Wee killer question.

Thanks. And, have a nice day. - Tuf

This time of the year all of the translocation in the plant is from the leaves to the roots - the plant is breaking down the leaves to and absorbing what food it can into the shoot and roots for overwintering. It is much easier for the glyphosate to get to the roots and kill the whole plant. Also the leaves are "breaking down" so the waxy barrier on the upper surface of the leaves is not as healthy and therefore not as good at keeping liqids out. I've sprayed oodles of poison ivy and a fair amount of Phragmites reed this way - it kills 95% or more of the stuff every time.

Plus, glyphosate is essentially harmless to everything else in the environment, and does not travel well once in the soil. Note however that surfacants are very toxic to aquatic organisms - i.e., animals that live in water. Don't use Roundup other formulations intended for used on dry land in wetlands or near waterbodies.

(Sorry for another long post, when I started I thought it would be short.)

Sounds like you have a wide tangle of broadleaves that you want to get the heck rid of.

Glysophate (Roundup) will kill off most anything green, and at the right time of the year will translocate into the roots & kill most of it off for good. The key is to get the right time of the year, and then next year you will have a bare patch of ground around your fence - which is just perfect for new weeds to sprout up again & cause problems. This might be the way to go to tackle your current problem tho. Glysophate can be really hard on iron, repeated use can possibly rust out your fence a little quicker.

In future years or for lighter infestations I like Chris' receipe with one modification - use dicamba (Banvel, etc.) instead of the Roundup. (Actually I just use Banvel & 2,4D mixed, 8oz of each per acre - add as much water as you'd use on an acre - the extras make it a little more sticky which can be good for you, but bad for my corn.) This will then be a broadleaf killer with a couple of different modes of action, and it will last in the soil a few weeks to kill off some sprouting broadleaf seeds. Used for a few years, it will allow the grass to grow back into your fenceline, and you will be spraying less & less each year, getting good sod to grow. Again, timing is important, spring woulda been better than fall for most weeds, but here we are so might as well start now.

The 2,4D alone is very cheap, but does not translocate into the roots very well & will only burn off the tops of your broadleaves - will keep reappearing for several years.

The dicamba (it likes to drift, be careful near a garden!) costs more, but soaks into the root system a lot better.

The Roundup goes after the whole plant, but will kill your grass too, and may be harder on metal.

Many of the other weed/brush killers mentioned by brand name are actually mixes of 2,4D and dicamba sold for a higher price - check the labels. ;)

There is a big difference in 'strengths' of these products, from watered down ready-to-spray mixes for BIG $$$$ per dose, to home & garden concentrates that are still kinda weak & $$$, to the farm jugs that we are basing our mixing rates on.

Also, there is grazing & harvesting restrictions from 5 days to 2 weeks on these products. And, you are required by law to follow the labels, so what we are saying is just what works & is legal 'here' - might not be 'there.' Covering my butt. :)

In addition, the Society for Antidefimation of Short People might get really, really ticked at you..... . ;) ;) ;)

--->Paul

Glysophate lost it's patent a couple years ago (time up). Monsanto invented it & still sells it as Round Up. there are many different variations of Round Up, with different surficants, different additives & helpers for various conditions. The 'home & garden' versions tend to be more watered down, and have less vigorous additives, and tend to be put in smaller bottles and costs signifigantly more per active ingrediant.

Several other companies, including some in China, make glyphosate (or, buy it in bulk from Monsanto). They package it with their own additives to allow it to soak into plants, stick to plants, and break down the plant wax quicker. These are close to 1/2 the price of 'about the same thing' from Monsanto. Monsanto offers some quicker action (rainsafe in an hour or so) and respraying garentees if weeds come back for many of their product lines - you pay for this, and might not need it. There are even versions that are safe for spraying directly into water.

The cheapest is just straight glysophate (about a 50% active ingrediant) with no additives. Sold in a 20 gallon container, can be just under $20 a gallon. Then you buy the additives you need for your application, and go from there. It's cheaper to make tank mixes if you buy all the parts in bulk.

That's a long way to say that there are many different kinds of glysophate. It's just like motor oil - all comes out of the same hole in the ground, and refined the same way. But each company has it's own 'additive package' to make it their own oil.

For a use like this, where one is mixing up their own spray, you might as well go to a farm supply place & buy a 2.5 gallon jug of generic glysophate - 41-50% active, for about $30 a gallon. The little gallon or less jug that says 'Roundup' on it will be about double the cost per active ingrediant. Farmers have found that they can increase the rate by 25% and get better coverage with the generic stuff, instead of paying extra & jumping through the hoops of Monsanto's branded Roundup & garentees. At least around here.

--->Paul

The 4oz. rate of "LV4" (low volatility 2-4D) is the maximum label rate for hand sprayers. I did some experiments {on my own} with this mix on hemp dogbane, lambsquarter, ragweed, horseweed, johnsongrass, canada thistle, polkweed, shattercane, waterhemp, virginia creeper, honeysuckle, poison ivy, and many other plants. I sprayed a few plants with just one of each of the LV4 and Roundup herbicides and then sprayed a few with the combined mix (I did use spreader in all the sprays). The Roundup by itself would make the plants yellow and sickly, the LV4 would burn the leaves but not really attack the main parts of the plants... but the two together knocked the "thunder" out of the plants... even killed the rhyzome roots! Also I tried spraying the plants till the mix was running off it and also just a single good squirt. Both amounts of spray were fatal to the plants! (so why waste the extra?)

You are right that it may take several years to get rid of the problem weeds... as the weed seeds regrow the area!

(mixed per gallon)
*1 gallon water
*4oz. "LV4" (brand name for 2-4D)
*2oz. "Roundup" (commercial grade, not that W-Mart crap!)
*1 Tablespoon "Crop Oil" (or spreader/surfactant)

If you use a 2 gallon sprayer then double the amounts. Fill the sprayer about 3/4 full of water, then add the LV4, then Roundup, then spreader. Fill to proper level with water, seal container and agitate to mix.

I have found almost nothing that will stand up to this mix! Also you do not have to "hose down" the plants! Just spray the solution as if you were painting the leaves (fine spray), because anything that runs off on the ground will be wasted. It doesn't take much to kill plants with this solution.

Most all fertilizer supply stores will have these herbicides and crop oil available!