Back yard vegetation killer

dcmayo311

Four Pointer
Good afternoon folks,
I'm looking for some tested knowledge about how to kill off ALL vegetation in my neighbors back yard. Now before your eyebrows get raised too high, I have his permission to do so. I live in Farmville, NC (small town) and the back yard in question is less than a quarter acre. My neighbor has not touched his back yard all summer. Parts of it have weeds and small trees as high as 4 foot tall. His back door is covered in Virginia Creeper. He has expressed to me that if it were up to him, he'd pave the whole back yard since he has no desire to maintain it. It's become a very bad mosquito situation and I'm sure there are a plenty of mice and snakes in there as well. I plan to use my weed eater attachment brush cutter and hedge trimmer to knock down the bulk of the vegetation so that I can get my push mower in there. Once I get all this done, he plans to hire a company to do bi-weekly cuts. What I would like to do first, if y'all think it's a good idea, is spray the entire back yard to kill off everything green. What would you recommend?
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
Good afternoon folks,
I'm looking for some tested knowledge about how to kill off ALL vegetation in my neighbors back yard. Now before your eyebrows get raised too high, I have his permission to do so. I live in Farmville, NC (small town) and the back yard in question is less than a quarter acre. My neighbor has not touched his back yard all summer. Parts of it have weeds and small trees as high as 4 foot tall. His back door is covered in Virginia Creeper. He has expressed to me that if it were up to him, he'd pave the whole back yard since he has no desire to maintain it. It's become a very bad mosquito situation and I'm sure there are a plenty of mice and snakes in there as well. I plan to use my weed eater attachment brush cutter and hedge trimmer to knock down the bulk of the vegetation so that I can get my push mower in there. Once I get all this done, he plans to hire a company to do bi-weekly cuts. What I would like to do first, if y'all think it's a good idea, is spray the entire back yard to kill off everything green. What would you recommend?



Check tractor supply or agrisupply they have several herbicides that would probably do what you want. Glyphosate would probably get alot of it but there are somethings that are glyphosate resistant
 

YanceyGreenhorn

Still Not a Moderator
Plain ol white vinegar mixed with epsom salts will kill lots of stuff back cheaply.
But it sounds like renting a brush mower may be your best bet.
Can confirm. I mix this up in a backpack sprayer for getting the grass n weeds that grow up around the chain link fence in my dog yard.
 

Homebrewale

Old Mossy Horns
Generic glyphosate. RoundUp is overpriced. Add a surfactant to the herbicide to make it more effective.

It may be difficult to get anything to grow in the summer. You may want to wait until Fall to spray so there isn't any erosion concerns this summer. Unless you plant crabgrass.
 

timber

Twelve Pointer
Way that looks ought to be enogh snakes around there to keep the mice down. I would give it a good dose of glyphosate. Think agrisupply had 2.5 gal For around 39.00 that already has the oil in it. Get it burned down good now then spray again this fall and plant grass
 

lasttombstone

Kinder, Gentler LTS
I would think that with all those small trees and brush, unless youo sprayed something almost full strength it wouldn't kill them. A quarter acre is still a pretty good sized spot to have to clean up. My thiught would be to look at an equipment rental place for a self propelled, walk behind brush cutter. Kinda like what DR sells. You could make pretty quick work of it with one of those. Then, once it starts to come back out, spray it heavy. That stuff works best when stuff is actively growing.
 

para4514

Eight Pointer
Contributor
41% glyphosate concentrate 5 oz per gallon and 1.5 to 2 oz. per gallon of triclopyr depending on active ingredient concentration (Remedy, Garlon 3A). If you were going to cut back some of the larger trees/saplings/vines climbing the trees I would treat the stumps right after I cut them with a 50:50 solution of glyphosate and water.
 

klim

Twelve Pointer
Glyphosate mixed with 2-4-D is what we use at work. I use the same combo at home, Blue Dawn Dish detergent acts a great sticker plus it keeps the smell of the 2-4-D from smelling so bad.
 

Eric Revo

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
I have read that vinegar and epsom salts do a good job of killing the foliage but does not kill the root. So the plant grows back.
It will kill most small brush cheaper than Glysophate which will do about the same.
Unless mixed with some serious stuff it won't kill any larger stuff the first spraying.
 

Soilman

Old Mossy Horns
Contributor
Since you have some bigger stuff to contend with, I think I might would cut it all, then give it a few weeks for some of the foliage to return. Then spray it. Most herbicides need to land on foliage in order to work. Cutting and immediately spraying would probably be less effective since much of the foliage would be removed.
 

Blackwater

Twelve Pointer
I would think the first order of the day is to fix your neighbor. His laziness or inability or lack of caring is generating an environment which is unhealthy and possibly unsafe for you and yours.

It might be time to get the city or county involved or I could be entirely ignorant of all the responsible factors and am talking out of school???? I wouldn't want a jungle growing up next door to me unless it was of my own making.
 

Rescue44

Old Mossy Horns
Sometimes multiple "regular doses" of glyphosate works better than one heavy dose of glyphosate.
If you use 2-4d, you need to be aware of what's planted around the area to be sprayed. It's volatility can cause damage 50 yards, 100 yards, etc. away. You don't see it when that occurs. Essentially, when conditions are right, the "fumes", vapor can move off target and "land" somewhere else. Some plant species are extremely sensitive to 2-4d. Cotton, grapes, tomatoes are extremely sensitive. Yield loss or death can occur. I've been told you can get 2-4d on your hands, wash them, then go to your garden and pick tomatoes, move them in their cages, etc., and you can contaminate the plants. A local plant farm owner put his hand out to shake my hand one day, quickly pulled it back and asked if I had been using 2-4d.

2-4d damage on grapes.


2-4d damage on tomatoes
 

Castle Oak 2

Six Pointer
Before doing a broadcast spray of a broad spectrum weed killer, I would do an assessment of what's there. There could be a nice stand of Bermuda, centipede or fescue underneath all the crap that would be worth saving. If so, doing a mechanical removal first would be my recommendation.
 

klim

Twelve Pointer
Sometimes multiple "regular doses" of glyphosate works better than one heavy dose of glyphosate.
If you use 2-4d, you need to be aware of what's planted around the area to be sprayed. It's volatility can cause damage 50 yards, 100 yards, etc. away. You don't see it when that occurs. Essentially, when conditions are right, the "fumes", vapor can move off target and "land" somewhere else. Some plant species are extremely sensitive to 2-4d. Cotton, grapes, tomatoes are extremely sensitive. Yield loss or death can occur. I've been told you can get 2-4d on your hands, wash them, then go to your garden and pick tomatoes, move them in their cages, etc., and you can contaminate the plants. A local plant farm owner put his hand out to shake my hand one day, quickly pulled it back and asked if I had been using 2-4d.

2-4d damage on grapes.


2-4d damage on tomatoes

Good point. I forgot t all about this when I was typing. Rose bushes are sensitive to 2-4-D also.
 
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