Hallson Gardens

I'm hoping someone here is a chemist, or can tell me how these systemic weed killers work . . .

DH and I are having a "discussion" about how to use Round Up.

We are going to turn a large area into planting beds. I was going to spray Round Up, wait a week or two for everything to die, then bring in amendments and mulch, and plant the new plants.

Hubby is funny about how things look, and he doesn't want a big dead/dying patch for a week or two. He says if we spray the Round-Up, then wait just one or two DAYS, then amend, plant and mulch. He says the plant will have absorbed enough of the bad stuff to die just as dead as if we had waited.

I say the plant needs to continue to actively try to grow while dying, he says the damage is done as soon as the plant absorbs the chemicals.

Will his way work? . . . or do I need to wait to see the visible signs of death???

Certainly no chemist here, but aren't you like in the country? So who cares if it looks dry and dead for a week.........Okay, wait for the other *chemist's*, but I think his way of just a few days is okay,........but I do it like you want to do it.......I say spray, wait a few days/ a week, to see what didn't get killed.....spray again and in a few days that's when I plant......

Good Luck in which ever way you do it....

Everything I have about that method has said to wait a couple of weeks. I wouldn't be willing to plant new plants that I paid good money for after a couple of days!!

Tell him this is an investment ....and investments take a little time beforethey give you a dividend!

My girlfriend from high school dad was one of those chemist folks and let me tell you, one spraying isn't going to solve the problem. It is my understanding that one should spray the area, wait a week and then spray it again.
Then it's time to bring in your dirt and do what you need to do. This is also how he explained the method of killing the yard and planting your grass seed 24 hours after using round up, on just tosses out the seeds right into the dead grass. We have used this method for the past 20 years and it hasn't failed us yet.

Thanks for the input.

Lucy, don't ask me to try to explain his logic. Just looking at the dead patch for a week would make him crazy. His blood pressure will go up every time he sees it! It's just one of those things . . .

I agree Karma, and have tried to tell him that the stuff isn't going to die off with just one spraying. Although this area is mostly just lawn grass, no really tough weeds.

I'll work on him some more and see just how long I can get away with having a dead patch. Perhaps I'll have to do it in smaller phases. Just little dead patches at a time!!

Hi Jane,

At our old place I often sprayed with roundup then covered with about 8" of compost. Sometimes the grass was still wet and you could see the roundup tire tracks leading away later It was just lawn grass there too, and it worked - however I then waited at least a week before rototilling and planting. Once I didn't wait long enough and there was enough residual roundup down below to kill some of my new plantings...

Here we have much tougher grass, plus I had a much tougher time killing anything with roundup here. I spoke with a chemist and he told me that roundup can become bound up in very hard water, and told me to use soft water from inside instead of the well water outside. Sure enough, that helped to increase the effectiveness like you wouldn't believe!

Now I will spray an area, then wait a few days to see which grass is still green and then spray again. After it is dry I cover with my amendments, but then wait at least a week to till and plant it.

Good luck!

Chris

Hope that helps

Okay Chris, if you use the soft water aren't you also adding salt to the mix and isn't that bad for replanting afterwards?

Thanks Chris!

I'm not sure how big an area you are looking to do, and how fast you want to plant, but a couple years ago I outlined the area where I now have hostas with the hose, covered it with several sheets of newspapers (5 sheets thick), then added a couple inches of peat moss, then followed up with alternating layers of peat moss/organic material (compost, old grass clippings, leaf mulch) and then watered the heck out of it. One part I planted a couple plants in right away, the rest I left until the following spring and turned over w/tiller - you can't tell the difference today which was first planted - this was an area ~40 x40 (I saved my papers for awhile!) I didn't use any roundup or remove any grass. The hostas in that bed are growing like crazy, as well as the brunnera, bugbane, ferns etc....I'll probably have to move some in a year or so!
Good luck!