We have that same problem here in the U.S. Do-good politicians who have no clue are influenced by big-money lobbyist. It wouldn’t surprise me if the Round-Up people had something to do with it.
Today it has less to do with what is right and more to do with how much money and influence you have.

Ammonium Sulfamate can still be bought and used as a compost accelerator. Its Nitrogen is good at breaking down tough and woody compostable matter. It is also sold as a flame retardant.

Dax Products did supply a data pack to the authorities. However the Regulators decided to declare it incomplete because it did not have the results of animal testing on Dogs and the authorities were not prepared to review the data that had been provided and which independent experts felt was sufficient for an evaluation. Dax felt that UK Ministers demands on animal testing having to be justified and necessary were being ignored by the Regulators to suit their own ends and that too much suffering and too many deaths would be pointlessly caused by the Regulators intransigence.

Thank you for that in-depth explanation, Nigel. What a crazy world we’re living in.

The banning of ammonium sulphamate is a terrible blow to the environment! The best way of combating the ongoing alien plant introduction disasters, gone.
People, please make a fuss about this – write to papers, email BBC etc en mass.
M A

Just seen some on Ebay. Would I be breaking the law if I bought this ?

It will be illegal for you to use any product containing ammonium sulphamate after 22 May 2008.

I think it was a class C weedkiller but it’s now class B – or am I confused?

It will NOT be illegal for you to use ammonium sulphamate after 22nd May 2008. It is just that you will not be allowed to use it as a pesticide. You can still buy Ammonium Sulphamate / Root-Out and use it as a compost accelerator – just DO NOT spill any on the weeds, brambles, Japanese Knotweed, Marestail, tree stumps etc. on the way down to the compost heap.

Having spent the spring searching for Ivy Killer I now know why I can not find any. The Irish are so right in saying No, pity wee do not have a chance aswell

The ‘old’ SBK recommended mixing with water and Parafin, the new SBK has no mention of parafin on the container! I have tried SBK with and without parafin and the use of the parafin certainly increases its ‘killing’ power

Growing Success Deep Root Weedkiller Gel has been a godsend this year as the neighbour has a mini forest of horsetails that he refuses to remove.

The fusewire roots are now getting into my garden and throwing up herbage, and the ammonium sulphamate gel is the only cure I have found.

Damn the EU!

Oh thank god I have found some like minded sensible people – just a pity there are none in the EU that make and implement these silly rules.

Very interesting information from Nigel Roberts about Dax applying. Last year I did email Growing Success – makers of “Ivy Killer” and asked them why they had not applied to keep the product. I got no answer – suppose I was daft to have expected one. All they do is re-formulate it – stick the words “New Improved” on it and use glyphosphate instead.

I bought up the very last of our local Scats stock of Ivy Killer last November when I heard it was going off market.

I love the explaination “sulphate of ammonia the nitrogen fertiliser but made crooked” and agree with the worries about glyphosate. As said by others its the commercial pressure of genetically modified crops (Monsanto maybe) that keeps that going and good old simple weedkillers die.

How about Sodium Chlorate – will that be next?

Cheers,
Andy..

I came accross this site while looking for a supplier of sulphate of amonia. I feel I MUST SAY .

Sodium Chlorate is an entirely different weedkiller to Sulphate of amonia Sodium chlorate is highly volitile when exposed to heat, stays in the soil for anything up to a year and when it rains may travel far more than sulphate of amonia thereby causing a hazard to other plants,. including maybe those of your neighbours, that you would not wish to be rid off, where-as Suphate of amonia degrades over a period of six to eight weeks. Therefore Sulphate is safer on this count alone. Glyphosate being a weedkiller supplied in liquid form is dangerous to have around especially where there are children who cannot read labels and so a safety cap has to be used this can cause imense problems for people who have difficulty with their hands and wrists eg Arthritis and makes it more likely that the product will be transferred to an unlabled container for ease of use. Unfortunately this is where it becomes even more dangerous most weed killer deaths have occurred when the fluid is mistaken for a soft drink. Sulphate of amonia on the other hand is supplied as a chrystal and is less likely to be ingested, on this count alone the chemical is safer than any other garden weedkiller.

I feel totally exasperated having only just found this and a few other informative websites.I have had horsetail for 30 years in my back garden which is prone to flooding and occasional bogging.I raised half of it 3 feet to grow veg and have worked hard to make the soil productive.I now have a merry growth of horsetail which invades especially from the edges every spring and ruins any low growing strawberry patch etc.I can`t believe I could have bought an effective killer of this appalling weed just last year .Damn the EU beaurocrats.

I do everything I can not to use weedkillers or pesticides but having had this product in my garage for a year or two I sprayed it on a thriving patch of mares-tail in the early summer. There was no poisonous smell and felt that the resume on the product told to me by the nurseryman in the garden nursery about the product being rather harmless was true.
It worked perfectly.
I’m looking to see if there are any signs of regrowth but it seems to have done the trick in one go. Now I see it’s no longer available and having read the comments on here believe it’s a pretty sad state of affairs.

I’m very interested in getting hold of some ammonium sulphamate, as “old” Root Out managed to eradicate a 10+yr old “patch” (600 sq ft) of ivy, ‘though now I am obviously interested in improving my composte heap! Any idea of trade name of composter product, UK retail supplier + of course what dilution I should avoid to ensureI don’t inadvertantly kill any ivy/bramble/ground elder?

Dear Jane,
Ammonium sulphamate is available on ebay from a supplier in Nottingham. Tt’s a bit expensive but so effective! It comes with instructions and a label declaring that it is not to be used as a herbicide or pesticide. Take care not to spill it on your best weeds!
Barry.

I think the EU process is basically well-intentioned. I’d rather have an occasional inconvenience than more disasters like DDT or dioxins. Good information here too. I’ve got a big patch of annoying brambles that I will have to try and sort out with glyphosate. On the other hand, I am building a compost heap down there so I hope I don’t spill any of that accelerator. Incidentally, the concentrations and distribution methods you need to avoid, if you want to protect your brambles from inadvertent harm, are covered on the relevant Wikipedia page.

For those that live outside the EU, ammonium sulfamate is best diluted at the rate of 2 pounds per gallon of water and mixed with a dash of non-european washing up liquid. Spray over foliage at 1 gallon per 200 sq.feet (20 x 10 feet. If treating Japanese (not European) Knotweed then put crystals down cut stalk or on fresh cut crown head.

Now lets us over regulated Europeans give you lucky non-europeans a tip. Spray any mixture that you have left on your compost heap – just as we do over here!

Looking through the above I have the following comment- Dax did support Ammonium Sulfamate through the review. The authorities refused to review the dossier on Ammonium Sulfamate, not because it was incomplete – it did have plenty of toxicity data showung the chemical to be safe. The Regulators were not prepared to read this and then consider if further testing was necessary, they just wanted to see the testing done on dogs! This was outrageous! However they got away with banning the product because Dax was to small to be able to fight them. Now watch how much animal suffering will be caused to generate the data demanded by the European chemical evaluation ‘REACH’ program. The latest estimate was over 250,000 lives per year. There is no independent, arbitration body to which the Regulators and the businesses can turn to for a decision on what tests should be done.

I had been wondering why one spray on weed killer for deep rooted weeds in my paths was so much more effective than any other. Then I looked at the ingredients and, yes, the good one was ammonium sulphamate.

I’ll get some more if I can.

Thanks for the information.

Having tried everything known to mankind to try and destroy a horrific infestation of horse tail I thought my prayers had been answered when I heard about ammonium sulphamate. But now it would appear, thanks to the EU, I am thwarted – argh!

I may now have to consider glyphosate but I’m a bit in the dark about it. Can anyone supply info on the safety implications as I have young children?

I have finally found a supplier of this ammonium sulphamate compost accelerator in its crystal form.

I would like some advice tho on the best way to prepare and apply it for 2 plots around 150 square foot each containing lots of horsetail that I want to compost in situ

I also have bits of horsetail in most of my flower beds can I compost this too without affecting the other plants ?

I do have 1/2 a dozen chickens and a small dog, the chickens eat all weeds quite effectively with the exception of horsetail. would this composter be safe to use with them roaming around or should they be kept enclosed for any period of time?

When I used it as a herbicide it would kill any plant and you couldn’t replant for 6 / 8 weeks. I think it was 50g per litre of water with a squirt of fairy liquid as a wetting agent.
If composting in situ, then I’d keep animals off for a similar period (6 weeks) – probably over cautious but better than a dead hen.

Hi an agromonist recomendid grazon 90 to spray my abundant horsetail in my paddocks i did this a couple of weeks ago and it has killed all the horsetail foliage on the suface which is fantastic! My only concern is does grazon get down to the roots like deep root (ammonium sulphamate).Has anyone else used it to treat horsetail.

I don’t know how Grazon 90 works – you could ask DOW, the manufacturer. However –

Grazon 90 (MAFF Approval No:05456) can only be applied by someone who holds the appropriate certificate of competence through tractor mounted or knapsack lance sprayers. Grazon 90 is not approved for use on food crops.

Does anyone happen to know that the effects of this on an established privet hedge, should any be accidentally spilt on the ground adjacent? Or should I move my ‘compost heap’?

Oh dear, it will kill the hedge….

Could MIKE C (7th July) let me have the name of his supplier of ammonium sulphamate in crystal form? I understand one can put it on gravel and it will not kill trees around. Is this correct?

And for good measure, I also blast the EU….

Virginia – You should look at http://www.daxproducts.co.uk and look at the Root Out section. (It will actually appear as http://www.garden-products.info, but it’s the correct site.) I don’t know why you would want to compost your gravel, but each to her or his own ….

Just got a new allotment… a wilderness. Going to try sulphamic acid on a small patch rather than ammonium sulphamate. No idea of the dose! Sulphamic acid = Fernox for descaling or stuff for kettles (check the ingredients) Nuts to the E.U.