Grass killer product for use near a well

bpmdu

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Jun 28, 2006
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Managed to pick up a property that needs work and has significant and well established grass growth in the paved driveway and cement pad areas. Are there any products out there to kill the grass off effectively once I’ve got it cleaned up? All areas are within 25 feet of well head used for water to the property So cannot use products like Round Up. What’s my best option (aside from burning it down)? Bonus if it’ll kill weeds too.
 

cyphoon

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... All areas are within 25 feet of well head used for water to the property So cannot use products like Round Up.

So you are concerned that a 1% glyphosate solution sprayed lightly on target weeds is going to seep 50 feet or more down to the well water? If that is a legitimate concern, wouldn't it apply to any systemic herbicide that you apply?

2,4-D and dicamba do not kill grasses. Glufosinate will kill the green but won't kill to the root, so it is about the same as torching the weeds. Same with organics. Repeated applications might eventually get the job done.

H
 
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mj4cy

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Along the lines of grass, got a rock bed the is in my property but the east edge is adjacent to the neighbor's property. It's used to house some city utilities ect but I also have some Stella de Oros. Well the neighbor apparently stopped guarding his spreader when overseeing thus I have a plush grass (we joke its the best part of the lawn) in between the plans in the rock bed. It's to the point where it would take hours to days to hand pick it out...but if I use roundup I could kill the plants and grass outside the rockbed if the wind picks up the particles and spreads it around (happened to me in a rockbed in the back yard couple years back)...any producst or ideas to get rid of this grass?
 

swiacy

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Apr 9, 2009
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RUP is a contact killer absorbed by the plant it is not a soil applied chemical that is activated by moisture. Either by tillage or rainfall. RUP has 0 chance of leaching into the well. RUP is a 100% grass killer.
 
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swiacy

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Along the lines of grass, got a rock bed the is in my property but the east edge is adjacent to the neighbor's property. It's used to house some city utilities ect but I also have some Stella de Oros. Well the neighbor apparently stopped guarding his spreader when overseeing thus I have a plush grass (we joke its the best part of the lawn) in between the plans in the rock bed. It's to the point where it would take hours to days to hand pick it out...but if I use roundup I could kill the plants and grass outside the rockbed if the wind picks up the particles and spreads it around (happened to me in a rockbed in the back yard couple years back)...any producst or ideas to get rid of this grass?
RUP is a contact killer of grass and has to be applied carefully when the wind is blowing. Have no idea of the limitations in this situation but RUP can be spot applied with success by hand using a brush.
 
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cycloneML

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It’s a drop in the bucket compared to the substantial amount of glyphosate seeping in there daily from the local farms.
 

cyphoon

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RUP is a contact killer absorbed by the plant it is not a soil applied chemical that is activated by moisture. Either by tillage or rainfall. RUP has 0 chance of leaching into the well. RUP is a 100% grass killer.

You sure you grabbed the name of this product? What is the active ingredient?

RUP usually means something else.

H
 

swiacy

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You sure you grabbed the name of this product? What is the active ingredient?

RUP usually means something else.

H
Round Up is commonly referred to in the industry as RUP as an abbreviation. It's chemical name is Glyphosate. When it came off label from Monsanto, who created and patented it originally, it is produced by many companies now in a generic form. There are many generic products of Glyphosate on the market with their own name, just check the information listing ingredients on the label and look for glyphosate and that will be the generic form of Round Up (RUP). Monsanto was bought out by Bayer and still makes the original form. at a higher price point than the generic.
 

CascadeClone

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Oct 24, 2009
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Along the lines of grass, got a rock bed the is in my property but the east edge is adjacent to the neighbor's property. It's used to house some city utilities ect but I also have some Stella de Oros. Well the neighbor apparently stopped guarding his spreader when overseeing thus I have a plush grass (we joke its the best part of the lawn) in between the plans in the rock bed. It's to the point where it would take hours to days to hand pick it out...but if I use roundup I could kill the plants and grass outside the rockbed if the wind picks up the particles and spreads it around (happened to me in a rockbed in the back yard couple years back)...any producst or ideas to get rid of this grass?

The black plastic is solid idea.

My mom has used a paintbrush with a pan of roundup in that kind of situation to prevent any overspray collateral damage.

You could also cover/shield the flowers as close as possible and then spray roundup around it. My understanding is roundup becomes inert once it hits the ground - ie it won't hurt roots, has to be absorbed through the green parts it touches.
 

clonebb

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I would pour Round Up on the grass. it will be at least 5 years before you get cancer.
 

NickTheGreat

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How big of an area? Roundup is one of the safer hericides out there, so I wouldn't worry about it.

The plastic is a viable option, but a pain to set up, if the area is big.

How about fire? A weed torch is fun and very effective. Kinda slow going for a big area, though.
 

cowboycurtis

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This works good but will kill grass only. Plus you would need some AMS and NIS to really make it work good.

The Roundup name was purchased by Scott’s and the put the name on everything even though it my not contain Roundup. You need to look at the label and see if it contains glyphosate.

Glyphosate is your best bet. Just a few ounces in a 1 gallon hand sprayer will do the trick.
 

Sparkplug

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Round Up is commonly referred to in the industry as RUP as an abbreviation. It's chemical name is Glyphosate. When it came off label from Monsanto, who created and patented it originally, it is produced by many companies now in a generic form.
Stauffer Chemical’s plastic division accidentally created what we call Roundup. Stauffer thought it would never get approved because it was just “too hot” so they sold the formula to Monsanto. Monsanto had the money to win the battle to get it approved.
 
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NorthCyd

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Do you have any information about the well at all? Depth, when it was drilled, etc. A good driller should have provided a well log with a lithologic profile and construction details if the well isn’t too old. That would go a long ways in telling you how susceptible your water source is to surface contamination.
 

Turn2

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Clusterfunkeny
This works good but will kill grass only. Plus you would need some AMS and NIS to really make it work good.

The Roundup name was purchased by Scott’s and the put the name on everything even though it my not contain Roundup. You need to look at the label and see if it contains glyphosate.

Glyphosate is your best bet. Just a few ounces in a 1 gallon hand sprayer will do the trick.
OP said...
kill the grass off
Ornamental formulation contains the necessary surfactants. This is like your old non-GMO soybean herbicide, and needs NIS.
 

TXCyclones

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Salt.



Seriously. Go buy a back of water softener salt or snow-melt salt, whichever is cheaper. Mix with a little water to make nearly a runny paste-like mixture and pour onto the cracks. The term "salting the earth" exists for a reason. Stuff doesn't grow where the earth has been salted.
 
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