Replacement for Round Up weed killer

[Sunset]

Propane weed burner. Effective and fun. Burn down the whole block. https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Garden-Outdoor-Weed-Torches/zgbs/lawn-garden/3480723011

I've been very temped by one of these.
My BIL did tell me he got too close to his garage and "softened" the vinyl siding a little

 

[Amethyst]

Perhaps because the main ingredient is glyphosate, same as Round-up.

Eliminator lawn weed killer is the Walmart store brand. Works very well.

 

[travelover]

I've been very temped by one of these.
My BIL did tell me he got too close to his garage and "softened" the vinyl siding a little

Starts a campfire lickety split.

 

[38Chevy454]

Perhaps because the main ingredient is glyphosate, same as Round-up.

X2, all you need to do is read the active ingredients listing on the bottle. Glyphosphate is the chemical name for Round-Up.


I buy the generic 41% glyphosphate concentrate in gallon jugs and make my own round-up like mix. I have 730 ft of fencing to keep the growth down and glyphosphate is the best way. Just use normal precautions, seems like everything will cause cancer nowadays.


Preen is a pre-emergent and stops seeds from germinating. You can get straight Preen, or Preen mixed with fertilizer. Preen will not kill living plants, it just stops weed seeds from germinating for a period of time.

 

[6miths]

Propane weed burner. Effective and fun. Burn down the whole block. https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Garden-Outdoor-Weed-Torches/zgbs/lawn-garden/3480723011

i went in for one of these but not always as effective as RoundUp or GroundClear. The city uses steam which is much safer than a flame. With the propane you just want to heat shock the plants as opposed to burn them down.

 

[RetireBy90]

Store bought vinegar is only 5% acetic acid at best, adding H2O is only weakening it further.

The reason you have to get the higher percentage. I don’t dilute the 30%.

 

[Freedom56]

Use boiling hot water and pour it on the weeds. The weeds will die in 24 hours.

 

[Bamaman]

There are other Weed and Grass Killers on the retail market that work perfectly well.
I have some in my sprayer right now, but I forget the brand name.

 

[Markola]

We started using this recipe--not as effective as Roundup, but safer.
Use large bucket:
Mix One gallon white vinegar with One Cup table salt. Stir until salt completely dissolves. Stir in One Tablespoon liquid dishwashing soap (acts as surfectant to adhere to weeds). Blend well.
Funnel into spray bottle. Drench weeds on a dry sunny day.
Avoid flowers or plant foliage.
It will take a couple of days for the weeds to dry up and die.
Leftover solution can be kept in tightly sealed container away from sun.

I’ve used this recipe to good effect, too.

 

[travelover]

.......With the propane you just want to heat shock the plants as opposed to burn them down.

What fun is that?

 

[harley]

The problem/advantage with the vinegar and salt solutions is that they kill the weeds and nothing else will grow in that soil for a while. That may be what you want, but I use Roundup (or Rodeo, and mix my own) to kill weeds around trees and other plants I want to keep alive.

I've never tried the boiling water trick. That might be worth trying.

 

[RetiredAt55.5]

Propane weed burner. Effective and fun. Burn down the whole block. https://www.amazon.com/Best-Sellers-Garden-Outdoor-Weed-Torches/zgbs/lawn-garden/3480723011

Interesting. I'm constantly fighting weeds in my 125 foot stone driveway.

How economical is this (propane cylinders vs Roundup)?

 

[skipro33]

I use Roundup Pro Concentrate 50.2% and mix that down 100:1 (There's 128 ounces to a gallon and I use a backpack sprayer that holds 4 gallons. So, 5 ounces of the Roundup to 4 gallons of water) This kills grass and weeds.

I kept reducing the mix down to find this concentration will do the job.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B007XZ84O4/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[homestead]

I have a low section of my property that has a culvert runoff from my neighbors houses. I am sure their roundup use is running off into my property after rains and killing the grass in that area. Expect it is getting into the groundwater and streams too.

 

[Shredder]

I love me a good hoe.

https://roguehoe.com/gardening/

If that doesn't work, there's always a weed whip. And come to think about it, if I killed all the weeds in my yard it'd be pretty bare, lol.

 

[Winemaker]

FYI, its appears that 30% vinegar is really 30% acetic acid (6 times more concentrated than vinegar) and not 5% vinegar diluted down to 30% like the name would imply.

I am very familiar with vinegar, as I make several flavored varieties, on purpose. Yes, 30% vinegar for plants such as Natria or Harris is 30 % acetic acid, but regular vinegar for household use is only 5% at best.

 

[MrsHaloFIRE]

DH uses white vinegar and dish detergent in a Windex spray type bottle. Works on small weeds in our xorescape

 

[ERD50]

Anyone come up with a good replacement for Round Up? Used it for years, but appears not as safe as advertised.
Thanks.

What makes you think it's not safe?

As far as I know, there was a court case, but I don't think the jury based its decision on science. If you have other scientific info, please share.

I still use Roundup. EPA recently ruled it is not a carcinogen. Follow the science.

I treat all pesticides and herbicides as if they are carcinogens.

I don't go that far, but it's not hard to take simple precautions, so why not? In another vein, the pesticide in Ortho Home Defense seems almost completely safe for vertebrates. I've looked through the label and the MSDS, it attacks the nerves of insects, but mammals just don't have the same kind of nerve system, it appears to simply have no effect. No odor, not oily, it's seems like water. For example, for spraying where pets will be, or even on counters with food, they just say let it dry, and replace the food, let the pets in.

...
The very smell of Roundup is sickening to me. ...

Interesting, I never noticed much of an odor at all with RoundUp. I'm using some now on some Poison Ivy - it's very tough and I have to get rid of it, and I want to kill the roots. Even the dead vines/roots have the chemical irritant in them, so I'll dig them out with gloves and plastic bags over my arms.

The dandelion/weed spray for lawns (2-4-D based) does smell awful to me. I hate that stuff.

-ERD50

 

[imnontrad]

Try a mix of 50% bleach with water and a little bit of dish soap (helps it stick to the leaves. Spray on a hot sunny day on the plants you want to die. You will see the leaves yellow within an hour. .

 

[Gearhead Jim]

There are at least two kinds of Roundup concentrate available in stores. IIRC, the purple cap version we use is ok to use around fruit trees and vegetables, though we don't use it there. The other kind has a red cap and not for use around edibles.
Anyone know the difference?

Like some others, I continue to use Roundup.
Using a 2 gal sprayer with a wand on calm days, it goes where I want and not on me.
I avoid getting it on my body when mixing, then rinse thoroughly just in case.
Each year I use it about 4 times, less than an hour each time and most of that is walking rather than spraying. An additional risk, but small.
Probably safer than living in a country infested with Covid-19 and people who don't distance/mask.

 

[gerntz]

I still use Roundup. EPA recently ruled it is not a carcinogen. Follow the science.

I treat all pesticides and herbicides as if they are carcinogens.

+1

 

[gerntz]

Anyone come up with a good replacement for Round Up? Used it for years, but appears not as safe as advertised.
Thanks.

Could you please cite data on how it's not as safe as advertised?

 

[gerntz]

I love me a good hoe.

Rather racy don't you think?

 

[The HalfBreed]

I use Spectracide

 

[harley]

There are at least two kinds of Roundup concentrate available in stores. IIRC, the purple cap version we use is ok to use around fruit trees and vegetables, though we don't use it there. The other kind has a red cap and not for use around edibles.
Anyone know the difference?

AFAIK there's not difference between the two, just a matter of concentration. The red is 6 oz/gal, and the purple is 2.5 oz/gal. Either is fine around anything, except foliage. I use a plastic cup over the spray nozzle to stop overspray. If I'm close to something I don't want to kill I just set the cup over the weed on the ground and give it a quick squirt. But I spray around tree trunks all the time.