I've heard that there is a knock off product like Round-up at about half the price. I haven't heard what the name of it is though. Supposedly the pattent has expired and others are able to blend their own products to the Round-up specs. Don't know if it's true. . . just what I'd heard. If it's true it would help keep food plot expenses down some. So does anyone know the name of this new product?

Bob

look for "Glyphosate" on the label as an ingredient. That's it. BMT

I beg your pardon.

Roundup

That's funny. How polite for this outfit.

Monsanto hammers homeowners on their prices. Small quantities of roundup are priced way high. The other day, I saw a gallon at the same price as 2.5 gal for the same concentration.

Another brand name is Honcho, also made by Monsanto. It's a slightly lower concentration than Roundup, but it still works out at a much lower price. The only problem is that it only comes in 2.5 gal jugs so far.

Dick

Alright, since we are on this subject, I got carried away with the grass seed last year, now I have grass growing in my edging rocks, any ideas on how to get rid of it? Les

Tractor Supply has their version of RoundUp that is priced about half of what RoundUp usually costs. The ingredients are identical.

I buy a product at our local Co-op called Eraser. Works just as well, if not better, than Roundup. It takes just a little longer, though, maybe 2 weeks to thoroughly kill the weeds, but it will absolutely kill them.

I looked at side-by-side comparisons at TSC (Tractor Supply Company) a chain of stores based in Tenn. The knock-off was not that much cheaper. One of the interesting things about Round-up is that one gallon cost $79 and 2.5 gallons cost $98. The makers of Round-up are fighting for the market.

You can make Round-up go approximately 3 times farther if you pre-treat the water and supplement it with 2,4-d amine formulation.

There are commercial materials on the market for pre-treating the water. If you want to keep life simple, add approximately 1 heaping teaspoon of swimming pool pH reducer (sodium bisulphate) to each gallon of water...stir until dissolved. THEN add the Round-up and 2,4-d. A goodly squirt of dish soap will help the material wet-out to the leaves.

The sodium bisulphate does two things. One is that it reduces the pH (duh!), that is makes it more acid. The other is that the sulphate ions grab the ions that make water hard (calcium, iron, etc.). Grabbing calcium and iron means that those ions will not grab your expensive ag chemicals and make them ineffective. Citric acid is another good, if expensive option. Koolaid is a common (and very expensive) source of citric acid if you just want to spray a few weeds in the yard.

We also found that mowing the grass/weeds before spraying exposes fresh leaf ends and the herbicide really gets into the weeds and hammers them.

We found that we could mix Round-up at one-third strength (when supplemented with full strength 2,4-d) and still get good burn down. It does not happen overnight. It may take two weeks before stuff looks dead.

Key points:
-Treat the water BEFORE adding the ag chemicals
-Follow all the label recommendations (temperature, actively growing) except concentration.
-Supplement with 2,4-d...which is dirt cheap. Amine does not stink and will not kill the neighbor's grapevines and tomatoes. Ester formulation stinks terribly, wreaks havok on non-target plants but is a little "hotter" and less sensitive to water chemistry.

-Joe

I use "Eliminator" and works great. It's 1/2 the price and twice as strong. That makes it a fourth the price, I think....

Marty

I use a product called "Hi-Yield" (yellow and red label)that I get at the local farm store. I'm sure there's one in
Chippewa. If they don't have it I'm sure that hardware store that sell's reloading supplies behind Burger King will have it.

It's less than half the price of Roundup and does wonders on weeds.

WN

.....Oh, that's just great......

There's always good old diesel. Very effective, biodegradable and cheap compared to Roundup.

Hows about vinegar to acidify?

As has been said there are a number of brands that are the same as Round Up. Two that the local Co-Op sells are Forester and Aqua Neat. The key as said before is to look at the ingredients on Round Up and the percentages. You are looking for Glyphosate as was mentioned above. The other key is the percentage. As I remember regular RoundUp is around 41% with other formulations higher or with sticker added. The two brands mentioned above are 56%. I can't wait until Garlon comes off patent. It works great on blackberries but is over $250 per 2.5 gallons.

"I can't wait until Garlon comes off patent."

Is that Patent N� 5643853?
Could you make it in the bathtub for personal use if you do not sell it.

Patent number: 5643853
Filing date: Feb 28, 1995
Issue date: Jul 1, 1997

Abstract
Thiol compounds are employed in conjunction with compounds which modulate self proliferation, both as to plants and mammals. The thiol compounds find effect in enhancing the effectiveness of auxin like compounds, either as herbicides or in enhancing root formation. In addition, thiol compounds...
More about this patent

What those guys said...Glyphosate...grin...

Fire............

A.) Vinegar is an expensive way to reduce pH
B.) Vinegar will not "grab" Calcium and Iron ions.

It is not just a pH (or acidity issue) and each ag chemical has a favorite pH. Most, but not ALL, like a lower pH. The materials chemically decompose in the tank more slowly, and lower pH "slingshots" them through the waxy layer on the outside of the leaf more quickly.

-Joe

Thanks for all the info guys!! Will have to check out the farm supply store.

Bob