What is weed control? Is a question you might find you commonly ask yourself when observing tufts of unwanted vegetation sprouting from between the paving slabs.
Weed control is the prevention or control of unwanted and invasive plants. By effectively controlling unwanted plants, there is less competition for water, nutrients and light for beneficial and desirable vegetation.
Methods of weed control
There are a number of ways that you can control weeds in your local area:
- Hot water uses heat to damage the weed by distorting the plant's cells.
- Steam is similar to hot water, damaging the plant with heat.
- Herbicides - including glyphosate based products - are regularly used around the UK. The use of glyphosate is highly controversial, with scientific research and studies both proving and disapproving its toxicity.
- Foamstream is a herbicide-free method of weed control. Using a biodegradable foam blanket, it traps the heat from hot water on the plant for long enough to ensure a more effective kill than other methods.
- Propane weeding involves briefly passing an open flame over the weed, thereby rupturing the cells from the intense heat which then causes the plant to die.
- Electricity can be used to destroy the vital activity of weeds using electrical currents.
- Manual weeding involves using handheld tools to extract and maintain weeds.
Why use Foamstream?
Foamstream is the leading herbicide-free environmentally friendly solution for weed control. The foam is made from natural plant oils and sugars making it safe for use around people, animals and delicate environments.
Due to its high kill rate and low number of annual treatment cycles, Foamstream is also an extremely cost-effective method of weed control. The following table demonstrates the reduced number of treatments required per year when using Foamstream in comparison to other alternatives:
Foamstream can also be used for more than just weed management; it is a highly effective, all-round, outdoor management system, enabling users to control moss and algae, remove gum and graffiti, and clean urban areas.
How does Foamstream work?
The active ingredient in Foamstream is the heat from the hot water. The foam insulates the hot water ensuring the heat is not lost to the atmosphere. This ensures the heat covers the plant for long enough for it to kill or severely damage the plant. By providing a layer of insulation, Foamstream holds the heat from the hot water in the kill zone (above 57˚C) for long enough to penetrate the leaf’s waxy outer layer, and severely damage or kill the plant.
If you want to know more about Foamstream and how to implement our herbicide-free technology in your local area, get in touch today. Our team would love to hear from you.