"fred" wrote in message ...
In article , Mark
writes

fred wrote in message ...

That depends on how selective you are in applying it, the surrounding
vegetation and what you hope to plant to replace the dandelions .

I'd be wary of using it with much hope of selectivity:

"Sodium Chlorate - a non-selective contact herbicide, killing all green
plant parts and has a soil-sterilant effect. It may persist in soil for
6 months to 5 years, depending on rate applied, soil type, fertility,
organic matter, moisture, and weather conditions. It is highly toxic to
animals and humans, breaking down red blood cells."


That's only relevant if you mix it at full strength and apply it with a
watering can drenching everything including the soil, which makes it ideal
for paths and driveways.
If you apply it sparingly only on the plants you want to zap,then remove
the
foliage once it has died back the soil is good to plant within weeks,{1}

I know this as fact as I have used it like this for many years on
property
development gardens and our own.
Glyphosate will also zap everything it touches if used indiscriminately
but
does not remain active in the soil, its also substantially more expensive.

{1} NOT vegetables or anything edible, IMHO all kitchen gardens should be
100pc organic and herbicide free

Thanks for the extra info, it seems if used carefully it is not as bad as
I thought. I was a bit worried too about leeching and spread into
adjoining areas and plan to still keep it off banks above planted borders.

I know someone who used several tubs of sodium chlorate that was mixed to a
very high concentration (ie just enought water to dissolve the stuff) and
was able to kill his neighbours conifers without damaging his own copper
beech trees that stood a few feet away. You need the ground soil to be damp,
make some holes around the conifer's trunk using 15mm copper and then pour
in the mixture.

You need to look at the weather forecast up front as you do not want a
downpour just after doing this.

Adam