Weed control on hard surfaces made easy by Progreen

Effective control of weeds on hard surfaces

Controlling weeds on hard surfaces poses some challenges not encountered by the landscaper when treating soil substrates. The judicious use of herbicides is one of the most effective methods of long lasting weed control on hard surfaces; care should be taken to select the most suitable products and apply them in strict accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.  The recent loss of effective weed control chemicals such as dichlobenil and sodium chlorate has exacerbated the difficulties inherent in product selection.

In the amenity sector hard surfaces are defined as 'Any man made surface such as concrete or tarmac and including railway ballast, that is not intended to bear vegetation'. Because the range of surfaces is so broad, one weed control product will not necessarily perform across all surfaces; for example some products that are suitable for treating railway ballast or gravel are unsuitable for tarmac or paving.

For the most common problems, such as annuals and perennials, a glyphosate contact weed killer such as Roundup Pro Biactive or Gallup Biograde Amenity applied as the plants grow will provide an effective if transient solution. A welcome new active ingredient in the market is the long lasting residual herbicide flazasulfuron, which forms the basis of brands such as Chikita. Mixing flazasulfron to glyphosate will keep weeds away for about five months, but this solution can only be used on porous surfaces.

Dirt and slime on hard surfaces can be removed by the application of a quinoclamine based product such as Mogeton, which has the incidental quality of being harmful to mosses.

Whichever products you choose to use, the key things to remember are to target the weeds you are spraying accurately to avoid run-off and to keep yourself and others safe by reading the product label and safety datasheet carefully and wear appropriate protective clothing.

To view our range of glyphosate products click here

For more information on Chikita click here

For more information on Mogeton click here

To view our range of Safety Clothing click here