Open access publications in the SLU publication database

Abstract

The increasing awareness of our environment has among other things led to prohibitions against chemical weedcontrol on hard surfaces. Unfortunately, however, we have not been prepared for the transition to non-chemical weedcontrol. Mechanical weedcontrol through sweeping/brushing or wearing down of the weeds is a method wich as yet has not been tested on a large scale in Sweden. The method has been developed primarily in West Germany and Holland. The most common types of brushes used are the vertically rotating cylinder brush and the horizontally rotating "discbrush" type. The bristles are usually made of polypropylene or steel. Trials carried out in Sweden and Denmark have shown that a cylinder brush made out of polypropylene does not have the same effect on the weeds as a "discbrush" made out of the same material. The same trials also show that steel has a greater wearing effect on the weeds than plastic (polypropylene). The brushes’ effect on weeds depends not only on the type of brush and on the material the brush is made of, but also on the rotation speed of the brushes which is a factor to be taken into consideration. Fast-rotating "discbrush"-type brushes made out of steel seem to be a good solution in weed control by sweeping/ brushing. This report also contains a description of how and where on the hard surfaces weeds establish themselves.