Using herbicides in the garden

[Nold]

she is mad keen on all things Japanese! 

Sushi, too? Yum.
I love using the nejiri weeder. The blade can be kept very sharp. Apparently, several centuries ago these things were popular with ninja, since, if caught, they could rightly claim that the nejiri and kana were simply gardening tools.

Believe it or not, the use of herbicides and pesticides in the garden is one of (actually many) things on which I have no opinion.

I was surprised to read in an old AGS bulletin that "liquid pesticides should be flushed down the WC". I imagine attitudes have changed since then.

Bob

[James McGee]

Bob,

     Pesticides are one thing I do not use in my garden.  I main reason I garden is because of all the interesting insects my plants attract.

James

[James McGee]

Here is an even better example.  I saw this Grape Vine Beetle while picking Japanese Beetles off a Virginia Creeper.  I flick the Japanese Beetles into a cup of soap water to get rid of them.  This Grape Vine Beetle was an exciting find for me.  If I had just sprayed to kill the Japanese Beetles I would have killed this cool Grape Vine Beetle also.  This thing is huge.  It was 1 1/4 inches.

James

[Schier]

Ha ha, the rodent threatener - my son has a set of three katana, he'd probably take after me if I snuck one out - he has collected some knives and "swords" and I know he keeps them well polished, etc. He has given me an old machete though, it works like a charm at whipping off a lot of unwanted vegetation, eg. thistles ( thistles are another story altogether )
For dandelions, yup, loosen them up and pull - I do get quite a feeling of satisfaction when I feel it coming up with the whole root.  I have a very, very  large farmyard though, and so much area, that there are countless dandelions that need not have any fear of me coming round.  If  I had 48 hours in a day, I might have a chance of getting them all!

[Nold]

If  I had 48 hours in a day, I might have a chance of getting them all!   

That'd make for quite a boring day.

You could pretend that you were growing them for consumption. Though, I bought some pissenlits for a stir fry once, and, well, sorry, not for me.

Bob

[Nold]

Incidentally, I am very fond of my machete. Genuine Brazilian one. My late spouse was adamantly against me buying one, claiming that no one who grew androsaces could possibly find a use for a machete, but when she saw how easily it cuts small branches off the larger branches that are constantly being broken off the trees and shrubs here, she changed her mind.
Very soft steel, but still effective.
Good rodent threatener, too.

Bob