Asked on Aug 12, 2013

Not too long ago I used Roundup on some poison ivy and then also on

Louise
by Louise
some liriope I was tired of digging up. It's always done great with poison ivy and I was thrilled to see that it also did a number on the liriope. (I've also given away a SLEW of liriope. I hate to kill things if someone else can use it.) I ran out of Roundup so went to buy more and see there are several other brands that will kill poison ivy and some were a good bit less expensive. Will they all also kill the liriope? And what's the reason for the price difference? Just advertising or something important?
  28 answers
  • Carole Carole on Aug 12, 2013
    Hi, check out the cheaper brands and just check the ingredients. If they are the same - I think Roundup is basically glyphosate and it will tell you on the bottle. Go for the cheaper brand. The reason it is cheaper is that Roundup may have been developed by a company and been on patent when it was developed for X number of years. When it goes off patent, any other company can make the same stuff. They usually make it cheaper and don't pay big advertising money. Sometimes the same company will have a cheaper generic brand name (but it is the same company that makes the original that was patented and now off patent). They do that to cover all spectrums of the market and to increase their sales. The cheaper one will be the no frills packaging but essentially the same stuff in the bottle. If you need something extra strong - go for the Glyphosate 360. This is used undiluted - applied neat - to anything that is within the range that Glyphosate can kill but is the full strength version of it. Hope this make sense. Always use the right product for the task, for example blackberry will need something else to do a knock out job and keep the stuff away specific to blackberry - always read the bottle!
  • Lawn Pro Lawn Pro on Aug 13, 2013
    percentage of product is the key.that is why I buy it in 2 and a half gallon container and mix it with water my self.I dictate the percentage of raw product
  • Douglas Hunt Douglas Hunt on Aug 13, 2013
    Advertising is the undoubtedly the main factor. Buy by the percentage of active ingredient, which, in this case, is indeed glyphosate, and not by the name on the label.
  • Sheri N Sheri N on Aug 13, 2013
    Louise! Instead of Roundup try using straight White Vinegar on that poison Ivy and Liriope! Just as an experiment I tried it on an invasive weed in my garden that I've been battling to get rid of for years, with no success and it killed the plant in less than 24 hours. I also used Roundup the same day on the same plant and they are still alive!
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    • Marilee H Marilee H on Aug 14, 2013
      @Sheri N I have tried this too, works better on some plants than others. It also works better on a hot, sunny day.
  • Sheri N Sheri N on Aug 13, 2013
    Main Page Miriam? Can you send me the link?
    • Miriam Illions Miriam Illions on Aug 13, 2013
      @Sheri N yep - it's just www.hometalk.com. Then click on post in the upper right hand corner of the page. If you need any help just let me know.
  • Patches Patches on Aug 14, 2013
    As @Sheri said... try Vinegar. Roundup is neither biodegradable nor environmentally friendly. In fact Roundup has been linked to a range of health problems and diseases, including Parkinson's, infertility and cancers, according to a scientific study. Some info here: http://earthopensource.org/index.php/4-health-hazards-of-roundup-and-glyphosate. And here's some info about using vinegar you may find helpful http://www.agardenforthehouse.com/2011/06/got-weeds-use-vinegar-not-roundup/.
  • Karen McLendon Karen McLendon on Aug 14, 2013
    Mix a gallon of vinegar, one cup table salt and a couple teaspoons of dish soap and spray what you want to kill...spray at the sunniest part of the day. Please don't use any more of those other products....they have been found responsible for the lack of bees, frogs and other helpful garden creatures in our gardens.
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    • Sow and Dipity Sow and Dipity on Aug 14, 2013
      @Louise I have to urge you to please google Monsanto and Round-up... there's so much more to this toxic product that I'm confident you'll switch to the vinegar method. The makers of these poisons haven't let the consumer know the truth.... your sharing today was a great way to help spread the word. ;)
  • Teri Tripp-Lanciault Teri Tripp-Lanciault on Aug 14, 2013
    Hooray for all of your posts against Round Up! We sure don't need any more chemicals in our lives!
  • Ginny B Ginny B on Aug 14, 2013
    Would love to see you use something besides Roundup. I understand it even kills the worms.
  • Diane H Diane H on Aug 14, 2013
    I am so happy to see the recipe that is more bio friendly. I have some liriope that I really would like to keep in a certain area. This will help a lot....and oh, the poison ivy...BAD!!!! And my body really doesn't like that stuff either. Just wonderful to try something that isn't going to hurt our world! Thanks again.
  • Judy Judy on Aug 14, 2013
    Neither vinegar, which is high acid, nor salt is good for the soil. If it's in an area where you don't want to grow anything else just use pure nitrogen fertilizer in a very strong concentration & water it in lightly. It will burn the plants & kill them,
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    • Judy Judy on Aug 17, 2013
      @Louise Thanks for the info. Didn't know the fertilizer stayed in the soil that long.
  • Louise Louise on Aug 14, 2013
    I tried vinegar before on liriope and it did nothing! Also tried it on some weeds and did nothing.
  • Karen McLendon Karen McLendon on Aug 14, 2013
    It is also been blamed for problems in humans....the vinegar is cheaper. You can also boil some water and carefully pour it on weeds....I am not some enviromentalist or anything but what I have read really scares me...I guess if you wanted more info you could look on line....I have gotten rid of trees using the vinegar and other tough weeds.
    • Louise Louise on Aug 14, 2013
      @Karen McLendon Nothing wrong with being an environmentalist, IMO. :-)
  • Julia Julia on Aug 14, 2013
    I'm wondering if vinegar will kill the clover that is quite thick around my crocosmia? I tried pulling out the clover by hand but it is so thick!
  • Larry Collins Larry Collins on Aug 15, 2013
    There is no SCIENTIFIC basis for all this hype against RoundUp. I just spent 2 hours reading the Internet. Unscientific studies and unfounded claims repeated over and over by the same pseudo environmental and 'health' groups do not a monster make. And being "blamed" is not the same as proving a link between. I can blame vinegar for my hair falling out, but that doens't make it so.
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    • Jennifer Pospichal Jennifer Pospichal on Aug 18, 2013
      If Europe's bees rebound in the next couple years, then *maybe* we'll go the same route. The bee situation is pretty sad right now. I have 3 trees worth of spotty apples :) I'm more hesitant to use most insecticides and fungicides than I am to use Round Up.
  • Larry Collins Larry Collins on Aug 15, 2013
    By the way @Louise, both RoundUp and Ortho make a weed/brush killer specific to Poison Ivy. You CAN kill Poison Ivy with regular RoundUp but it will require persistent treatment. I know...I've done it. (and I still don't glow in the dark).
    • Louise Louise on Aug 16, 2013
      @Larry Collins What I primarily want to kill is liriope, but the poison ivy Roundup just happened to do a great job in doing that.
  • Karen McLendon Karen McLendon on Aug 15, 2013
    @LouiseNo, there isn't but I was trying to say I am not an expert just some one who has read a couple of articles...and feels better about not using the products....
  • Larry Collins Larry Collins on Aug 16, 2013
    @Teri Tripp-Lanciault We aren't talking about insectides (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Neonicotinoid), we're talking about RoundUp for killing grass and weeds: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/RoundUp See, this is a prime example of ignorant hype that gets spread around among the crazies looking to believe it.
    • Judy Judy on Aug 20, 2013
      @Larry Collins Round-Up is a Monsanto Corporation product. Monsanto has pled guilty to adding chemicals to its birdseed to prolong storage of the product without thought or care about the wildlife it kills. They are also the kings of genetically modified corn & soybean seed, the modifications being ones that allow the spraying of Monsanto herbicides without killing the modified plants. More profits for Monsanto without thought or care as to how these GMO products affect bees, wildlife, human life or other major safety concerns. They spend millions of dollars to prevent legislation which would demand safety testing of their products. All this for the sake of profits. They are the epitome of the soulless corporation, not giving a tinker's damn about life on this planet, including yours & mine as long as they continue to make unconscionable amounts of money. So no, we are not talking about insecticides, we are talking about corporate greed. I suggest you do some research on the subject before calling the rest of us ignorant crazies.
  • Teri Tripp-Lanciault Teri Tripp-Lanciault on Aug 16, 2013
    I am far from ignorant, Larry and I would appreciate your keeping the insults to a minimum. Monsanto is the king of toxic poisons. Weed killers leach. If it kills weeds, it can kill any living thing that ingests it, from the lowly worm, to the bird that eats the worm. If that is ok with you...fine. It is not fine with me. Any toxin that can be done away with in favor of a more natural, non-toxic alternative (be it for insects or weeds) makes much more sense.
  • Eyesdebo Eyesdebo on Aug 16, 2013
    I've had great success spraying salt/vinegar solution on poison ivy....
  • Jennifer Pospichal Jennifer Pospichal on Aug 17, 2013
    Larry may have been a bit harsh, but he has a point. Monsanto (like any large chemical company...and like big drug comanies) markets a wide variety of chemicals, some more toxic than others. Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Round Up, has been broadly attacked by a number of fringe groups, and I can understand why it makes people concerned. Fortunately, it binds to organic matter in the soil and rather rapidly biodegrades. Being a contact herbicide, it only kills plant when it's sprayed on the leaves. Different compounds are toxic to different organisms. I can eat dark chocolate, but my dog shouldn't. Dozens of species of birds enjoy poison ivy berries, but those berries would really mess up a human. Poison to plant isn't necessarily poison to an animal. Glyphosate inhibits plants from taking up moisture through their roots. Birds don't have the same biological processes, so even if a worm has trace amounts of the chemical in it's system, the bird will just poop most of it out. Here's a study by Cornell University-- a pretty well-respected institution: http://pmep.cce.cornell.edu/profiles/extoxnet/dienochlor-glyphosate/glyphosate-ext.html Oh, and as to the question ;) The price difference probably has a lot to do with paying for the advertising-- but just in case, I'd check the % of active ingredient. If it's the same, I'd go with the cheaper option, but it's worth paying a little more for a less-dilute product.
    • TJ TJ on Aug 19, 2013
      @Jennifer Pospichal thanks for posting this info and the link for Cornell University.
  • Larry Collins Larry Collins on Aug 17, 2013
    Thank you @Jennifer Pospical for being the voice of intelligence and reason. @Teri Tripp-Lanciault I stand by my comments. I didn't say you we're stupid I said you were ignorant (uninformed), although it was not directed at you personally but at all of those who rail against RoundUp without knowing the science behind it. Jennifer has explained it well.
  • Ginny B Ginny B on Aug 17, 2013
    You can talk all you want about Round-up and all the other chemicals but what about the worms and the bees. You will never sell me on these products.
  • Honeylamb Honeylamb on Aug 17, 2013
    Poison Ivy can kill people. If my mother, who is highly sensitive to poison ivy, had to come live with me, I would want something more powerful that vinegar and boiling water, because the poison ivy in the tree line around my property has been growing there for years and is very stubborn, even with careful chemical use.
  • Jennifer Ickes Jennifer Ickes on Aug 18, 2013
    The poison ivy round up worked great for us. But your normal weeds stop wasting your money. Use this it works. 1 gallon vinegar, 1/2 table salt& 3- dish dawn. Cost $5 works like a dream. For tall or lots of weeds use water softener salt just put it down& add water 2-3 days they die& just pull. Good luck!
  • Louise Louise on Aug 18, 2013
    What is water softener salt? Where would I find this?
    • Sheri N Sheri N on Aug 19, 2013
      @Louise Hi Louise! You can find water softener salt at any of your hardware stores in town. Even Wally World might have it in their home improvement department.
  • Jennifer Ickes Jennifer Ickes on Aug 19, 2013
    Water softener salt is what they use to soften well water. You can get it just about anywhere. Grocery stores or hardware stores. It's about $5 for a 70 lbs bag. I have an acre of yard took me 4 bags. But I noticed all the weeds& everything else along my fence die. My hubby hasn't had to weed eat there all summer. It will kill everything in a few days.
  • Mary Law Mary Law on Aug 20, 2013
    Brush-B-Gon is ideal to kill poison oak or ivy climbling trees and winding their way up on strong "ropes"