A sharp pair of garden clippers.

3. A canvas or hessian bag and a few bricks.

4. 20 litres of collected rainwater.

5. One kilogram (2 ¼ pounds) of nettles.

6. A watertight drum or barrel to accommodate 20 litres, complete with a tight-fitting lid.

Firstly, harvest your nettles by cutting young stems, which have not flowered yet. Cut before June, these are full of sap ideal for fertiliser production.
Chop them up with the clippers and crush them with your gloved hands as you place them into the canvas or hessian bag. This will speed up the release of nettles fertiliser elements.

Tie off the top of the sack once it is filled with approx one kilogram of nettles, and then place it in the base of the drum. Before pouring in your water, you should place a brick or two on top of the sack to prevent it floating to the top.

Don’t forget to place the tight-fitting lid on to the barrel, as nettle brew tends to get rather smelly. In fact, if you have an issue with nasty niffs, then I suggest the barrel is located way down the garden.

Leave the mix to brew for about three or four weeks before you consider applying it. When the time comes, mix it in your watering can at a rate of ten parts water to one part nettle brew, then water liberally around your plants.

As the resulting feed is high in Nitrogen, I recommend watering it especially onto those plants which require leafy or upright growth, e.g. lettuce, cabbage, lawns, sunflowers etc., but virtually all plants will receive a welcome boost.

Try this use for your nettles, you may find that they are a friend you never knew, until the day they made your plants grow.

I use this on all the plants from tomatoes to grass and it works a treat!

EGAR

Weedkiller: Vinegar, Soap and Salt:

http://www.garden-counselor-lawn-care.com/vinegar-weed-killer.html

Also tried and tested by moi to best effect and no ill effect to the animals.