Correct application for weed killer

Hi everyone,

VERY amateur gardener here

Recently moved into a new build and the developers have now refused to sort the garden, so it’s down to me.

I bought round up pro weedkiller and have applied with a handheld sprayer and wand. Think I used roughly 150ml of round up per gallon. The instructions aren’t the easiest to make sense of for someone who’s never used this stuff before.

I sprayed about 3 weeks ago and nothing has changed. No withering of weeds/colour change. The weeds are (excuse the terminology) general weeds, some looking like a cabbage patch in areas.

can anyone advise if I’ve applied this correctly or how to do it properly with the pressurised hand sprayer.

TIA

Ryan

 

Round up, (if it contains glyphosate) doesn't work when plants are not growing , its only intended for use between April and September.

It isn't one of the fastest weed killers even during summer, but it is the best in the long run.

I think you need to either wait until spring, or start digging.

 

Hello Ryan4661, welcome to GC. The first thing to do is check the label of your RoundUp to see what the active ingredient is. It's usually stated in tiny print on the side of the box or bottle. If it's glyphosate, as pete says, it does take a while to work. Some weeds need a second dose to thoroughly kill off the roots or if it rains shortly after applying. I hesitate to suggest dilution as you really should follow the instructions on the product, but as a rough guide, I used to use 40ml / litre. 40 x 4.546 = 182ml. Your solution may have been a bit on the weak side.
If it's pelargonic acid, though, I'm afraid you've been had! This 'eco-friendly' substitute for glyphosate simply doesn't work.
So the options are to treat again, making sure it's the real thing, during a dry, fairly warm spell. Or strim/mow through the winter to at least stop the weeds from seeding, and then treat again in spring. Or cover with a layer of something to exclude light, a long-term solution to weaken if not kill the weeds. Thick cardboard, black plastic, old carpet?
Or hand dig, taking out weed roots as you go.
It's a pity there isn't a product for use on developers!

 

Hi Ryan ,
Round up Pro is a glyphosate based weed killer , it will kill anything green it touches and works by being absorbed by the green leaf and being pulled down to the root to completely kill.
It only kills when the plant is actively growing, other wise the weed killer stays in the leaf and will be pulled to the root in the spring when growth starts again .
As long as you sprayed on a calm windless day and applied from about 12 inches from the leaf,
a gentle spray that sticks to the leaf , not a blast so that it rolls off, it will have been absorbed into the leaf.
You should see results when new growth starts.
The good thing about Round up is that is rendered harmless when it touches soil , so will not
spoil any subsequent plantings.
TC

 

That's not quite true Tomcat. I tried it more than once on bracken, it was hopeless.

 

Hi Sheal ,
Oops ! You are absolutely right ! , did you find anything killed it ?

 

Yes, I tried SBK but that had no effect either so I bought Gallup from Ebay and that worked with the first application. It also killed all the bracken in a neighbouring field which had obviously grown from the running roots from my garden. That, I think, proves it's a systemic killer.

 

That’s brilliant !! , l love your description of the neighbouring field getting zapped !.

 

Thank you.

As you can see below there was quite a bit to deal with.

 

I thought Gallup was/is glyphosate.
Weed Killers

I find it doesn't kill ivy.

 

Wow , it almost looks like it is advancing when you are not looking !.
I see you are in Beauly , we visited there on our honeymoon in 1984 , a beautiful area ( in fact isn’t that what Beauly means ?.

 

Yes it does contain glyphosate Pete but it worked whereas the others didn't. There's probably a different chemical content to the others.

I've got just about everything here but ivy so I can't respond to that. Years ago my brother painted ivy with creosote which killed it. I don't suppose the current form of it would work though.

 

Hi Pete,
Roundup ready to use spray used to be available with a “ foam spray “ option on the little click around nozzle ,which was supposed to be ideal for glossy leaves such as Ivy as it stuck to the leaf rather than rolling off. Now not available so maybe it didn’t work !.

 

Yes, it's lovely and I don't suppose it's changed much since you were here. I've only lived here in Scotland five years, and four in this house. Retrieving the neglected garden from nature has not been easy and is still in progress.

 

Hi Sheal ,
How do you pick a portion ( or all) of a previous post and include it in your new post ? .
I’m a bit of a Luddite when it comes to techie things