weed killer

[Sarge]

Getting ready to purchase a tow behind spray rig (FIMCO) and been researching weed killer stuff. I want to kill everything down to the roots, but not my trees and ready to plant grass in 2-3 weeks. I'm thinking "Big-N-Tuff" or "Round-up". Am I on track with that /forums/images/graemlins/confused.gif

Thanks

 

[HGM]

I was told that there is a "sticky" agent added to some of these chemicals to help them adhere to the weeds. Apparently Round-up doesnt have very high levels, although it will kill the weeds, a light dew will wash it off.

I tried Round-Up in the past and wasnt happy with how long it lasted so this made sence to me. I am using another chemical that the local feed store recomended. Sorry, I cant recall the name of it right now. It seems to be more effective and lasts longer for my needs.

 

[beenthere]

I've had good luck with round-up, but there are others with the glyphosate that work as well. These work when applied to 'green' growing leaves or blades, and kill the plant. They don't kill trees (but I wouldn't get a lot of spray on the stems) unless you spray the leaves or needles. Putting round-up on stumps apparently works to kill unwanted 'brush' that has been freshly cut.
If your 'weeds' are growing well (that season is coming to an end) I would think glyphosate products would work for you.
And I think you are on the right track.
/forums/images/graemlins/wink.gif

 

[Bowhunter]

Roundup works well. I go with a Roundup knockoff called Clear Out. $59.99 for 2.5 gallons at the local farm/fleet store. For the "sticking" agent mentioned above, instead of buying an expensive surfactant, you can use plain old dish soap instead. Add several ounces of dish soap to the sprayer with your weed killer and it will do a better job of killing.

 

[Clydes]

I buy a generic round up brand from our local feed and seed. 30 gallon drum is $12 a gallon and it has the surfactant in it, sprayed 1 quart to the acre, did 20 acres and after a week, it's all dead. Will start the disc process this week

 

[HomeBrew2]

Good replies so far, just a couple additions.
Round-Up (generic = glyphosate) is a post-emergent. As beenthere said, kills all growing weeds. If you go with something that's mixed with something else, the something else could be a pre-emergent, thus will kill your ready-to-plant-grass SEED (if I understand you correctly).
As I recall, Round-Up wasn't designed for broadleaf weeds and some folks have a lot of broadleafs and it hasn't worked well for them. I believe the label says it works on some. For hard to kill broadleafs, I spray them a little more heavily and they die.
Some glyphosates have the surfacant built in, but some might not. You can, and should, use a surfacant .. dish detergent works.
As far as subsequent dew and rain goes, i.e., rain-fastness, that is something to check into for each different brand ... seems it's usually buried in the encyclopedia that comes with the chemical. It seems to vary from a couple of hours to a couple of days.
Cheers!

 

[oliver28472]

There are now several versions of the Roundup brand now available. I have been working on a jug of Roundup Ultra for several years. It will kill if it can dry on the foliage for less than an hour before a rain. I'm using it now to burn down part of my back yard which is full of bermuda and crab grass. Have not had to worry about rain lately. Would like to have some to help my aerator.

 

[CTyler]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( For the "sticking" agent mentioned above, instead of buying an expensive surfactant, you can use plain old dish soap instead. Add several ounces of dish soap to the sprayer with your weed killer and it will do a better job of killing. )</font>

Do you have to add an anti-foam agent when doing this? I would thing the recirculating circuit would really foam things up in the tank.

 

[Dozernut]

Just a word of warning, if your spraying Round-Up, be careful if you spray around a pond or lake. The surfactant in it will not harm the fish, but it will kill the amphibians (toads, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders) in the pond. I found this out the hard way and eliminated one of the food chains in my pond for the fish and had to feed them. It's recovering but slowly.

 

[wushaw]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Just a word of warning, if your spraying Round-Up, be careful if you spray around a pond or lake. The surfactant in it will not harm the fish, but it will kill the amphibians (toads, frogs, tadpoles, salamanders) in the pond. I found this out the hard way and eliminated one of the food chains in my pond for the fish and had to feed them. It's recovering but slowly. )</font>

That can't be good /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[EastTexFrank]

Detergents such as the the commercial surfactants (stickers) bought from the feed store or TSC cost about $10/gallon and don't foam very much, if at all. Dish washing detergents will work but they have a foaming agent added to make the suds so that people think they are cleaning better. More suds = more cleaning power ... right????

Glyphosphates, such as Round-Up and the cheaper knock-offs, will kill most green vegetation but are deactivated by soil contact, therefore they have no or very little residual effect. Some weeds are difficult to kill and may need 2 applications but if you mix it with 2-4-D, it'll kill just about anything green that it touches. Be careful though because you can kill or weaken trees by spraying the bark. A little bit of spray or drift probably won't do much harm but soaking the trunk can make them sick, especially if there is any bark or borer damage.

If you're going to be replanting seed, you don't need to be using anything with a pre-emergent mixed in with it. Most of them hang around in the soil for quite a while and your replanting results will be very, very disappointing.

 

[Sarge]

Ok, I sprayed my entire rain forest this weekend with roundup (concentrate) and we'll see what happens. Directions said to mix 1.5 oz. for every gallon bu I mixed it at 4 oz per gallon. I have about 3 acres to kill and it did cost me a fortune /forums/images/graemlins/tongue.gif. I'll let you know.

 

[jeffinsgf]

</font><font color="blue" class="small">( Do you have to add an anti-foam agent when doing this? I would thing the recirculating circuit would really foam things up in the tank. )</font>

If you have a hot tub, the anti-foam agent for that works great in your sprayer.

 

[unreconstructed]

I have not had any trouble with getting RoundUp to kill either broadleaf nor grass. I have spayed brush stumps, but the brush came back out. Am trying Tordon 22k on that, but the Tordon takes an applicator license. Remedy will take care of mesquite, but I reckon mesquite is not your concern in NY.

I have put Roundup down in the winter (winter in West Texas ain't winter in NY obviously) and it still worked but took a bit.

Like a previous writer said--Roundup will withstand a rain if allowed to dry an hour before the rain.

I too mixed some 2-4d with roundup and it definitely did the job. /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

Fertilome Weedout works better for broadleaf than does straight 2-4d in that it does not seem to burn the grass as much.

 

[marks]

I too have had success using glyphosate (a Round-Up knock off) and then adding a surfactant. The dishsoap idea is probably a good substitute.

 

[Panache]

If you could use Tordon in the area you could also use Arsenal AC. It is not cheap at $160/qt but a little goes a long way.

 

[ejtaylor822]

I have had good success with Round-Up. As someone mentioned there are different kinds of Round-Up available - weed killer and brush cutter - I think. Round-Up, both kinds, are expensive so I have tried other brands that claimed to be "just as good as Round-Up for killing weeds" - they weren't. For weed killing & "edging", along driveways and flowerbeds, I have yet to find anything better than Round-Up around here. IMHO, it's worth the extra $$$.

For the brush killing stuff, wild grape vines, poison oak & ivy, briars, etc. I have found the Bayer brush-B-gone, I think that's what it is called, to be just as good as the Round-Up brush killer. The Bayer stuff is not as concentrated so you have to buy more as compared to the Round-Up brush killer. This makes it slightly less expensive, maybe a dollar or two less per gallon. I have had great results with it though. I keep a quart bottle sprayer, like used to spray/mist flowers, for special occassion with a half-and-half mixture of the brush-b-gone. When I find a large poison oak or wild grape vine, I cut about 6" out and spray both ends. Within no time, maybe a week, it's dead.

 

[Sarge]

It's been about 2 weeks now and the Round Up has done the trick /forums/images/graemlins/cool.gif When I started I used the concentrate that did not state "visible results in 24 hours" and that part is still hanging on a little bit. I switched to the other concentrate and it worked within 48 hours.


Thanks All

 

[tester1a]

I have used both the Big N Tough and the Round Up in the large "mix it yourself" bottles sold at Tractor Supply and the Big N Tough wins hands down. I compared the labels and the active ingredient is the same and even though the Round Up says that it has a greater percentage of it, the Big N Tough kills more and quicker than the Round Up when diluted at the same ratio. So, save yourself some money and buy the Big N Tough.
I have a 15.5 Gallon sprayer that I also bought at Tractor Supply, I have mounted it to my Polaris ATV and run the pump off of a spare ATV battery stored in the back compartment of the ATV, works great, just drive around and spray the fence line, no more weed whacking which means more time for other forms of exercise!