Roundup - how far travel?

Please don't lynch me for asking about the "R" word!

I just had HUGE amounts of the worst, most deep-rooted weed-grass taken out of a rose path, and don't want to go through that again soon!

Already the monsters are poking through the 3" layer of small bark mulch I put down.

So my question is: How far does Roundup travel? My rosebushes are about 2-3 feet apart. If I put Roundup in the middle between bushes, will it hurt them?

Real-world experience appreciated.

TIA

Persephone

Reply to
Persephone
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I've used earlier versions of Roundup (glyphosate the only active ingredient) in a sprayer to try and selectively kill poison oak. I used a 1 gallon sprayer with somewhat of a mist pattern and I'm sure there was a small amount of overspray. We didn't worry too much about the other plants in the area, which were weeds.

It depends on how you use it. If you're using it with a sprayer on a windy day, it will travel. Your over-spray may not be enough to hurt your bushes but that's very dependent on the specifics.

Roundup used to be available in a spray-can with a thick foam output; they probably used some sort of foaming agent. It tended not to run off the foliage and pretty much eliminated over-spray. I don't think it's still available. The current smaller spray bottles now have a "foam" setting which sort of foams up the spray and doesn't produce a fine mist. I'd say just foam it near the base of the weeds, and maybe spread the Roundup on the foliage with a brush.

Reply to
y_p_w

Thanks for explanation.

I wasn't planning to spray. Looks like I don't know how Roundup works. I was just going to pour a diluted amount right on the little monsters poking their heads out.

Is this do-able?

What I really want to know is how far it travels parallel - sideways. IOW, if I pour it on some weed poking out, when it sinks in, will it move 2 feet to each side? One foot? Inches?

TIA

Persephone

Reply to
Persephone

Lynch? You need a kick in the ass at the least. Perhaps you should give some serious thought to what you are about to do.

How many articles have you posted about monsatano and gm foods and yadda yadda activism.....yet when confronted with a tough weed, you consider selling out?

Principles and beliefs only apply to the other guys, eh?

Charlie, on an Emily kick tonite and not in particularly good humor

"Whenever a thing is done for the first time, it releases a little demon." ~~Emily Dickinson

Reply to
Charlie

Roundup works by being absorbed through the leaves and passes down the stems into the root system and kills the whole plant. It is relatively slow acting and you may need repeated applications. But it is the only effective way to remove deep-rooted perennial weeds. Just take care when applying the spray to ensure it does not drift onto the leaves of your roses as they could be affected too.

Note also, that Roundup is deactivated when it comes into contact with soil; it is only absorbed by living/growing plant material. It does not travel. You can safely plant up a sprayed area, the day after.

Ed

Reply to
Ed

There are also a couple of handy weeding tools that apply well to bermudagrass and many other weedy grasses, as well.

Google 'bermudagrass removal tools'.

Hint: If you can't kill it, twist it!

Reply to
ray.cruz

It only works well on the foliage. There's pretty much no root activity. You could water plants (on the soil) with a solution of Roundup and it won't kill them. It's supposed to bind to soil and get inactivated quickly. I've even heard of some people using relatively dirty water to dilute the concentrated versions, which reduces the effectiveness.

Once it reaches the soil, I wouldn't worry about it. It doesn't affect roots, bark, or woody stems.

Reply to
y_p_w

There are various versions of Roundup. All contain glyphosate, but some contain diquat, which is moderately toxic. Others contain pelargonic acid. The poison ivy and brush killing version contains triclopyr, which is pretty nasty stuff, and quite a bit more persistent than the other versions. The most basic versions only contain glyphosate as the active ingredient.

Reply to
y_p_w

I had some bamboo shoots coming up right in the middle of my lawn in this spring. I tried to kill them to the root by removing the shoots and soak the in-ground part of the bamboo shoots with Roundup (not a good idea anyway). I end up getting many 1-ft diameter dead zones in my lawn.

Please note this is not an "over spray" situation. I spayed the bamboo from a distance of only 1 inch. I am not sure what really caused the problem. May be I added too much and Roundup got into the soil, and kill everything came in contact with the soil. May be I sprayed too close and Roundup bunced back and hit the surrounding grass leaves. Next time I will cover the bamboo shoot with a round tube and spray inside the round tube to avoid any Roundup bouncing back.

Or you can use a brush to lightly paint Roundup on the leaves of the weed.

Jay Chan

Reply to
Jay Chan

It's unlikely that it did anything through the soil. There could be a small amount of mist or some of it dripped. Roundup is really good at killing grass. You have maybe 10 minutes to wash off any areas that you don't want to kill. A spray bottle of water will probably work.

It's supposed to work best on green foliage, and it doesn't sound like you had any from the bamboo shoots.

That might work. However - I've heard of contaminants from the brush inactivating some of the active ingredient.

Reply to
y_p_w

hi. If you got the room to fit, dig out all your mulch and save it, then rent a rototiller for a day. roundup will work, but it is really most effective on plants that don't have a well established root base. I bought a house with well over an acre of yard, and it was a reantal that was not used for over a year. the grass was 6 foot tall(I measured!) after I knocked it down with a brush mower, I then tended to it with a regular mower but still had some major broadleaf issues. I've used roundup while renting for spot killing of weeds sprouting up thru sidewalk cracks. I tried it on the well established weeds and it barely made a dent.

this spring i rented a roto tiller to start a garden. I am so impressed with how well it worked with killing off all plant material for making the flower beds that I might just rototill the whole yard and let it start over next year.

another alternative that is hit or miss would be to put down a barrier of some sort. about 8 layers of newspaper might work, or black plastic. My results have varied. the rototiller works great though, and if you put the mulch back, i think your problems will be over

Reply to
Tater

Lynch her;-)

Reply to
Billy

Glysophate does not travel. It is a contact, indiscriminate herbicide which will kill most all plants with the exception of perhaps nutsedge. If you read the label before using it, you will see it gives instructions very specifically about how to use it, what herbicide drift is, etc. I am not sure what you mean by "...the middle between bushes, will it hurt them?"

The spray must contact the weed you are looking to control and has absolutely no residual properties in the soil to kill weeds. Maybe you can ask your question differerntly.

Reply to
Jangchub

I made a few experimental shields to use with RoundUp on the lawn. Just about every time the surrounding grass died when the application was sprayed. However, if I used a paint brush I could selectively kill a weed without affecting the surrounding plants or grass. Using a paint brush eliminates the chance of overspray, plus less product is used. The downside is that this method is time-consuming, but beats hand pulling weeds. RoundUp changes chemistry when it hits the ground and it should be mixed up in a clean container.

Reply to
Phisherman

Aha! That's what I wanted to know. So it does not "travel" horizontally from point of application to adjacent (2 feet) rosebushes.

I went to Home Despot today to get some Roundup, but the clerk didn't know about "traveling" and sold me Ortho garden grass killer instead. Pin-point application. Will try it as these pesky crab grass monsters poke their heads out from the mulch.

TX

Persephone

Reply to
Persephone
[...snip unkind remarks...]

OK! Will do. I love vinegar for almost everything, including getting rust off tools. Do I just pour it onto the crab grass?

Tx

Persephone

Reply to
Persephone

What do you mean about "changing chemistry"? Anxious to learn.

Persephone

Reply to
Persephone

Thanks for reassurance about travel.

I am definitely NOT planning to spray, as the rosebushes are only about 2-3 ft. apart, and would be affected by spray. I was planning to apply the Roundup topically, directly to the crab grass. A polite poster mentioned painting it on. An impolite poster had another opinion.

In the end, as I posted above, I didn't get the Roundup at Home Despot, but instead bought what the clerk recommended for spot work: Ortho garden grass killer, which shouts on its label "Won't Harm Landscape Plants!"

Will try it and see how it works.

Appreciate your feedback.

Persephone

Reply to
Persephone

Appreciate your experience. I will keep it in mind if/when dealing with a large area, but this one is too small to use a rototiller.

A few years ago, I was dumb enough to spend the day with some friends digging out the bed, putting down landscape cloth and covering with small bark. Sure enough, just as the gardener had warned me, the weeds came right back.

I should have done the black plastic this time, dern it! I did put down plastic in an adjacent circular area around the water faucet where a Princess plant lives.* Then I piled lots of little river stones on top. It looks good; let's hope it keeps the weeds down!

  • It's a big old plant; I assume it's getting nourishment from deep down. If I notice problems, I will water locally.

Persephone

Reply to
Persephone

Thanks! Didn't know this existed. Will keep it on file if other means don't control.

Persephone

Reply to
Persephone

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