WHERE does weed killer get INTO the plant (leaves? roots? stem? mechanism?)

[norminn]

Osmosis.

Leaves are excretion organs? Haven't heard of leaves taking in CO2?

Same reason your body would if you get it on your skin.

[Harry K]

I can't answer _why_ they take it in, just accept the _fact_ that they do.

BUT: Quit wasting your roundup - it works if applied properly.

1. On green growing things ONLY. Spray on the ground is a waste and does nothing.
2. Spray on leaves.

1. Spraying on stubs after cutting is not going to be very effective although I will paint the stump of a tree I don't want sprouting with pure Round UP. Don't know if that works for sure but it makes me feel better.

2. After spraying WAIT. Minimum of 10 days. That is abotu the earliest that any damage will be seen and not unusual for 2 weeks.

Most of the complaints "roundup doesn't work" is because people don't wait _for_ it to work. The newer products commonly also contain stuff that will make the leaves wilt. That is to satisfy the "it doesn't work" brigade and is probably cutting the effectiveness of the glypsophate somewhat.

Harry K

[Stepfann King]

Spray the stuff in your eyes for about 1 hour...or until you fall down.

[norminn]

Same reason your fingers get all white and wrinkly when you soak them in water...transpiration isn't the only process goin' on. Moisture on the leaves is more accessible, I suppose, so it crosses cell membranes more quickly than the moisture coming from the roots. The chemicals in herbicides might do so more quickly...

[hallerb]

Miracle grow fertilizer advertises it feeds thru the roots and leaves.

All herbicides say on the label dont mix. But I can assure you 50% roundup 50% poision ivy KILLS poision ivy 100% effectively.

It will look BAD within hours:)

[trader4]

Couple of points to agree with and add. First, while Roundup can be used to kill poison ivy, it's not the best choice. Look for products labeled as brush killer. Another important factor is some of the products available will not only kill existing vegetation, but also prevent anything growing back for 4-6 months.

Second, if you use Roundup a lot, buying it at the big box stores or local garden center is a big mistake. The absolute most expensive choice is buying it pre-mixed. But even the concentrated mixes are very expensive compared to what you can find online. A few years back, I bought 2.5 gallons of Razor, which is glyphosate, same main ingredient as Roundup, about 50% strength, for maybe $90 online. You'd have spent several times that buying Roundup in any form at the usual shops. None of the places I looked have even the concentrate at anywhere near 50%.

[Robert Neville]

I agree. Best I've found retail is at Walmart. 41% solution, 32 ounces, $15. I suspect a tractor supply, coop or feed store would be better.

[Harry K]

Sorry, grabbed the wrong post. Meant for Elmo.

Harry K

[salty]

Home Depot has 50% Roundup for $97 a gallon.

Razor Pro is only 41% glyphosate.

[Harry K]

I posted this to Ransley by mistake. Repeating it here to be sure you see it.

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1. Spraying it on the ground is an outright waste. It has zero residual effect and is nuetrallized almost upon contact with the ground. Might as well just dump the stuff down the drain for all the good spraying on the ground will do.

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Harry K

[norminn]

The label will give you the simplest answer. Bear in mind that herbicides have different modes of action. Pre-emergents, used for crab grass-type weeds (atrazine, etc.) are taken up by roots. Timing is critical.

Broadleaf herbicides, like Weed B Gone, are taken in through the leaves. It's been a while, but Weed B Gone worked wonders on the weeds in our southern lawn. There are lots of combinations and mixtures sold these days, and a lot of overuse because people don't maintain lawns properly or apply chemicals properly. The instructions for WBG are important....weeds must be actively growing, don't apply if rain expected, etc. When we used it on our lawn, we fertilized a couple of weeks in advance so everything was growing and avoided using it during hottest weather when grass is stressed.

With tough weeds, it is easier and safer to cut the plant down, wait for new growth to appear and then use Roundup or similar vegetation killer. One especially nasty weed is asparagus fern...one of many house plants that idiots like to plant outdoors...that is invasive in Florida. It has loads of berries and huge, tuberous roots that make it impossible to dig up when it takes root in hedges. I crawled around under our hedges, cut the asparagus fern and ivy to the ground, waited until they had some new growth and sprayed with Roundup. Using this method, you don't hit the desirable plants and you don't need to use much Roundup. Logic tells one that a plant can't thrive without leaves and if you cover all of it's leaves with suitable herbicide, it will be effective. Some tougher plants, especially stuff with waxy leaves like ivy, are more susceptible this way because the new growth is more tender but might require another application.

[Jeff The Drunk]

A gallon of 50% will make 10 gallons of 5% mix which is plenty strong, more than twice as strong as regular Roundup at 2%

I bought two refills of Super Roundup 50% each for a 1 gallon Roundup pump sprayer to equal two refills. Dumped both into my two gallon sprayer. Sprayed down some weeds out on the back lot and in about a week they were brown.

[Twayne]

Reading the labels on the containers almost always tells you the answers you're looking for. Then if needed, go to Google with the terms you now gained as helpers for the search. There is no single answer as different products work in different ways and with different chemicals.

[ktos]

Robert Neville wrote in news: [e-mail]:

Walmart is too cheap to pay their workers equally. I bet they're cheap and water down their product,too.

[JimT]

I've seen them doing it.

[hallerb]

Well my 50/50 mix would of killed the poision ivy DEAD in the time this has been discused............

[benick]

I see you suffer from WDS (Wal-Mart Derangement Syndrome) and quite possibly an idiot as well...I suspect both....Crawl back under your bridge troll....

[benick]

I bet you see alot of things in your fantasy world...UFO's and bigfoot too I bet...LOL...

[trader4]

At the time I was buying it, which was probably 6 years ago, HD didn't have anything competitive in the local stores. Out of curiousity, next time I'm in the store here, I'll check and see what they have. Online they only have the super-concentrate, 50%, in half gallon for $65. But even that could be a good choice, depending on how much you use, etc. The real point is to find it highly concentrated and figure out how much glyphosate you are getting for your dollar. Unless you only have two weeds to kill, buying the ready mix stuff is the worst deal ever.

[Eric]

replying to norminn, Eric wrote: Actually the reason your fingers get wrinkly, etc. is not a biological response but a neurological one. If an anaesthetic is applied to your hand where you can't feel the wet of the water, your fingers don't wrinkle.