Herbicide mix?

[Nathan_OR]

Hey guys,

I know it's only loosely related to tractors, but since I know many of you have 3ph attached sprayers, and know your stuff on spraying, I figured I'd ask.

So I have been using a RoundUp generic in concentrated form (syrupy stuff, about $80 for 3 gallons from my local feed store). I mix it about 1c. to 3 gallons of water and spray a light mist (3 gallons does about 1/4-1/3 acre in my backpack sprayer, depending on how high the weeds are). I spray about 10 a.m. on a sunny day when the wind is down and the day is warming up. I get reasonable results... things turn yellow and most of them die off. But it takes a few weeks for things to fall down, and they come back pretty quickly. I have to spray several times over the summer (like 4-5 times between now and September).

However, my old neighbor (he has moved away) used to spray our fence line and man it just left bare dirt with a little dead moss clinging to it. And I think he just used roundup plus a surfactant (dunno what though). So, any tips on how to get a better kill?

Thanks guys,
Nathan

PS: I should mention I'm spraying mostly grass and weeds (like what sprouts up in the cracks of my driveway and along the fence line here in the Portland, Oregon area, not blackberries and other tough stuff)

 

[AllWaysBreakinSomething]

I've been learning this myself but I don't kill everything. I mostly spray for pasture management. Although I have found adding a surfactant really helps. I buy the typically stuff from the farmers supply but I have been told you can use detergents from the kitchen or wash but I haven't tried it yet. Someone else may comment on what is best to use and how much.

I do however have difficulty with black berry vines with the boom sprayer. I have to really spray them with the gun to get good response. I use triphor on the blackberry vines and 2-4-D on the rest.

 

[ToadHill]

Glyphospate, the ingredient in Roundup, does not work well on woody plants, but it will do well on grass and weeds. The regrowth you get could well be from seeds that are in the soil. These products will not kill weed seeds. After a few applications you will get the burndown your neighbor got.

 

[erikharwell]

I mixed about 120 ounces of 41% gly into 30 gallons and got pretty good results. that is a pretty high ratio, but it did the job. I also mixed in a couple cups of surfactant.

 

[bucmeister]

When I want to kick the weeds tail I put 4 oz to the gallon. Most of the stuff you buy has a surfactant in it, but I feel you can enhance the effect by adding an ounce or two of dish detergent per gallon. I prefer Dawn because that is what some farming friends of mine that farm over 10K acres uses.

Also, I would suspect that the lighter you mist the application the stronger the mix will need to be in order to get the desired effect.

If you have woody broadleaf weeds to control you might want to give Brash a try, it has the 2, 4-D plus some dicambra and it really does the job for me on poison ivy, locust saplings, and the scourge of the south, kudzu. Add a couple oz./gal with the glyphospate and it will help to "clean" things up.

 

[RonMar]

Are you trying to kill everything or just the broadleaf weeds? IF you are trying to kill everything, you concentration is probably too low and a surfactant such as dish soap(or even a little diesel fuel) will help. If you are after only the broadleaf, a lot has to do with timing. If you are waiting till too late to spray, the broadleaf weeds you are targeting will have already gone to seed(or will go to seed before the spray kills them) and those new plants comming up from seed are what you are having to re-spray. You need to spray early enough before the weeds get a chance to spread their seeds. Take dandilions for example. You need to spray them as soon as you see yellow. Also by spot spraying you may miss one or two which will go to seed and spread. I started using 2-4D 2 years ago. I apply 1 QT in 20 gallons per acre(about the lowest reccomend doseage for the concentration I am using) and I start off with a boom spray of everything. I then go back a few days later and spot spray what isn't dead/dying from the first pass. This has worked well since I started doing it and is not all that chemical intensive.

 

[jba3520]

One of the most over-looked things when using the herbicide Glyphosate (Roundup) is the water quality. I'm not sure if I am explaining it right but if I remember correctly, the salt molecules of the Glyphosate will attach to iron or other elements in the water and greatly reduce the desired effect of the weed killer. So if you are using well water or ditch water or you are unsure of your water quality it is recommended to mix in some ammonium sulfate. I use about 2 lbs for 25 gallons of water. The way I understand it, this gives something else for the iron and other elements to attach themselves to and neutralizes the effect of the poor water quality allowing the Glyphosate to do it's job. Just remember to mix the ammonium sulfate with the water before you add the Glyphosate. This has made a big difference for me.

Also adding surfactants should only be done if the specific manufacturer suggests it. There are many different brands of Glyphosate now on the market and some have surfactants added and others don't. Usually the ones that have it will have a "plus" or "II" added to their name. Adding another type of surfactant to a mix that already has one can make it less effective not more. I use a brand called Gly Star Plus and the instructions for it say explicitly not to add surfactant.

 

[KrumpsBrother]

Add 1-2 oz liquid seaweed per gallon. It tricks the plants into absorbing the glyphosate more effectively. Works faster and better. The liquid seaweed also aids in sticking.

You can also use and water soluable fertilizer added with good results.

KB

 

[john_bud]

Most folks use "crop oil" surfactant. Go by what is on the lable. I think your real issue is that you aren't getting enough of the juice onto the plants. I will mix to the label and spray 10 gal to the acre. Roundup needs a good solid coating on the leaf to work.

jb

 

[gsdavis1]

This product from Lesco called Sahara works great. It actually sterilizes the ground. Round up kills through the foliage. Meaning you have to spray it on the leaf for it to work. In order to make a muched flower bed I usually spray the grass with Round up and then mulch over it right away. I even plant bushes etc. within just a few hours because Round up only affects a plant if it touches the leaf. It doesn't affect teh soil.

This sahara product actually sterilized the soil so that nothing will grow for up to a year. You must be careful where you spray though. It can kill a tree!

http://www.lesco.com/?PageID=27&ItemNumber=069219

Greg