| Brush Killer Are there any brush killers that are safe to use around mature trees. We have some large pines with very overgrown undergrowth. I would just go in and start cutting but there is also some poison ivy. I looked at Bonide brush killer and it seems to indicate it would work. I would also like to use it around the perimeter of our yard where the growth has taken over. |
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| Roundup will kill almost everything that it comes in contact with, so if you spray the undergrowth and don't get any on the needles of the pines you will be OK.
Depending how much you need to spray, you can purchase a gallon of the equivalent called "Pronto big and tough" 41% solution from tractor supply for about $25. Roundup will cost 5x that. Use it in a 2% solution (2.5 oz to a gallon ) so a gallon goes a long way. It will kill the weeds and anything else green. For grass it takes about 7-9 days for results. Really tough stuff like American Barberry takes about 3 weeks to show the results.
I am in the middle of a mission to spray and kill invasive Barberry in my 30 acre wood lot so am quite familiar with this material.
Do not use anything like 2,4-D as that will get into the soil and possibly harm the pines.
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The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. |
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| reply to dustwvl
I'd try 2,4-d first and see if that kills most of the stuff. That won't hurt the grass or trees but should kill most of the other stuff. It won't kill the poison ivy but if you can kill everything else then you can come back later with some Roundup aka glyphosate in a dish and use a paintbrush to apply the glyphosate to the poison ivy to be safe. Any chemicals can get into the soil but 2,4-d and glyphosate are both classified as non-persistent to slightly persistent. 2,4-d is a broad-leaf killer so it's selective while glyphosate will kill anything it touches. Glyphosate shouldn't hurt the tree as long as you don't get any on the leaves but that's a call you'll have to make.
As you can see I have a pretty extensive collection of weed killer products directly from the farm supply store.  |
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| This stuff seems to be even better-priced.. $40 for 2.5gal »www.homedepot.com/webapp/wcs/sto···d%5f%2dN
My next-door neighbor is going south of the border, so we'll probably go splits on the 2.5gal and also get some weed-and-feed that's been banned from our stores by dem damn treahuggers 
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If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
—George Bernard Shaw |
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bemis
join:2008-07-18
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| reply to dustwvl
I've had good luck with Round Up. For small weeds and grasses a single spray will due, for larger stuff you'll need to do multiple treatments. Round Up works through the plant's leaves, so it's best to spray on the leaves (top and underside) and avoid the soil where practical.
I used it on some very aggressive ivy, it took several days of spraying to start to kill it off, and then I ended up just yanking a lot of it down followed by pulling it's stump out with my SUV at the time (this ivy had grown so large and so enormous that it had a trunk the diameter of a small tree (at least 6" around).
Keep in mind that if you have poison ivy, the stuff that is 'poison' will remain even after the plant is dead... so exercise caution pulling out the dead stuff.
What I recently did in my yard was to say eff it and buy several yards of mulch, I put a 3-4" barrier of mulch down, first off it's black, so in the sun it gets HOT, second, most weeds will not grow through that much mulch... so if you can rent a brush cutter to get it all down to the 1-2" level you might consider just covering it w/ mulch. |
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| reply to dustwvl
Thanks everyone. I have been out of town and I am just getting back in the swing of things. Thanks for all the help. |
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·Velcom
| said by dustwvl:Thanks everyone. I have been out of town and I am just getting back in the swing of things. Thanks for all the help.
Just a note: Roundup is effective. I think its patent on glyphosate expired back in 2000, so there are a few generic products like the one I posted the link for (Compare-N-Save 2.5 gal. Grass And Weed Killer) and Pronto that are based on the same active ingredient, just cost a heck of a lot less.
Note for all the US members: If you hear any rumblings about outlawing glyphosate or weed-and-feed, you better stock up on it like there's no tomorrow. We have to cross an international border in order to buy that stuff. (might be available in some other provinces but Buffalo is a lot closer to Toronto than any of the provincial borders)
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If you have an apple and I have an apple and we exchange these apples then you and I will still each have one apple. But if you have an idea and I have an idea and we exchange these ideas, then each of us will have two ideas.
—George Bernard Shaw |
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bemis
join:2008-07-18
Reading, MA Reviews:
·Comcast
·Verizon FiOS
| said by FiReSTaRT:Note for all the US members: If you hear any rumblings about outlawing glyphosate or weed-and-feed, you better stock up on it like there's no tomorrow. We have to cross an international border in order to buy that stuff. (might be available in some other provinces but Buffalo is a lot closer to Toronto than any of the provincial borders)
They literally were giving it away last year... I got a gallon of round up with a remote pump/sprayer with purchase of something, I think a 40lb bag of grass seed or something... |
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| reply to dustwvl
I read something about adding some dish soap to the mix to help it stick to the plants especially ones with a waxy coating. Any opinions on this? |
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| said by dustwvl:I read something about adding some dish soap to the mix to help it stick to the plants especially ones with a waxy coating. Any opinions on this?
You want a nonionic agent. Some dish soaps are OK but Jet Dry actually states it is non-ionic on the label. Typical rate is 0.5% or just over 1/2oz per Gallon.
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The difference between genius and stupidity is that genius has its limits. |
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| Thanks |
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| reply to dustwvl
said by dustwvl:I read something about adding some dish soap to the mix to help it stick to the plants especially ones with a waxy coating. Any opinions on this?
Most weed killer has surfactant in it already. You can add like a teaspoon of dish soap per gallon if you want as well. |
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