Weed Killer

[Jerry Bruette]

Anyone use a mixture of vinegar and salt for killing weeds?

I've been using 1 to 1 1/2 cups of salt per gallon of vinegar and it doesn't quite kill what I want.

I was thinking of buying some glacial acetic acid and mixing my own vinegar but stronger than 5%.

Good idea or should I forget about it?

[Mel Fulks]

I have heard of it, never used it. Have Round up but don't use it a lot. This year I just kept picking and tossing dandelions. Most references to the salt are pretty old post war things done from chariots!

[roger wiegand]

The Romans salted the fields of Carthage to destroy their ability to grow crops for the next thousand years, so it will probably work. The highway department has done something similar to our beds near the road. I use something safe and less permanently damaging to the soil to kill weeds, like Roundup.

[Phil Mueller]

I’ve been reducing my use of Round Up and now using Ortho’s Weed B Gon. The Weed B Gon seems to take longer to kill (a few days to see noticeable wilt), but has been effective in eliminating most of my common lawn weeds.

[Stan Calow]

Round Up kills everything - weeds and grass. Weed B Gon only kills broadleaf weeds. Dont mix them up (DAMHIK)!

[Jim Becker]

Yes, I use a mixture of white vinegar, epsom salt and Dawn dishwashing soap...there are many recipes out there but most are pretty similar as to the ratios. I honestly just eyeball it when I'm filling and mixing in my hand sprayer. I'm just using regular white vinegar from Costco, even though sourcing higher strength would likely make for an even more effective solution. I augment using this mixture by also using a flame weeder. The combination really works well...I flame first and then hit with the spray.

The only thing I use commercial chemical weed killer for...and that's very sparingly...is for poison ivy in certain areas. {edit} Oh, any PigWeed. But even RoundUp is challenged by PigWeed.

[Tom M King]

Isn't Weed-B-Gone just 2,4,D? No need to pay extra for a brand name. 2,4,D is much cheaper from a farm supplier, or even Tractor Supply.

[Erik Loza]

...I augment using this mixture by also using a flame weeder...

I just used a flame weeder (Red Dragon???) for the first time, over the weekend. Lots of fun! We have a flagstone walkway area in the front yard that grows lots of weeds between the stones. The sting trimmer creates its own issues by slinging pebbles of decomposed granite all over the place and my wife is 100% anti-Roundup, so it has been an ongoing maintenance issue. Anyhow, the weed torch did a really great job. Not sure I would want to do huge areas with it but for spot weeding, I'm a believer now.

Erik

[Ron Citerone]

I just used a flame weeder (Red Dragon???) for the first time, over the weekend. Lots of fun! We have a flagstone walkway area in the front yard that grows lots of weeds between the stones. The sting trimmer creates its own issues by slinging pebbles of decomposed granite all over the place and my wife is 100% anti-Roundup, so it has been an ongoing maintenance issue. Anyhow, the weed torch did a really great job. Not sure I would want to do huge areas with it but for spot weeding, I'm a believer now.

Erik

Don't light the mulch bed on fire....................don't ask how I know.:(

[Jerome Stanek]

I found that when you burn them they come back stronger.

[Adam Herman]

Isn't Weed-B-Gone just 2,4,D? No need to pay extra for a brand name. 2,4,D is much cheaper from a farm supplier, or even Tractor Supply.


yes. the generics of all of them are much much cheaper at tractor supply.

[Erik Loza]

Don't light the mulch bed on fire....................don't ask how I know.:(

LOL, did that already. Turned around and there was a little grass fire in one of the planting beds. Had to run for the hose. :o


I found that when you burn them they come back stronger.

Really? Well, I have plenty of propane and like playing with fire... :D

Erik

[Matt Day]

I just sprayed (from a 1 gallon pump sprayer) Compare-n-save 2-4-d a few days ago and the weeds have started to wilt and brown pretty good. Terrible name, good cheap product just slow to kill.

[Bill Dufour]

Many people make the roundup mix too strong it should take at least 48 hours to see any effect. Any sooner and you are wasting product and reducing the effectiveness. If it is too strong the plants sense it and shut down before total root kill. They will die back but the tips of the roots may survive and come back next season.
I do not think the salt mixtures are a good idea in the west. Thousands of acres of cropland has had to be abandoned due to salt build up from irrigation in California. It is not uncommon to have drain tile in the fields to drain used irrigation water out. plants take up the water and leave the sale behind in the ground. See Kesterson reservoir for details.
Bil lD

[Adam Herman]

I just sprayed (from a 1 gallon pump sprayer) Compare-n-save 2-4-d a few days ago and the weeds have started to wilt and brown pretty good. Terrible name, good cheap product just slow to kill.


2-4-d is a plant hormone that makes them grow fast in the wrong places. that is why it takes some time. it is slow, but also more selective than most other chemicals.

[Frank Pratt]

Many people make the roundup mix too strong it should take at least 48 hours to see any effect. Any sooner and you are wasting product and reducing the effectiveness. If it is too strong the plants sense it and shut down before total root kill. They will die back but the tips of the roots may survive and come back next season.

True, but mixing as per directions makes for a product that will not reliably kill many weeds. After much experimenting, I've found that mixing it at about 1.5X the strength of the instructions is the sweet spot. It will often take 3 or 4 days for any discoloration to begin to show & then another week for the complete kill.

[Jim Becker]

I do not think the salt mixtures are a good idea in the west. Thousands of acres of cropland has had to be abandoned due to salt build up from irrigation in California. It is not uncommon to have drain tile in the fields to drain used irrigation water out. plants take up the water and leave the sale behind in the ground. See Kesterson reservoir for details.
Bil lD
There is only a small amount of salt (typically epsom salt) in the mixture so the risk is likely minimal, if at all, to the aquifer. Same with the detergent which helps the mixture "stick" to the plant by breaking surface tension. Most of the work is done by the acid in the vinegar and that also dissipates pretty quickly.

[Mel Fulks]

It helps to know the right time to spray. Few weeks back I saw some poison ivy where we and our neighbors walk. I brushed on some undiluted brush kill of a strength usually only sold to farmers. The treatment made it look stressed for
a couple of days. It's bounced back and looks perfectly fine! The right time to spray it here is July and August, that's
when the sap is going back down to the roots. I had heard the right time...now I know the guy knew what he was talking
about.

[John K Jordan]

Some of the herbicides are intended for emergent use, when small plants are emerging from the ground. For example, around here March is the best time to spray 2-4-D to kill the horrible buttercup. 2-4-D kills broadleaf plants but not grass. It will damage clover but there is a special version if you want to keep the clover.

I use something with glyphosate for a broad spectrum herbicide. Roundup has it but man it's expensive. I buy it (and 2-4-D) by the 2.5 gallon concentrate and while a considerable investment up front they go a long way.

When I spray I don't expect to see anything get brown for a week or so. I think it's not recommended to apply in too high a concentration.

If spraying a large area, you can mix a dye with the herbicide to help avoid missing areas. I've used both a red dye and this:
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0049I2FPM
A little goes a long way.

Ask a knowledgeable person at the farm store about what to use for what and when to spray. Since these herbicides have chemicals that are absorbed by the leaves and carried to the roots they usually need to be applied when it is not going to rain in the next 4 hours or so. There is one that will basically sterilize the ground and nothing will grow there for some time.

In general don't apply herbicide when it is windy! The wind will carry tiny droplets and can harm plants some distance away. It helps to set your sprayer so it doesn't spray a fine mist.

I have one of the flame "weeders" and it certainly does wipe out the green plants above the ground. I found it did nothing for the roots and the weeds came right back. It was fun and provides instant gratification but uses a lot of propane. I mostly use it now for getting burn piles going.

I think the best thing is to dig plants out by the roots. That's how I tackle prolific invasives such as privet, bush honeysuckle, multiflora rose, ‎Ailanthus, etc. It can be a lot of work but now I do it with the excavator.

JKJ

[Tom M King]

I like these cheap sprayers sold at TSC. They have a pressure release valve, which is handy for a lot of things. There is also a utility sink in this shed for mixing, and cleaning the sprayers.

I keep one with soapy water in it. After use, the pressure is relieved, the wand taken off and put on the one with soapy water to clean out. The raised wand holder prevents any unintended siphon/leaking, and keeps them up out of freezing harm's way over the Winter.

I always keep one, or two of them on hand for spare parts.

The 40 gallon tank on the 7' rotary cutter stays on that tractor during growing season. The two pumps are for the "boom" on the back that can cover a 30' swath, and the other smaller flow, higher pressure pump is for a wand that is kept up by the seat for spot spraying up to 30 feet away. I can activate either with the flip of a switch.

163 acres is too much to pull weeds on, and there are many types to fight.

[Wade Lippman]

2-4-D kills broadleaf plants but not grass. It will damage clover but there is a special version if you want to keep the clover.



I you have a link to that I would appreciate it. About half my lawn is clover and that makes it difficult to kill the weeds.

After posting I tried google and found 2-4-DB. Sadly it can only be applied by a professional and doesn't bother chickweed. Unless you have a better one...

[Howard Garner]

What works on Violets? My yard is full of them.
Howard Garner

[Ben Helmich]

Where are you at? I though 2-4-D was everywhere. Remember, it’s an ingredient, not a brand name.

[Scott Clausen]

For total kill I have been using Roundup but the product has changed and it is much less effective compared to what it was. I mix it double strength now. Weed B Gone is great but I leave that to the lawn service now. Violets? I would love to find a way to be rid of those damn things, nothing touches them.

[Ronald Blue]

Mainly use 2-4-D for dandelions and horseweed and smartweed that wants to grow where I can't mow and 2-4-5T for brush and poison ivy. Occasionally roundup for around buildings and posts etc.

[Tom M King]

I haven't seen 2-4-5T for decades. I think that was in the mix for Agent Orange, along with diesel fuel.

Since I recommended those TSC sprayers in this thread a year, and a half ago, I'm going to take that back. It seems like they have about a 50% chance of lasting longer than three years. I've been replacing the ones that I run out of parts for with Smith Contractor ones. Everything about them is better, from the thickness of the tank, to every little part, and the quality of operation.

I highly recommend these: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B002YNSAGM/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o01_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Since my last post in this thread, I've also replaced that 40 gallon sprayer with a 25 gallon Chapin that has concentrate tanks you can change, so you don't have to clean the large tank out every time you switch chemicals. With this Chapin, you only put water in the big tank, and the concentrate tank is easy to swap. I keep one concentrate tank with dish detergent solution, and clean the rig after use.

The first link I found was the 15 gallon Chapin, but they also make a 25 gallon one:
https://www.amazon.com/Chapin-International-97361-Exit-First-Ever-Translucent/dp/B07N1GQQTR/ref=asc_df_B07N1GQQTR/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=343238573411&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13976031645015140522&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009786&hvtargid=pla-781130069514&psc=1&tag=&ref=&adgrpid=71762478951&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvadid=343238573411&hvpos=&hvnetw=g&hvrand=13976031645015140522&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9009786&hvtargid=pla-781130069514

I also replaced that boom with the plastic nozzles to one with brass nozzles.

[Ronald Blue]

My error on the 245T. It's 2,4-D ester, Triclopyr ester, and dicamba. Dicamba itself is voltile stuff. I thought when I initially looked at the label it was 245T. I like the concentrate tank idea.

[Myk Rian]

Anyone use a mixture of vinegar and salt for killing weeds?

I've been using 1 to 1 1/2 cups of salt per gallon of vinegar and it doesn't quite kill what I want.

I was thinking of buying some glacial acetic acid and mixing my own vinegar but stronger than 5%.

Good idea or should I forget about it?
Water, vinegar, and baking soda. A few drops of Dawn to aid in adherence to the leaves.

[Aaron Rosenthal]

Te Romans did the same thing in what is now Israel after the rebellions and forced removals. Legend has it that the one prospective farmer worked for a number of years in the 1920s to being water from the Jordan to wash away the salt pollution so he could begin to grow crops.

[Tom M King]

When we first got this place, there was a unopened 5 gallon metal can of 2,4,5-T. That and some scrap metal has been all that we've ever had stolen. I figured the thief did me a favor on that chemical. I had no inclination to use it, and didn't know how to dispose of it.

[Ronald Blue]

When we first got this place, there was a unopened 5 gallon metal can of 2,4,5-T. That and some scrap metal has been all that we've ever had stolen. I figured the thief did me a favor on that chemical. I had no inclination to use it, and didn't know how to dispose of it.

Here in farm country there are collection sites usually annually for unused farm chemicals. I would assume that even 2,4,5-T would be eligible. The worst thing about the metal cans that the chemicals used to come in is they always eventually rusted through.

[John Goodin]

I have used straight vinegar without the salt for killing weeds. Stronger solutions, I think up to 20 percent, do better than the basic grocery store variety. It is not that expensive.

[Jim Becker]

I have used straight vinegar without the salt for killing weeds. Stronger solutions, I think up to 20 percent, do better than the basic grocery store variety. It is not that expensive.

I do use the epsom salt in the mixture I make plus the requisite small amount of Dawn dishwashing soap which helps it stick to the plants being treated. The wire vinegar is what does the primary job, however. The white vinegar is quite inexpensive especially from Costco or similar in the large containers.