is soil still viable after Round Up?

[Dente deLion]

The short version: My neighbor "sprayed just a little Round Up along the edge" of my flower bed. It certainly appears as though he dumped at least a full bottle over the area. I've never used the stuff before, so I'm wondering if that ground will ever grow anything again.

The longer version: This flower bed is a strip along one side of my house, bordered on the other side by my neighbors' driveway - so I can't maintain the bed without traipsing through their driveway. Consequently, I tend to let it slide more than I would otherwise, because I don't like going over there & disturbing their peace any more than absolutely necessary. I've been trying for the past 2 years to establish more perennials and ground covers throughout the bed, so little maintenance should be required in the future, but (as you all know) that doesn't happen overnight.

Why he ever thought it was okay to mess around in my flower bed at all escapes me, but he said he wouldn't do it anymore. So, is there any hope of recovery here or are we looking at a future of scorched earth?

[Rockin'B]

You can plant right behind application or Roundup. It "breaks down" quickly. I've killed lawn to convert to a veggie garden and have had no problem planting within the week.

[SteveD(TX)]

I've been told, and I've read, that Round-Up is inert in the soil. It only affects the vegetation that it touches directly.

[suburbanite]

Yeah, roundup isn't very stable when its out in the light. That is why if you use it and it rains, a week later you've got a chia-pet razor-stubble of weed seeds germinating in that nice area you thought was now gonna be weed-free.

That is also why they have a new formulation of round-up out now where they've added a pre-emergent weed killer to keep seeds from germinating. The pre-emergent won't affect plants that already have roots though.

Ask your neighbor if you can see the round-up bottle. Tell him it comes in two 'flavors' now and one of them means seeds won't grow. You need to know which kind he used so you can determine if you need to replant the area with plants alone or if seeds can also be used.

I would also request of him that he pay for the replacement plants since he killed the existing ones--but I would also ask for his opinions about what he'd like to see in that space, since he's paying. If you both like a similar thing then you can plant something there that he likes so that such 'accidents' are less likely in the future. If you can get him positively 'invested' emotionally in the fix then it will be easier to deal with him in the future if you need to walk on his driveway or what not.

My (nice, I have one nice one nasty) neighbor lets me let my runner beans grow up into his photinias, and every week or two lets me into his back yard to harvest any beans on his side, which I give to him. This saves me from having to build a taller trellis and lets me not have to cut off productive sections of vine that get too tall; I think it keeps the plants happy and he's happy to get fresh beans for the mere inconvenience of a neighbor in his yard for 5 minutes a week.

Have you considered using landscape fabric topped with mulch or bark chips to keep the weeds down when you replant?

[Old Vet]

It takes a lisence to get the Roundup with preemergent. He probily used regualr Roundup. He is in violation by spraying your flower bed. This is a federal law and can be made to reimburse you. Just be sure that your flower bed is yours and not on the other side of the property line. I just rered your post and he sprayed it along the side of your flower bed and not on it. All that would do is to kill the weeds their and nothing else. Maby you can take a lession from this and keep the grass from geting too high.

[bill not in oh]

Not necessarily...

http://www.roundup.com/index.cfm/eve...and+Prevention

[Cabin Fever]

Is soil still viable after Round Up?

Soil is still viable after the use of glyphosate.

[Dente deLion]

Thank you all very much! I feel much better now. I swear, it looks like he dumped napalm on it. I wouldn't ask him to pay for replacements or anything; I'm just hoping we will no longer be making incompatible efforts at reaching the same goal!

[tinknal]

Originally Posted by suburbanite

Yeah, roundup isn't very stable when its out in the light. That is why if you use it and it rains, a week later you've got a chia-pet razor-stubble of weed seeds germinating in that nice area you thought was now gonna be weed-free.

Not exactly. The way roundup works it needs to touch the green growing part of the plant. I'm pretty sure you could spray it directly on seeds, plant the seeds immediately and the seeds would still germinate.

[CountryWannabe]

Not wanting to hijack the thread - but I have not been awfully good about keeping the paths around my garden beds cleared of (very tall <sigh) grasses. If I sprayed the grasses would my veggies be OK (assuming there was no herbicide drift to them)?

Thanks
Mary

[Windy in Kansas]

Originally Posted by CountryWannabe

Not wanting to hijack the thread - but I have not been awfully good about keeping the paths around my garden beds cleared of (very tall <sigh) grasses. If I sprayed the grasses would my veggies be OK (assuming there was no herbicide drift to them)?

Thanks
Mary

Yes, I spray a glyphosate product every year around flowers, ornamental grasses, etc. without damage. I even hold back foliage with my boot and spray any undesirable that is at the base of the plant, again with no damage as long as no spray gets on the desirable foliage. Even when I slip and get a bit on a desirable plant leaf I break it off promptly or wipe it off and rarely have any damage from the direct contact.

I do use a low pressure when applying such and use course droplets rather than a fine mist. Works like a charm. I even do edging with glyphosate and get a nearly perfect line of wanted and unwanted.

[Stephen in SOKY]

I've seen people apply it with a paint brush to limit overspray potential. I use a hand wick all the time in the market garden. I also use a plastic folgers coffee can screwed to a tobacco stick (Inverted) to cover seedlings, or a piece of 1/4" plywood screwed to a tobacco stick as a shield to limit overspray when using the backpack sprayer.

[texican]

Condolences for having a neighbor that close .

[Selena]

Label gives the number of days you have to wait to plant again - root crops, like asparagus require 30 days of recoup time if the ground was sprayed with round-up.

[palani]

For crop applications I have heard there are problems with spraying glyphosate 3-4 years in a row. It has something to do with killing some micro organisms that are needed for plant nutrition. This doesn't affect germination in any way, simply means the plant will start to grow and fail or do poorly for lack of nutrition. And it is a rumor until confirmed.