Can we talk "Roundup"?

[Phil Phelps]

Several have posted about my poision ivy delema, and thanks, I appreciate your response. However, several mention Roundup as an ivy killer, but I've never had any luck with Roundup on broad leaf grasses or ivy. I do have great results with Weed-B-Gone, Wipeout, and Brush-B-Gone. I even mix several herbesides with Roundup along with a little detergent. It kills everything it touches. But, Roundup alone for broad leaf plants doesn't work for me. And I do use the concentrate.

[Kevin Gerstenecker]

Phil, some Ivy species are semi resistant to herbicides, especially the ornamental Ivy such as Baltic or English Ivy you often see in Landscape Plantings. These have a waxy coating on the leaves, which hinders the absorbtion of systemic herbicides. In order for a Systemic Herbicide, which Roundup is, to be effective, it has to be absorbed thru the foliage of the target plant. It is then carried thru the plant system to destroy the living tissue, and the root system. I have used Roundup, and other Glyphosate based herbicides on Poison Ivy for years with good results. I use a stronger formulation, and have at times applied it full strength with a wick type wiping applicator. While Poison Ivy does have a somewhat protective coating on the foliage, it can be controlled effectively with any Systemic Herbicide that is labeled for use on it. There are several other products available for the control of Poison Ivy, several of which you mentioned in your post. For my money and results, I have always used Roundup on the monster, and it has always killed it dead. There has been a time or two where a second application was necessary 2 weeks later, but those were usually on large plants. As far as broad leaf weeds, in this part of the country, there is very little in the way of broad leaf weeds that Roundup doesn't control. The only thing that it won't kill completely that I have had experience with are Yucca Plants and Bermuda Grass..........them suckers are tough cookies!

[Jim Becker]

High-strength vinegar can be used to kill many plants without adding unnecessary chemicals to your soil. Once it's done its work by lowering the PH of the where it will not support the plant, it can be countered by adding lime or other PH amending components. There are obviously some times when you need to use Roundup or another chemical for a particularly stubborn problem, but my wife and I have found the vinegar to be very effective for many situations on our property...particularly keeping weeds, etc., out from between flag stones and brick on the patios, etc.

[Phil Phelps]

In order for a Systemic Herbicide, kill completely that I have had experience with are Yucca Plants and Bermuda Grass..........them suckers are tough cookies![/QUOTE]
Kevin, I'm gonna have to compare lables with you on our Roundup. I started years ago using Roundup at the shop, and noticed that the ivys weren't affected. I have a lot of Bermuda and Johnson grass, among others, and the Roundup works great. But when it failed on the ivys, I started mixing the Brush-B-Gone with it. I remember years ago I used Liquid Edger with great rusults and the following year the Gov. banned the effecive ingredient. I know they sell Roundup in different strengths, and I do buy the concentrate. (Expensive) Jim Becker is correct about the vinegars. When at all possible, I'd prefer the natural approach. I find it really strange that you and I have different results with Roundup. There is an answer and I'd like to know why.

[Ken Garlock]

Phil, I can't speak to the efficacy of Round-up on all plants, but I do know that it comes in various strengths. I bought a quart at Wally-world which was labeled "the strongest you can buy" for the outrageous price of about $38. I mix 5 tbsp per gallon of water. I have been mixing that with "msna" and it kills everything I have sprayed.


Another approach is to cut off the vine near its base, and then paint full strength Round-Up on the stock ends. If that doesn't work, resort to explosives

[Don Farr]

A couple of years back I was talking (complaining) to the owner of Ace hardware about Roundup not working effectively for me. He told me for best results use it after a rain or if in drought conditions to water first and then spray. It worked great after that. It's something to do with the osmosis of the plant. When it is sucking up water it is more likely to do the same to the Roundup.
I have followed that tip and ever since never had a problem. In fact it is sometimes scary how quick and dead it kills stuff.

[David LaRue]

I have used several brands of that use Glyphosate as the active ingredient. I personally prefer the Spectricide version. I have had great success on using ot to kill poison ivy when I had a large piece of property.

Here is the techy info on Glyphosate

[Brad Schafer]

you can greatly increase the effectiveness of a glyphosate-based herbicide if you mix in a little ammonium sulfate. (ammonium nitrate would work, too, but since it's good for fertilizer bombs, you can't buy it any more). any elevator or bulk fertilizer dealer oughta have it; you don't need more than a few oz per gallon.

i use it on PI all the time, and it works just dandy.

as for "super strength" - that's basically indicative of how much water you're buying. concentrate where you're not buying water should mix out around 90-100ml/gallon.

years ago, we mixed 2-4-D with diesel fuel to spray particularly ornery fence rows. it killed whatever it hit - but i'd guess the PC priests would frown on that nowadays.


b

[Lee Schierer]

I heard from a guy at work that he uses white vinegar as a weed killer. He claims it works better than round up and is not toxic to people or pets. He sprays it on full strength.

I have not tried this my self, so I cannot say whether it works or not.

Lee

[Jim Becker]

I heard from a guy at work that he uses white vinegar as a weed killer. He claims it works better than round up and is not toxic to people or pets. He sprays it on full strength.

I have not tried this my self, so I cannot say whether it works or not.

It works, but spraying it on the plant is not the method...you need to saturate the soil that the plant's roots are in. The vinegar lowers the PH down to about 3...which is like the surface of the moon for plant life. It works fine for things that don't have deep roots, but may not be effective for really hardy things like PI. Also, regular household vinegar is not generally a high enough concentration. You need to get the 20% stuff designed for this. Once the intended effect is achieved, you need to bring the soil back to "normal" PH with lime or another amendment before contemplating growth of desireable plants.