Roundup/Weed killier coverage

[czvz]

I have about 4 acres I would like to put into foodplots.  I have just started trying to determine what is the most economical hebicide to use to kill everything.  I can't seem to get a straight answer at Fleet Farm on cost per acre and dilution rates for the concentrated Roundup.
I do not have a degree in Chemistry, Biology or Agriculture practice so, can some one "bring it on home" for me in simple terms?
What product? cost per acre? and dilution rate to kill everything? I understand there are generic Roundup alternatives so cheaper is better.  Im not concerened with perfection... I'm just trying to create foodplots for deer... not feed the world.
Thanx!

[Land_Owner]

Glad to oblige.  I too have about 4.0 acres in food plots and use CREDIT EXTRA, which is a non-Monsanto Chemical Corp. generic 41% glyphosate herbicide/surfactant mixture.  That's a mouthfull.  

Monsanto patented "Roundup", which is 41% glyphosate herbicide/adjuvant/surfactant mix. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Roundup .

Adjuvants allow chemicals to work together better without providing any real effect by themselves.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Adjuvant .

Surfactants allow chemicals to break the water surface barrier on the leaves of plants, especially waxy leaves, and allow the even distribution of chemicals over the entire plant absorption area.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Surfactant .

That said, shoot me a PM and I will shoot you a simple Excel Spreadsheet for the calculation of any lesser percentage of glyphosate concentration in any quantity of water from any known higher glyphosate concentration.

You input the variables:
Size of your GLY product container [typically 1.0 or 2.5 gallons; could be 55 gallon drum]
Starting concentration of GLY [typically 41%]
Desired Concentration [typically 0.50% to 2.0%.  Most express excellent plant kill at 0.50%]
Size of your Sprayer [1.0 gallon, 2.0 gallons, 25 gallons, to any reasonable capacity (infinity!)]

Calculates:
Number of ounces of concentrate to make one (1) 25 gallon mixture.
Number of ounces of concentrate to make your sprayer capacity mixture.

I add that this is predicated on hand spraying and not boom spraying, which application is different - but concentrations are the SAME.

[FourBee]

Round-Up and their generic equals do a great job of killing everything.  Just like anything else however, some plants and small trees are stuborn, and require repetitious spraying that may go on for 18 months.   That said, I use a 15 gal. spray rig for fence rows and road-ways, around out buildings, and work areas on my ranch.   A normal concentrate of 1 qt Round-Up to 14 gal. of water.  On tree foliage and tuff thorn bushes I use 1qt. 8oz. to 14gal of water.  

The only problem that is created is some of the most ungodly weeds and stickers thrive where no re-seeding or cultivation has taken place.

[czvz]

Hello Land_Owner I am interested in the spreadsheet but apparently your Email address is "hidden" under your profile... mine is not hidden.

[Swampman]

I bought some 2,4 - D at Ace Hardware.  It's cheap and works well on broadleaf plants.

[FourBee]

I bought some 2,4 - D at Ace Hardware.  It's cheap and works well on broadleaf plants.

Yep ! I need to put some 2,4 - D on my lawn.  It looks terrible this spring.   Makes one wonder where those broadleaf's come from.

[Swampman]

We have Dollar Weed bad and the 2,4-D hammered it in a couple of days.  Cost was less than 6.00 for enough to do the lawn 10 times.

[Empty Quiver]

You may consider a tank mix with 2,4-d, This will generally allow you to kill grass cheaply with the R/U and get the broadleaf weeds cheaply with the 2,4-d and Round Up at lower rates. When you get the jug there will be a label with instructions on how much to use to get the desired species killed.

I sprayed profesionally for ten years... fourteen yrs ago. Things change and I haven't kept up. Things I don't believe have changed are these; Round Up works better when in stronger concentrations ie., 1pint in ten gallons water per acre is better than 1pint in 40 gallons water per acre. Spray with a fine droplet not a coarse droplet. The name brand chemicals tend to have premium surfactant and adjuvant packages built in, when the killing gets tough they stand out. If the directions say to use X in a tank use it, I can't tell you the miracle it was when we started using a gallon of fertilizer in every 100gallons of water, who knows what they have found out in the last decade.

 If you are going to do this get cracking, small weeds are not only easier to kill but cheaper as well. You have a MUCH better chance of being too late in the season than too early. You can be too early though, if weeds and grasses are 2"-3" get cracking, at the cheap rates!

Look on the ingredient list for the percentage of active ingredient, not all jugs are created equal. One gallon of commercial grade used to be like four times as concentrated as the one gallon home owner grade sold at Lowes, and only about twice as expensive too. Another reason to read the label, before mixing.

[Land_Owner]

Look on the ingredient list for the percentage of active ingredient, not all jugs are created equal. One gallon of commercial grade used to be like four times as concentrated as the one gallon home owner grade sold at Lowes, and only about twice as expensive too. Another reason to read the label, before mixing.

That's where my spreadsheet helps. 

If your bottle says 41% concentrated XXX and mine says 23% XXX and each product bottle is the same total volume, how much 100% XXX is in my bottle and how much concentrated product must I add to my sprayer tank to get the same 0.50% or 1.00% mix?

See, this is really just Word Problem from High School Algebra!  The kind of math that many folks loathed!

I'm an Engineer, ergo a Nerd.  But I like who I turned out to be.  I did the math.  You do the spreadsheet INPUT, make your mix, and we're both putting the same percentage of product on our weeds/bugs/plants.

It works for GLY; 2,4-d; Permethrin (bug killer); etc. - although I have never mixed any "etc."!

[Empty Quiver]

You engineers and all your math...back in my day we read labels and liked it.  The etc. you talk about, I think that is the stuff the really old farmers would come out of the shed with. They usually stored it in an old 2,4,5-T  5gal steel can, must have been a lot of those "surplus" cans back in the day. The corn would look like it had been on a weekend bender after that stuff hit it. 

[Land_Owner]

Empty Quiver,

Ha ha.  It still IS your day, unless you are clocking out.  Don't do that!  

In 1980 I was chatting with my neighbor, Ms. Grace, who was sifting by bare hand a white powder under her orange trees (~15 of them) to get rid of ants and bugs.  When I inquired, she showed me the bag - CHLORIDANE!  

I asked if she was aware that the EPA had banned its use?  She wrily smiled and said, "Sonny!" (she called me Sonny) "I've been doing it this way for 25 years and don't intend to change now."  She was 82 years young then and her yard looked GREAT!

[SHOOTALL]

If you have a store called Agri-supply their product cost less and works as well if not better . They are on-line also . Also around here R U comes in different concentrations .