Anybody with advice on vegetation killer?

[ducks4you]

I need to clear the 4' wide bed next to my house. I've been fighting weeds there and I've pruned the yews so much that I killed 5 of them--NO loss to ME--but I'm tired of fighting every year. I understand that vegetation killer clears every plant that is sprayed for about one year and some plants need a second spraying. I'd like to keep the existing yews, the hydrangea in the corner, and the plantings on the north and south of my front walk, but kill off everything else that has been growing around the east and south of the house. Any comments and advice and experience in welcome.

 

[journey11]

I've tried several organic methods, but with the invasive grasses I'm plagued with here (they run from the roots), I've had to resort to Roundup. Especially when first preparing a new bed. If you're careful, you can spray it around bushes and such. I put a bucket or cardboard around them as I go. Then I mulched heavily and that worked for awhile. Then some grasses came back from seed prolifically, so I'm going to use grass killer on my perennial flowers next year because I don't have time to keep pulling all the weeds. I don't like to spray in the garden, but do spray the perimeter to keep the quackgrass back. I was using heavy rubber coal conveyor belt pieces that my DH got at the plant. That does work to smother and cook the grass when the sun is hot enough on it, but then the voles decided it was a lovely place to set up their home.

ETA: There's two different kinds of roundup (or off-brand) weed killers. One that lasts a whole year and the other that is clear to plant in after 2 weeks.

 

[Ridgerunner]

What weeds are you talking about? For grass only I've used a grass killer in my iris with active ingredient Poast. I don't remember the marketing name, something dramatic like "Grass Killer". I've also used it in a decorative landscaping bed. I read the withdrawal times for fruits, nuts, and vegetables and will not use it anywhere around food products.

I can't help you with a broadleaf plant killer around other things that you don't want to kill. Someone on here said they sit down with some Round-Up and a tiny paint brush for certain weeds in some landscaping beds but I haven't tried it yet. Some blackberry briars are trying to take over a certain landscaping area so I may find the patience to try that.

I've also used Round-Up on the perimeter of my garden to stop Bermuda Grass from running in, not in the garden itself but to establish a barrier around it. I prefer Round-Up to that grass killer because of the withdrawal times. That grass killer is nasty. One year withdrawal for nut trees. I also tried smothering it with old pieces of carpet and cardboard boxes with wood chips on top but it did not work real well. The Bermuda just sent runners under it and when those wood chips broke down it was a great growing medium for Bermuda grass.

 

[seedcorn]

Glysophate is active ingredient in Round-up. It is a contact killer that kills both above and below ground. It will not stop other seeds from sprouting. If the product states it kills for more than 1 minute it is a blended product with glysophate. What you buy at Ace, Walmart is a very dilute, blended formulation-that costs about 100x more than it should.

Another "safer" product that only kills what it covers is Liberty. In the case of perennials, they will re sprout as Liberty does not kill roots. It's also very safe as it doesn't drift. Even if a desired plant gets sprayed, only the sprayed part dies leaving the rest of the plant to stay alive and re-grow. Liberty costs about 3-4 times more per gallon.

 

[seedcorn]

The next time I start a garden, I'll spray area in fall, then as soon as I see new germination in spring, then till all under. As you can tell, I do not buy into Glysophate hatred. It is merely a soap.

 

[bobm]

When one sprays roundup, also include a surfactant ( liquid soap) so that it easily spreads over the entire leaf surface for better / more effective control and it allows for a lesser amount of the Roundup to be applied. When Roundup hits the soil it becomes inactivated. Now, there are many different herbicides on the market for different weed, brush, wine, and tree control. Some are well suited for some crops , or grasses , or brush/ trees while others will destroy them too, or not affect them at all. Some have a long residual effect while others are effective for a short period of time as they degrade rapidly. For some herbicides you will need an applicator's licence while others are for home use. Always FOLLOW label instructions and NEVER over concentrate any herbicide in a spray. ( I have seen homeowners saturate each plant with Roundup (or other chemical herbicides ) while with a surfactant only a few droplets will do the job) I would suggest that you contact your county Ag. extention agent that specializes in herbicides for best advice for your particular needs in your local, what plants you want to destroy and not to harm as well as how to apply it. Just for your information ... there are many organic compounds that are just as toxic and in many cases much more toxic to the environment than many of the man made chemicals.

 

[seedcorn]

@bobm , I also use detergent. The more acidic the water, the "hotter" is the glysophate. If you are using basic water and a generic form, the basic water will greatly reduce the effectiveness. Monsanto's version comes with a surfactant that allows you to use basic water. I use a mix of acetic water (blend acetic acid with well water), dish soap, and glysophate.

Great point to follow directions--something I never do...

 

[so lucky]

Do you suppose a little vinegar in the water would make it acid enough to make the round up work better? I'm not a real fan of round-up, as you know, but there is a place for it.
If I remember correctly, triclopyr or triclopir is a brush killer that will kill poison ivy, honeysuckle, brushy weeds. Just not grassy weeds, or grass. It takes a long time to kill, but it does kill the roots, too. I think there is a mix of round-up and triclopyr that would do several things. Maybe more than you want. Just read the ingredients. And, of course, follow the directions.

 

[seedcorn]

Depends upon how basic your water is. Mine, no. 8.5 pH.

 

[Nyboy]

Someone once wrote they remove the bottom from a 5 gallon pail, then place pail over what they want killed, then spray with round up. Sides of pail stop any over sprayon plants you want.