Most cost efficient weedkiller?

[JDgreen227]

The most cost effective weed killer I know of and use is vinegar. Cheap white vinegar with a tablespoon of salt and a squirt of dish detergent for every gallon. Costs $2.50/gal. Less if you can buy it in bulk or on sale. Use it full strength.

Warning: This is non-selective and kills everything. I use it to clear garden plots, and you can plant 24 hours after spraying. Best thing is it's much safer than most of the other chemicals and I feel a whole lot less concern about it contaminating ground water.

If I want to kill poison ivy and keep the grass, then I use 2,4-D, but for total weed and grass annihilation, I use the vinegar.

Joe

Will have to try that one, thanks. Been a LONG time since I have seen vinegar at $2.50 a gallon, around here it's $4 per gallon or more.

 

[TRR]

Check at your local farm co-op. At mine 41% glypsophate (sp?) is $13/gal in 2.5 gal jugs.

 

[Marveltone]

Containers of glyphosate (aka RoundUp) concentrate mentioned in this thread can be readily obtained for significantly less than that.

By your figures, my 25 gallon sprayer full of weed killer would've cost me $62.50 (25 x $2.50), whereas I only paid $50 or $55 for the entire 2.5 gallons (320 ounces) of concentrate, & I only used somewhere between 10 & 20 ounces of the concentrate for my 25 gallon mix (can't remember exactly how much now).

Vinegar is $1.79 at Sam's club in my region. That comes out to $44.75 for your 25 gallon tank. Like I said, it can be had for less.

Joe

 

[clemsonfor]

41% is the stronges concentrate i know of. I bought 2.5 galons from Agrisupply for like $35.

 

[smstonypoint]

41% is the stronges concentrate i know of. I bought 2.5 galons from Agrisupply for like $35.

Roundup Pro has a 50% glyphosate concentration: Roundup Pro Concentrate (2.5 gallon) 50% Glyphosate

TSC supposedly has a 50% glyphosate product, Groundworks, but I haven't seen it at the TSCs I have visited.

The generic 41% glyphosate suits my needs when I want a non-selective herbicide.

Steve

 

[Dadof3]

Glyphosate can be concentrated to 50% without surfactant and 41% with. I prefer the 41% with surfactant. It sticks to the leaves better and is more rain/dew resistant.

 

[clemsonfor]

if you want to kill the grass all season long get Imazapyr. It will kill all season long, but you cant grow ANYTHING all year long there.

 

[clemsonfor]

Thanks Brin...what amount of the HD stuff do you use per gallon?

Glyphosate can be mixed at usually from 1-3.5 oz per gallon of water based upon use and target species. It can also be used full strength on stumps and brush after a cutting and stump treatment.

All of these rates are LABLED rates anything else is ILLEGAL. Also i am a licensed aplicator.

 

[NevadaMOGuy]

I likey 2-4-D oil based for everything but grass. Used as a .5% concentration which is about 1 pint for a 30 gallon spayer.
The mix instruction go from concetrations from .2% up to 1%, could probably use even less now that the tough stuff like thistle is gone.

LV 400 2-4-D

For anything that is green in the wrong spot the Glyphosate stuff is pretty good, $20 for a gallon.

Drexel Imitator Plus 41%

 

[JDgreen227]

Roundup Pro has a 50% glyphosate concentration: Roundup Pro Concentrate (2.5 gallon) 50% Glyphosate

TSC supposedly has a 50% glyphosate product, Groundworks, but I haven't seen it at the TSCs I have visited.

The generic 41% glyphosate suits my needs when I want a non-selective herbicide.

Steve

My TSC had that 50% product Groundworks last year but I have not been there recently.

 

[beppington]

Vinegar is $1.79 at Sam's club in my region. That comes out to $44.75 for your 25 gallon tank. Like I said, it can be had for less.

Joe

And I'm saying that, assuming my worst-case scenario of having used 20 ounces out of my 2.5 gallon concentrate, it cost me $3.43 to make 25 gallons of weed killer.

Apples-to-apples that's $44.75 vs $3.43.

You may feel better about using vinegar, but it would seem to cost somewhere about 10-15 times more than glyphosate.

 

[grsthegreat]

The US military has a large stockpile of agent orange they would like to sell cheap :laughing:

 

[Marveltone]

And I'm saying that, assuming my worst-case scenario of having used 20 ounces out of my 2.5 gallon concentrate, it cost me $3.43 to make 25 gallons of weed killer.

Apples-to-apples that's $44.75 vs $3.43.

You may feel better about using vinegar, but it would seem to cost somewhere about 10-15 times more than glyphosate.

Now I get it! Apparently, I missed a decimal point when I read your previous post. Oops! :ashamed:

Sometimes I need to be slapped upside the head to get things to sink in.

Joe

 

[CompactTractorFan]

The most cost effective weed killer I know of and use is vinegar. Cheap white vinegar with a tablespoon of salt and a squirt of dish detergent for every gallon. Costs $2.50/gal. Less if you can buy it in bulk or on sale. Use it full strength.

Warning: This is non-selective and kills everything. I use it to clear garden plots, and you can plant 24 hours after spraying. Best thing is it's much safer than most of the other chemicals and I feel a whole lot less concern about it contaminating ground water.

If I want to kill poison ivy and keep the grass, then I use 2,4-D, but for total weed and grass annihilation, I use the vinegar.

Joe

Interesting...I'll have to try that. :thumbsup:

 

[clemsonfor]

That viniger may be ok in a small vegie garden or something but at $2.50 a gallon thats pretty pricy!

 

[JDgreen227]

That viniger may be ok in a small vegie garden or something but at $2.50 a gallon thats pretty pricy!

Here it is as much as $3.50 per gallon, we do not belong to Sam's Club and few stores here sell it for less than $3 per gallon.

Does it have to be white vinegar or does cider vinegar work as well?

 

[LMan1967]

My TSC had that 50% product Groundworks last year but I have not been there recently.

This is the brand/% I use. Seems to work pretty well.

 

[Marveltone]

Here it is as much as $3.50 per gallon, we do not belong to Sam's Club and few stores here sell it for less than $3 per gallon.

Does it have to be white vinegar or does cider vinegar work as well?

I don't think it matters. White vinegar just happens to be the cheapest up here. We basically wanted a less toxic alternative to the other chemicals that are commonly used. I've been impressed with the results so far.

Apparently, I was way off on my math (decimals in the wrong place, or something similar) so it's not as cheap as the commercially made weed killers, (thanks for straightening me out, Bep) but for something as small as a garden, it's no big deal, so I'll continue to use it.

Joe

 

[brin]

I tried the vinegar, salt and dish soap mix and it did not work at all for us...we tried it on all the weeds on the highway right of way in front of our house...the grass and weeds laughed at it...Just my experience..