Lady Bay Weed Trial 2023
In spring/summer 2022 we undertook a ‘Reduced Glyphosate Use Trial’ which took place in the Lady Bay Area (Rushcliffe). The trial was undertaken in response to Recommendation 36 of our Highway Services Review plan which is titled ‘Investigate alternative weed spraying treatments/regimes’.
The results were affected by the scorching weather and other weed management/clearing activities in the area.
For this reason, we have decided to run the trial again this year, with a wider scope, using slightly different treatments.
The next trial will cover two zones:
- Zone 1 – The entire Lady Bay Area be designated as a ‘Spray On-demand’. Lady Bay is made up of numerous shaded, North-South orientated streets which appear to inhibit the development of weed rootstocks rendering them susceptible to water stress in hot weather.
- Zone 2 – A selection of the East-West orientated streets in the West Bridgford Area be designated as a single Glyphosate application zone. The single application would take place early in the weed spraying programme (April or May) to prevent weeds from becoming established and capable of regenerating from their rootstocks
Please select from the drop-down boxes below for more information on the trial.
You can see a map of the trial area using this link:
View the map of proposed areas [PDF 185KB]
The following roads are shown as green on the map and will be treated on demand:
- Adbolton Grove
- Fleeman Grove
- Gertrude Road
- Holme Road
- Julian Road
- Lady Bady Road
- Melbourne Road
- Mona Road
- Moore Close
- Pierrepont Road
- Rutland Road
- Seymour Road
- Trent Boulevard
The following roads are blue on the map and will be treated once with Glyphosate
- Blake Road
- Etham Road
- Florence Road
- Priory Road
- Violet Road
The trial is so that the county council can assess methods that reduce or eliminate the use of conventional weed killers which have been applied across the county twice a year in the past.
The results from last year's trial were heavily affected by the weather and some of the solutions were evaluated against the amount of effectiveness and ruled out for practical and cost reasons.
We are taking forward two of the key areas for ongoing treatment to explore whether the results will be similar this year.
The area will be monitored weekly.
You can use the following link:
Report a tree or vegetation problem | Nottinghamshire County Council
Please check whose responsibility the problem is before reporting the issue. If the tree or vegetation is on a school site you will need to contact the school.
Issues you can report on this form are:
- damaged/dangerous/fallen tree
- root damage
- overgrown grass and verges
- verge damage
- overhanging trees
- overgrown weeds
- landscaped areas
- overgrown hedges and vegetation
- any other tree or vegetation issue.
If it is an emergency, please contact our Customer Services Centre on 0300 500 80 80
Generally, the weeds in all four treatment zones were immature at the commencement of the trial (except for one location in Zone 4, Moore Close).
The weeds in all four zones grew in size and extent between May and June before largely succumbing to the weed killers applied in mid-June and the water stress caused by arid conditions experienced in July and August.
During the duration of the trial no reports were received about any of the following:
- Drainage systems becoming compromised
- Damage to highway surfaces (except for Moore Close)
- Difficulties traversing the highway
Zone by Zone
- Zone 1. Acetic Acid – A single application of a product called Katoun Gold was made on 15 June. This application proved to be effective and no further treatment was required
- Zone 2. Thermal Weed Control – Various thermal weed control methods were explored, unfortunately none proved suitable
- Zone 3. ‘Spray On-demand’ – Throughout the period of the trial only one resident requested localised weed spraying, this was duly carried out and no further enquiries were received
- Zone 4. First Treatment with Glyphosate, second spot treatment as required – A single application of Glyphosate was made on 16 June. This application proved to be effective and – as with zone 1 – no further treatment was required.
Generally, it was observed that weeds growing in shaded areas fared less well than those with greater access to sunlight and ultimately died because their rootstocks were less developed and hence less resilient to water stress during arid periods. These shaded areas corresponded with built up and tree lined North-to-South orientated streets.
Weeds are a problem to be reported when
- Drainage systems are compromised
- The highway surface is damaged
- They cause difficulties for people using roads and footpaths - causing blockages, stopping access, or causing people to move into the road to avoid them
- They are causing damage to structures such as walls
Please read the guidance information on our reporting page fully to help us respond to your report most efficiently.
Depending on how established the root system may be, it can take anything up to eight weeks for weeds to die away after a treatment, so please be patient.
If you are still seeing the weeds after this time then please get in touch again.
