Large Weed Job Help

[Husky03]

I have a person that wants me to get their yard back in shape. The beds around their house are out of control with weeds. Do you guys find it best to spray down the entire area with Roundup and then go back in like 5 days and attempt pulling the weeds after they are dead or just save money and forget the Roundup and just pull the weeds? I also thought about spraying the beds with Roundup and waiting until all of the weeds die and then just cut them down with the trimmer and rake all the dead stuff up. This house is out in the country and the people have really let it get over grown.

Thanks...:dizzy:

[TurfProSTL]

Maybe trim it down first, then spray. This way the homeowner can see some immediate progress on it.

[Husky03]

How many days does it usually take Roundup to turn 12" weeds crispy brown?

Thanks...

[PHD in Landscaping]

I prefer to smoke the weed.

[fulano]

If you don't know how long it takes round up to kill weeds then you probably aren't licensed. If you are licensed to spray chemicals then you must be real dumb. If you're not licensed to spray legally get a flame suit quick.

[Husky03]

LOL unless your pulling 3 Brand New Exmarks in a 24' Enclosed trailer with a 2007 $50,000 truck charging $200 per hour you have to wear a flame suit at all times on this website.:rolleyes: The only thing I have ever used Roundup on was small weeds never anything over 12" tall so I don't know how long it will take for it to die.

[lawnspecialties]

I hope they want the beds mulched or pine strawed as a part of this "getting it back in shape". If so, spray with Round-Up and then a few days later, trim them down and cover. If you're really the man, apply some pre-emergence herbicide or at least some landscape matting to help prevent more weeds from coming back. If none of this is the case, sell, sell, sell.:)

[carcrz]

I'd knock it all down w/ a trimmer. Spray it w/ Round-up & let sit for a week. Come back & cover it all w/ mulch & you're done. If you don't feel like doing this again next year, recommend having you come every other week to do preventative maintenance for an additional fee.

[jeffinsgf]

Just a minute -- are you talking about using RoundUp in beds that also contain desirable plants? Boy that sounds dangerous to me. Wouldn't a selective herbicide be a better choice? RoundUp is going to kill anything green it touches. If it is actively growing and it gets glysophate on it, it is dead. I try to live by that rule, but it has let me down from time to time. Some stuff is tough to kill, but on the desirables, it seems any overspray at all is too much.

[Husky03]

There is some desirable plants in the beds. I will be very careful with overspray. At the begining when I gave the estimate it was for PULLING the weeds. I am going to try and convince the people that cutting off with a string trimmer and spraying is just as effective if not better. Any thoughts?

[lawnspecialties]

Cutting them down, then spraying is a bad idea. Remember, Glyphosphate is a topical treatment. It is absorbed by the plant through the foliage. It does virtually nothing to the ground unless you spill the bottle out. When it enters through the top, it proceeds down the plant to the root structure. If you hack it, you have greatly reduce the surface it is absorbed. As for the other desirables, you can cover them with a piece of plastic or something until you finish spraying. If a little does get on the preferred plants, immediately wash it off with water and you should be fine.:)

[Husky03]

How much time should you wait before planting in the beds after spraying them? I know Roundup only kills what is green so it should be fine to my understanding. Thanks for all the help.

[lawnspecialties]

Round-up usually takes about an hour or two to completely dry up on plants so I use that rule for planting. I've reseeded areas 2-3 hours after spraying them and had no problems at all.

Just make sure you don't trim down the weeds for a couple of days, though. You need to give the glyphosphate time to travel throughout the plant, first. Don't forget the mulch or pine straw "sell" to keep the weeds from returning. payup

[Husky03]

Awesome, you were a big help lawnspecialties.

[Lawn Works]

Husk, If other plants are in the bed use a big dose of Image, then come back and lay the mulch or straw. Promise to return and spot spray.

[Husky03]

Lawn Works: I'm not following what you tryed to say.

[TurfProSTL]

Cutting them down, then spraying is a bad idea. Remember, Glyphosphate is a topical treatment. It is absorbed by the plant through the foliage. It does virtually nothing to the ground unless you spill the bottle out. When it enters through the top, it proceeds down the plant to the root structure. If you hack it, you have greatly reduce the surface it is absorbed. As for the other desirables, you can cover them with a piece of plastic or something until you finish spraying. If a little does get on the preferred plants, immediately wash it off with water and you should be fine.:)It depends on the height of the weeds that are present. If they are pretty high you will miss alot of emerging (shorter) weeds. Trim them a few inches off the ground - don't scalp them down to the ground - and the herbicide will work just fine..... less foliage for the chemical to translocate through.

I would have to look at the job to call any method a bad idea.

[Eakern & Dog]

I would pull the taller weeds( unless it's impossible), spray the shorter weeds and the use Preen or another pre-emergent control along with mulching to control future weed seeds from germination.

[lawnspecialties]

It depends on the height of the weeds that are present. If they are pretty high you will miss alot of emerging (shorter) weeds. Trim them a few inches off the ground - don't scalp them down to the ground - and the herbicide will work just fine..... less foliage for the chemical to translocate through.

I would have to look at the job to call any method a bad idea.

a good point.:)