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Kill Everything in backyard

28K views 16 replies 9 participants last post by  Mikey Palmice 
#1 ·
Hello All,

I'm having some issues with different kinds of weeds growing in my backyard like wildfire!! I want to rototill my whole backyard, but i need to kill every living plant in my back yard!!! Will rototilling kill the weeds? Is there a product I can get at home depot or lowes that would kill everything? Should i do a combo of rototilling and treating with chemicals? I'm ok if nothing will grow for a month, I just want to get rid of these weeds forever. I plan on seeding it once its ready...

Thanks,
 
#2 ·
Use a product like Roundup. Kleenup pro is the generic form of roundup. Same great weedy genocidal maniac, but at half the price.

What I did for my lawn-kleenup pro, waited till everything was dead. Tilled and waterd to get whatever weeds seeds were churned up sprouting, then Kleen up Pro again. Ten days later seed.

Kleenup and roundup take up to a week or more for total kill. be patient. Glyphosate is the main killing ingredient and it works by blocking enzymes and processes in the plant which cause it to basically starve to death. Follow the label for mixing instructions. Heavier doses don't necessarily mean more killing power. And it only works on contact. I've seen people spray it on the ground thinking they are going to stop weeds. May as well just throw money in the dirt.

There are chemicals to prevent seeds from germinating, but I wouldn't recommend those for use prior to seeding. Some may require up to six weeks or even months before you can put seed dow. You can, however use those chemicals after the lawn is establised to prevent new weeds.
 
#3 ·
Will rototilling kill the weeds?
Nope! It will bring even more seeds to the surface and help everything grow even more.:eek:

Get some Round-Up type product, i.e. glyphosate. That will kill almost everything for now. I say almost in the sense of "never say never." Glyphosate is about the most cost effective product available. Herbicides work better when plants are actively growing. That means not under stress from drought, etc. Cooler weather now will slow the process. Are you talking about just weeds or some privet, briars, and other types of brush as well? These will take considerably longer to die and will most likely need several applications.

As a rule of thumb, I:
Spray, give it a week to yellow out.
Mow close.
Spray anything that comes back.
Mow again.
Spray again if necessary.

That should just fit in your month schedule.

PS
Where are you please?
 
#15 ·
I just used this stuff three days ago. I used 2 pint glasses of the stuff mixed with 1 gallon of water in a pump sprayer. I carefully sprayed the perimeter of my yard to kill and prevent any weeds along the border before I mulch it.

Everything is still alive? does it really take a week for the killing to start?

thanks
 
#11 ·
No I haven't, I'm ready to try a non-selective herbacide, so I need to know which brand is cheap and effective!!
Uhhh,
Glyphosate is non-selective. 2,4,D is selective for broadleaf, which would work, as would any broadleaf herbicide from X-Mart. Fusilade is selective for grass and would work in a flower bed for instance.
 
#12 ·
If your can find the two chemicals in their pure forms, I reccomend a mix of Banvel and Roundup. Pure. Like really pure.

I used to live in Lubbock, Tx and worked on the side for the father of a friend. One of the things I had to do was clear out and sterilize some ground.
We had some weeds out there that were resistant to Roundup, even 95%. Lord knows what there were, but I do know that the needles on the stems were quite painful.
Similoar to nettles, but worse. ANyways, the Roundup wouldnt touch this stuff, as it primarly works upon narrow bladed grasses and plants.
Banvel, which whacks broadleafed plants (pesky neighbor's trees?? :D ) took case of these weeds and everything else, inc. tree saplings.

I am not sure to the "generic" name of banvel, but if you can find these two chemicals from an agricultural co-op, mix a pint of each into a 2 gallon Hudson sprayer
and fill the balance with regular water.
This WILL kill d*mn near everything you should encounter in the continental US.
 
#13 ·
I take issue with the Banvel. It will kill alot of things,,,including your neighbors tomato plants,,it will get up and 'walk' like most all 2-4 -D products,,,also better read how long residual is before grass can be grown,,seeded again!!!Include the neighbors prize roses as suseptable too. Banvel I am sure has a restriction on its use to the cooler parts of the year so it doent float so long,,,heat makes it walk further faster. IF roundup wont kill it,,,it must be of the creepy jenny family(or something like that) cause it was derived of some of those weeds genes. Those weeds looked like ragweed to me. They start out like a baby carrot and quickly develop into a overgrown stinky weed. Or do they get like a giant sandbur on them after they bloom,,,very sticky,,then they are buffalo burs, a kissing cousin to sandburs. Try plain roundup first,,might be all thats needed for a coupkle shots of it,,,then rake a little on top and no till your seed right in to it,,,Best part of roundup is when it hits the soil its inactive,,has to translocate thru green material. NO residual
 
#16 ·
A week is typical for products like Ground Clear and Round Up. The killing process itself starts the first day,
but it takes about a week for everything to die off. The chemicals travel throughout the plant including the root
system. They block enzymes and processes which allow cell growth and allow the plants to convert nutrients to
food. the palnts essentially starve to death.
 
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