Weed Killer Recipes

[firefighter9208]

Yes, 2-4-D Amine, I think is the "official name". Make sure that you mix it exactly by the directions, as it will kill grass if mixed too strong. And when you buy it at the co-op it's strong.

My grandfather used to mixed Roundup with diesel fuel and it killed everything.

Chris

 

[Arbo]

Common vinegar, and disolve all the table salt you can in it. Spray it on the offending flora, and they will be dead the next day. Be sure to clean your sprayer thoroughly...This stuff is highly corrosive if left sitting in your equipment.

 

[Spiveyman]

I was just referred to this thread, so I hope someone is still looking. I bought the concentrated Round-up at Lowes, about $158 if I recall. So that damage is already done. My question, like a typical guy, is there any benefit to adding any or ALL of the previous suggestions to the dilted Round-up? I probably don't want to fool with the salt because once the weeds are gone I'd prefer some grass to come back. However, I have about 15 acres of woods on the back of the farm that have a solid "carpet" of poison Ivy. I want that stuff dead, but don't want to destroy the trees.

Thanks.

 

[PA hayseed]

I second (or 3rd or 4th) the recommendation to be wary of salt where you want things to grow again. Also, be wary of wherever you are putting salt at for the water path, it will carry through the ground.

I went biblical on my grand mother's gravel driveway years ago. I dragged up much of the gravel, slightly turned the ground, and poured several hundred pounds of salt in it, covered back up with gravel, and compacted. Wouldn't you know it, no weeds in that gravel driveway for Years. Of course with the rain washout, there was also no grass along the driveway. This displeased my grandmother immensly.

I thought I did her a favor so that she wouldn't have to weed her driveway again. Lesson learned, and probably overkill with as much salt as I put in there. Its kinda funny now.

 

[Spiveyman]

I second (or 3rd or 4th) the recommendation to be wary of salt where you want things to grow again. Also, be wary of wherever you are putting salt at for the water path, it will carry through the ground.

I went biblical on my grand mother's gravel driveway years ago. I dragged up much of the gravel, slightly turned the ground, and poured several hundred pounds of salt in it, covered back up with gravel, and compacted. Wouldn't you know it, no weeds in that gravel driveway for Years. Of course with the rain washout, there was also no grass along the driveway. This displeased my grandmother immensly.

I thought I did her a favor so that she wouldn't have to weed her driveway again. Lesson learned, and probably overkill with as much salt as I put in there. Its kinda funny now.

Yeah, that runoff thing will get you and salt doesn't really break down the way that stuff like Round-up seems to. Your stuck for a while. I have also been told to let it be right now since it's not actively growing and hit it hard in the spring. Maybe that's the best option, and in the winter while it's dorment I may be able to get the bulk of the stuff out of there.

 

[Skyco]

Also try adding a teaspoon of dish detergent per gallon to your sprayer. Works as a sticker and the generic gylphosphate (Round-up) will work better. Make sure you add the detergent after filling up the sprayer or you'll have a mess.

Chris

I've heard that for years too but oddly the generic of Round-Up I bought in a 2.5 gallon jug specifically says to NOT use detergent or soap as a wetting agent...it says to use ammonium sulfate if one is needed and to mix it thoroughly in water before adding the glyphosate.

 

[6sunset6]

I have a permanent area where I did not want weeds. It is a space between our patios and a stone wall that defines the end of lanscape. It's pretty long 120' x 20'. We did not want grass either. We put down black non woven weed fabric and covered it with 3 inches of 3/4 gravel. Works. Very little grows, Combination of too hot, no dirt. But I am pretty sure we will have to blow the leaves off in the fall. We use Round up to touch up but I think we are going to switch to vinager. We used Round up on 12a of poisen ivy . We have found that Round up does not work on everything. Horse tails grow through the blacktop and Brush Begone is the stuff for that.

 

[Matt_W]

Common vinegar, and disolve all the table salt you can in it. Spray it on the offending flora, and they will be dead the next day. Be sure to clean your sprayer thoroughly...This stuff is highly corrosive if left sitting in your equipment.

That sounds like a recipe I found online, Never had a chance to try it yet though.
If it works on poison Ivy Im sure it will work on weeds!

Poison Ivy Vegetation Killer
1 cup salt
8 drops liquid detergent
1 gallon vinegar
Combine the salt and vinegar in a pan and heat to dissolve the salt. Cool the vinegar, add the detergent, and pour some of the liquid into a large spray bottle. Spray the vegetation. (You can also just pour the mixture onto the weeds.) Refill the spray bottle as necessary. Note that this formula will kill all the vegetation, so make sure that you are only spraying the plants you want to kill. If you need to use a lot of this spray, avoid spraying it near wells, as the salt can leach into your water supply.

 

[Spiveyman]

I have a permanent area where I did not want weeds. It is a space between our patios and a stone wall that defines the end of lanscape. It's pretty long 120' x 20'. We did not want grass either. We put down black non woven weed fabric and covered it with 3 inches of 3/4 gravel. Works. Very little grows, Combination of too hot, no dirt. But I am pretty sure we will have to blow the leaves off in the fall. We use Round up to touch up but I think we are going to switch to vinager. We used Round up on 12a of poisen ivy . We have found that Round up does not work on everything. Horse tails grow through the blacktop and Brush Begone is the stuff for that.

Sounds like the Brush Begone would be a good option for me then. I want something that will do the job, but I don't want to destroy the soil in the process. I still want the good stuff to be healthy (meaning the larger trees) and I want grass to be able to come back in some places.

 

[Gatorboy]

Just wondering if anyone out there has made their own weed killer, I have alot of weeds and grass to kill in the summer and the round-up is just getting to expensive.

How much RoundUp do you go through?

A 2.5 gallon of Pro Concentrate costs about $150 and makes 125-200 gallons of mix (1.6-2.5 oz/gallon).