Roundup weed and grass killer is a product of the Monsanto Corporation, a chemical company that manufactures several different consumer products. Many different chemicals are available on the market to kill weeds, but Roundup works a little differently than others. This weed control product works by entering weeds through their tiny pores and then continuing down to the roots, destroying the weeds’ ability to absorb the necessary nutrients to survive.

Directions for Use:

Roundup comes ready to use, in a trigger- spray bottle (there are other varieties and packaging, but this review relates to the trigger- spray) . To begin application, you need to turn the white tip of the nozzle to either the stream or foam setting (the other two settings on this four- position tip will close the nozzle completely). Then, you aim the nozzle at the weeds you wish to kill and coat them with the liquid or foam as thoroughly as possible.

The manufacturer recommends applying this product in warm, sunny weather when the temperature is over 60 degrees (15 degrees Celsius) and when the wind is calm or very near calm. It takes only about one hour for the chemical to dry. Once this hour has passed, you can continue with things as normal. Family and pets can safely enter the treating areas at this time.

One needs to be very careful where and how Roundup is used. The chemicals used in this product will kill all sorts of different plants, and that includes flowers, lawn grass, and other things. You need to make sure that the chemical doesn’t come in contact with the other plants in your lawn. If it does, try to wipe it off as quickly as possible.

Ingredients:

The main active ingredient in Roundup is Glyphosate isoproplymine salt, which represents two percent of the total ingredients. Roundup isn’t harmful to the skin and only needs to be washed off if contact occurs. But it is highly toxic if ingested by humans or animals. If this occurs, you need to contact a poison control center immediately.

Customer Service:

Questions or comments about Roundup can be answered either through the company web site, roundup.com, or by calling the toll- free hotline, 800-246-7219. In the web site, you can view a video, read a list of frequently asked questions, receive e-mail reminders on lawn care, even post questions and read responses in a forum. You can also send an e-mail message about your problem or concern and wait for a response.

If you cannot find what you need in the web site, then you will need to call the customer support hotline. The phone call method will result in the fastest response time.

Final Thoughts:

Roundup is a necessary product for most homeowners. Ordinary weed killers are fine for killing weeds in the lawn and around other plants and flowers. And in some cases, larger weeds can be pulled by hand provided that it is possible to pull out the entire weed, roots and all. But in those cases where is it not possible to pull the weed out- like between cracks in concrete, bricks, stone, etc.- Roundup becomes a necessity. It penetrates the entire weed, right to its core, destroying its life- producing mechanism.

Roundup’s trigger dispensing system has two settings: stream and foam. The foam setting produces a thicker, more visible mass of weed killer and is good in those cases where you want to see the substance on the weed itself, in order to feel more confident that you covered the weed to the fullest. The stream setting is good when you just have a few weeds with larger leaves and seeing the weed killer is not as important. These two settings are sufficient for most smaller jobs and for certain weeds. But if you have a large number of weeds to kill and if your weeds have long, narrow leaves, Roundup can prove to be frustrating. Neither the foam nor the stream settings are very helpful for this type of weed. What would work best is a fine, misty spray. It would be better if Roundup offered another setting for this type of weed.

When I last used Roundup, I was trying to eliminate a bunch of small weeds growing between the bricks on my backyard walkway. Pulling weeds is senseless in a case like this because you cannot pull up the roots between the bricks. I purchased a 24- oz. bottle of Roundup and went to work spraying the weeds. I ended up using one full bottle for this task, alternating back and forth between stream and foam. Roundup claims that this bottle is supposed to be sufficient to kill 200 weeds. I’m not sure how they arrived at that precise number, but I can say with certainty that my bottle did not exterminate nearly this many weeds. I think it’s because of the shape of these particular weeds of mine (about 6 inches tall, very narrow and vertical). It made it more difficult to coat them with weed killer. Like I stated before, a spray/mist would have worked better for this type of weed.

The results of using Roundup can be visibly seen in about 24 hours. You will first notice that the leaves of the weeds are starting to shrivel up. Instead of being full and straight, the edges start to curl- a sign that the weed killer is taking effect. When you come back a day or two later, you will notice that the weeds have started to turn brown, indicating that the weed is dead. All that is left to do at this point is pull out the dead pieces of weeds and discard them. The root of the weed is destroyed, so there is no need to worry that it will return.

Roundup should not be used during certain conditions. You shouldn’t use this product if you think it is going to rain soon or if it’s a very windy day. It will either wash off or a portion of it will get blown off and could come in contact with other plants if one of these weather conditions is present. Roundup does become rain proof in one hour, so as long as you’re certain there won’t be any rain for at least 60 minutes, you can start spraying.

One of the main things you must be careful about with Roundup is avoiding contact with other plants. Roundup will kill more than just weeds, if contact occurs. Roundup is a powerful chemical that will kill flowers, grass, and other plants if enough of the concentrate comes in contact with them. One big mistake that some people make is taking the bottle of Roundup into their yards and spraying unwanted weeds directly, thinking that the weed will be killed and nothing else. Inevitably, some of the Roundup will come in contact with the grass. A few days later, you will walk out to the area sprayed and find the weed shriveled up and dead, along with patches of brown grass surrounding it.

Roundup is an essential part of any home’s lawn care needs. I cannot stand doing yard work, and I happily welcome any product that helps to make the task more bearable. When it comes to weeds growing between cracks in brick, stone, or concrete, or weeds that have long roots that cannot be pulled out, Roundup can often prove to be the only way to eliminate these unwanted growths from your property. This product could be made a little better with a few small changes (like the spray setting), but overall, Roundup provides a very simple solution to these special types of weed problems. It gets to the root of the problem, destroying the weed from the bottom up.



Be Sure to Click the Links Below to Read More Reviews of Related Products:

Roundup Weed and Grass Killer
Scott’s SpeedyGreen 2000
Scott’s Turf Builder
Spectrum Sta- Green Lawn Weed Control




Recommended: Yes