Replacement for Round Up weed killer

[wolf]

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

 

[RetireBy90]

On advice of my neighbors we started using 30% vinegar. It kills off the weeks effectively but must be followed up by preem I think it is called. In about 2-3 days weeds were brown and dead. I don't dilute as some do. Ordered via Amazon.

 

[Midpack]

Tons of articles online, just search. Here's a couple, one "natural" the other chemical:

https://www.gardeningknowhow.com/plant-problems/weeds/safer-alternatives-to-roundup.htm

https://www.consumernotice.org/environmental/pesticides/roundup/alternatives/

 

[Lawrencewendall]

Tried some home remedies with vinegar and epson salt. Didn't work.

 

[Midpack]

Tried some home remedies with vinegar and epson salt. Didn't work.

As with many products, the more benign, the less effective. I am not surprised.

 

[braumeister]

As with many products, the more benign, the less effective. I am not surprised.

You should try a homeopathic weed killer. Dissolve a tiny quantity of fertilizer in a gallon of water, then dilute it 10,000X, shaking vigorously at each dilution. Should be extremely effective!

 

[Mark1]

Yup, I'm sure Roundup is not as safe advertised, however, I continue to use it several times a year. I have never heard of the use of 30% vinegar until today. Although, this is an interesting approach, that's a pretty strong acid mixture. I wear rubber boot, double nitrile gloves, etc with Roundup. With 30% vinegar, I would probably have to add the use of goggles and/or a face shield and a planned water wash station (at least in my head) should things go bad.

 

[SilentWalker]

On advice of my neighbors we started using 30% vinegar. It kills off the weeks effectively but must be followed up by preem I think it is called. In about 2-3 days weeds were brown and dead. I don't dilute as some do. Ordered via Amazon.

There are several variants of Preen weed killer. Any way to find out which one worked for you after vinegar? I have tried the 30% vinegar with and without some salts and it would not even make my weeds wilted.

 

[pacergal]

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.

 

[powerplay]

I tried Weed Slayer a couple years ago. It's expensive though! My neighbor ordered some and shared a little with me. It worked on some weeds and not others so it's kind of hit or miss. Read the reviews, they are quite mixed.

https://www.amazon.com/Slayer-Organic-Herbicide-Natural-Control/dp/B07K6ZYGZQ



My experience with vinegar was not good. It might wilt the leaves, but the plant just keeps growing so I don't bother with it.

 

[Montecfo]

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.

 

[harllee]

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 have used this formula. The weeds die but it does not kill the roots so you have to continue to do it every week or so. I have just decided to live with the weeds.

 

[splitwdw]

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

 

[Car-Guy]

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 (In the bold) I don't trust what anybody says about this stuff.... However I did quit using Roundup a few years ago. I bought some Eraser Max and I won't use anything else now... Works WAY better than Roundup and last MUCH longer. I spray it on about a mile of fence line twice a year and it maintains a 5 to 8" line of dirt where I sprayed it... Nothing grows.

 

[Winemaker]

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

 

[Amethyst]

I pull weeds. Squatting and bending are good exercise.

The very smell of Roundup is sickening to me. Roundup only comes out when I have to kill a plant too big to pull, such as the invasive Brazilian pepper trees, which seed themselves freely everywhere. Our home had been a rental, so the yard (of course) had been neglected, and those pepper trees had gotten in everywhere. Cut them down - they grow right back. Roundup on the stumps was the solution.

 

[Amethyst]

Something people put in their own bodies just doesn't seem like it ought to be effective at killing tough plants.

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

 

[Beststash]

I live in the country on acreage and I've sprayed roundup on my fence lines for 30+ years. I used a tractor with a 3 pt sprayer and didn't wear a mask. I was diagnosed with NHL (DLBCL) two years ago. Oddly it was just in my right sinus with no lymph node involvement. Had Chemo and Rad and I'm currently in remission. However, there is no way to prove or disprove what causes your cancer...period...it would only be a guess.

I don't trust Bayer/Monsanto or the EPA at all. I think they are bought and paid for by corporate America and they look at their liability as simply the cost of doing business. I suspect as the lawsuits begin to pile up they will more than likely just stop retail sales and limit it to commercial applications. But be aware that Roundup is not only used for herbicide applications but for Roundup Ready crops include soy, corn, canola, alfalfa, cotton, and sorghum, with wheat under development. So people are exposed much more than you might be aware.

Car-Guy - I like Eraser Max but it is a Roundup derivative.

 

[TrvlBug]

My gardener hand pulls or uses a vinegar mixture on our weeds. He's very anti herbicides. Now we don't have a lot of weeds as we just redid our landscaping and the spring weeds (most of our weeds here) are dormant. I wonder if he'll feel the same during weed season. Don't know if he'll apply Preen in the fall.

 

[KB]

I have been using Green Gobbler 20% vinegar on my weeds and it has worked perfectly. Household vinegar is 5% which would not be strong enough. The bottle I got has a sprayer which made i easy to use. I was able to kill some very stubborn weeds last summer and they have not returned.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07GSGFBRN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

 

[Mark1]

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

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.

 

[travelover]

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

 

[foxfirev5]

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.

+2 . There's no free lunch in herbicides either.

 

[Gumby]

Depends what you want to use it for. My entire 130 foot long driveway is composed of cobblestone pavers. I use Ortho GroundClear to kill the weeds that grow up between them. I have used Roundup in the past, but the Ortho works better and lasts longer.

 

[chicamuxen]

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