Shop Products
Houzz Logo Print
alicia7b

How resistant are woody plants to Roundup?

alicia7b
16 years ago

I'm asking because usually once a year my neighbor sprays Roundup under their high tensile wire fence to kill the weeds. Unfortunately now the high school kid has taken this task over and is overzealous with the Roundup, and the drift will kill plants a good 6-7' from the fenceline. Would woody plants work out any better than herbaceous plants?

The overkill has only happened once (because the kid has only sprayed once), and it happens again I'll talk to the neighbors, but who knows if it will do any good...

Comments (5)

  • tamelask
    16 years ago

    i've heard even trees are susceptible if it hits their trunks, so my guess is not much more resistant than the leafy stuff. it probably depends on the strength he's spraying, too- you can get such high strengths now, and they would be a lot more lethal. some people think more is better. i know it's hard to kill poison ivy, boston/english ivy and some other things with it- it takes me at least a couple rounds to kill them. i have heard things with waxy coatings (like the boston/english ivy) are more resistant. i've also read on the packaging that quickly hosing down the affected plant can help- but you only have little time for that to work and if you don't know when he's spraying that wouldn't help. good luck!

  • alicia7b
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    Ugh, that's kind of discouraging. If the overkill happens again I will call the neighbors and ask them to be more careful.

  • Lynda Waldrep
    16 years ago

    Two years ago at a seminar some folks stated that Round-up could actually cross from one plant's roots to another plant's roots. They swore that, when the roots were crossed or tangled underground, this could happen. I don't use much of the stuff, so I cannot vouch that this tale is true or not. Once, hubbie sprayed some weeds in the cracks of a walkway, and apparently it bounced up and over to plants along the side. He never sprays on windy days, so I know the air did not carry the poison. I DO know spraying the driveway eliminated most of our frog population, and now after a few years they are coming back because we don't spray there any more. In NC you are supposed to have a chemical license to spray unless it is on your own property. I am not sure if there is an age limit, too...would be interesting to investigate.

  • alicia7b
    Original Author
    16 years ago

    I don't use Roundup either, in fact I hate it, now more than ever...

  • transplanted2scin07
    16 years ago

    Round Up is a systemic, which means it affects the entire plant system. It can be absorbed by any part of the plant. While it does do considerable damage, it does not always completely kill the plant (although it might as well - it will never be the same). The only time I ever used it was on Poison Ivy that was growing under my mailbox, and I had to repeat the applications. I gave up after 2 applications because I did not want to endanger any other plants.
    Any of the chemical that drips to the ground supposedly cannot be absorbed by plant roots; and I have never heard of it passing from root to root. Drift from spraying of nearby plants will do damage but how far away and how much damage depends on weather conditions the day it is sprayed.
    In my humble opinion, Round Up can be a useful herbicide but only if applied EXACTLY according to directions. That's usually hard to do if you are trying to spray it. It is better to apply it with a paint brush or sponge so drift does not occur.

Sponsored
Landscape Concepts of Fairfax, Inc.
Average rating: 4.8 out of 5 stars17 Reviews
Northern VA's Creative Team of Landscape Designers & Horticulturists