Terry L. Ettinger Horticulture Consulting Services
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Question of the Week
Glove-in-Glove Weed Control
Q. Awhile back I seem to recall you talking about using a glove to apply weedkiller without getting it on
desirable plants next to the intended target. Unfortunately, I can't seem to remember exactly how the technique works. Can you
explain it again for this slower learner?
A. Certainly! And it's not your fault for finding it hard to follow my oftentimes convoluted and exceedingly long-winded responses to callers questions on "The Weeder's Digest!"
The “glove-in-glove” technique for applying herbicides (i.e., weedkillers) means that you first put on a rubber glove to prevent the herbicide from coming into direct contact with your skin. Next, put on a larger cotton glove over the rubber glove (at right, above). Dip the palm of the gloved hand into a small container of the herbicide to saturate the cotton, then squeeze the gloved hand into the container to remove excess herbicide.
Finally, grasp the stem of the weed as if to remove it and pull the herbicide-saturated glove over the leaves of the target
weed - without pulling it out of the ground, at left. Then, repeat the process with the next target weed.
When you’ve treated all of the weeds, rinse the gloved hand several times with clean water over an area of bare soil, mulch (the herbicide rinsed from the glove will bind to the soil and decompose very quickly), or a patch of the treated weeds before removing the gloves. To keep traces of the herbicide out of our sewer systems - which weren't designed to treat these materials - please, please DO NOT rinse out the glove in a sink!
Once the glove has been thoroughly rinsed and washed with warm, soapy water, don't throw it in your drier. Rather, hang it out to dry so that it'll be ready for another days use in the garden.