Browsing by Subject "haitattomat torjuntamenetelmät"

Weeds cause hard surfaces and pavements in cities to break down more quickly than they naturally would. Weed control on hard surfaces is mainly based on herbicides, of which glyphosate is the most effective and also most widely used. However, the use of glyphosate on paved areas has been restricted in some countries because of the risk of leaching in to groundwater and watercourse. Alternative methods for weed control on urban areas include mechanical, physical and biological methods and natural product herbicides. Many of the physical methods are based on thermal effect, and the most suitable on hard surfaces are flaming, hot water and hot steam. Vinegar is an alternative herbicide that is commonly in use. Oils have been used as adjuvants in herbicides, but many plant originated oils have phytotoxic effects of their own. Herbicides based on vegetable oils are available in several countries. Steaming and vinegar were tested on hard surface weed control during three growing seasons 2005-2007. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether steaming and vinegar have an effect on the number of weeds on hard surfaces, and how many applications are required to provide adequate control. The aim of the greenhouse experiment was to compare the effects of 12 % vinegar and different concentrations of pine oil and birch oil distillate on two weed species in two different developmental stages. The aim of the third experiment was to test pine oil, birch oil distillate and vinegar for weed control in practice on the bases of ornamental trees. The experiment was carried out during summer 2007. Vinegar and steaming controlled vegetation on hard surfaces, and the best result was obtained by three applications during one growing season. In this experiment vinegar provided better control than steaming. The greenhouse experiment proved the largest concentrations of pine oil and birch oil distillate to control weeds as well as or even better than vinegar. In the field experiment birch oil distillate and pine oil were slightly more effective than vinegar. Reducing the use of herbicides in cities is an important task, and successful weed control requires careful planning. Herbicides should be used only when other means are insufficient.