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Weeds The Professional Gardener Tips & Techniques

Using weedwacker and weed killing spray like roundup

3 years ago

last modified: 3 years ago

First, I have no lawn. But have lots of 3/4" gravel that tall grasses grow through. It overtakes me every year. This year I want to get a jump on it. Grass is about 6" tall. My question is: should I spray first to kill the weeds/grass THEN weedwack it, OR weedwack and then spray? My neighbor's gardener weedwacks first till grass is about 2" tall, then spray. But, that may be just for his own convenience, I wouldn't know about that.

Would like to know from you all, the preferred method.

Thanks so much.

Patti

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Comments (2)

Tiffany, purpleinopp Z8b Opp, AL
3 years ago
The directions on the label should guide you toward the most effective use of the product. But if you are still not sure, please say what product you have.

For an ongoing indefinite setup, this does not sound good. Spraying should be used as occasionally as possible as a last resort.

Depending on if it's your driveway or other non-vehicle area, you could replace the gravel with 12" patio bricks, poured concrete, mowed area, or other plan that could help you get away from spraying as a continued form of maintenance.
davidrt28 (zone 7)
2 years ago
last modified: 2 years ago
If and ONLY if there are no trees and other desired vegetation anywhere nearby or "downstream", the herbicide imazapyr will keep things from growing for at least a year. There are consumer formulations at the big box stores, but I would instead strongly recommend you hire a professional applicator.

However I basically agree with Tiffany you are trying to use herbicides to treat what is really a landscape design or hardscaping issue, i.e. the lack therefore.

As for your question, it's better to spray before cutting, wait until the weeds appear totally dead which can take 10-14 days with glyphosate (aka "roundup"), then cut them. It translocates through the leaves into the roots so if you cut then spray, there's less leaf tissue to absorb it.
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It's probably all dead now. Kind of an odd time to be doing it, but maybe he's renovating it. I'm fixing to do the same to mine toward the end of summer. Gonna kill it all, fertilize and water it to get any lingering seeds to germinate, then kill all them and seed some new KBG this fall.
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I don't think you need the 20% vinegar. I've had success with household vinegar. (Buy gallon size from BJ's / Costco.) What you do need with vinegar is direct and warm sunlight - 80 or above. I've sprayed in the morning when it was around 65-70, and the weed was still standing around lunch time. I sprayed it again in the heat of the day, and it was crispy in 20 minutes. Vinegar will give you top kill - it won't completely kill persistent weeds likes violet or deep rooted dandelions, but unless you're going for perfection, you can always spot spray with a herbicide once the new lawn is established (which the Boss may approve of vs. spraying the whole yard). You can also try plastic sheeting, and bake them that way - but that's a lot of plastic (how much petroleum went into making 1.5 acres of plastic vs. 1 qt. of glysophate? Oh - what you don't want to do is till - you'll bring up old (and still viable) weed seeds, plus you may just end up with a bumpy lawn if the lawn is not properly graded afterwards. Best of luck, Gags
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janice, this is an old thread, and you may well find some good info on it, but since you need help fast I'd suggest you start a brand new thread and post your photos and your text above on it. That will get people's attention and hopefully get you some help fast. For the dog I'd suggest calling your vet asap. So sorry this has happened! And I hope that you'll get some good answers soon from folks who know about these things.
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There is a reason products like RoundUp/glyphosate are so popular....they are effective. And exactly how toxic they may be compared to other products is up for some debate. Burn Out is just horticultural strength vinegar. And it comes with its own set of cautions. It is extremely caustic - you need to wear protectve clothing and goggles when spraying - and can alter soil pH rather dramatically (although temporarily) at least on the soil surface. And it is not translocated into the root system so perennial weeds will grow back. And I am not familiar with Pulverize so did some research. Its active ingredient is ammoniated salts of fatty acids, which is pretty close to the active ingredient in insecticidal soap. And you might want to read up on maleic hydrazide, which does not sound like a very benign addition to this product. But that is what supposedly gives this product its systemic effect.
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