Using Round Up on weeds?

With all this rain, our property has even more weeds this year. Last year it took a lot of time to dig them all up. I know Round Up, or like products, do not kill only the weeds, but can anyone tell me about how far the 'kill range' is? Also, how long does it stay in the soil before you can plant at or near that spot?

Thanks

I use Preen. It is a pre-emergent. It stops the seeds from germinating. After a few years, they do not come back unless you move the soil around and uncover some buried seeds. Sharon.

quiltygirl, Roundup will only kill the foliage it gets on, so if you make sure to spray on a calm day, and don't use too much pressure, it won't hurt nearby plants. If the wind moves it it will damage anything it gets on. It has a very short life in the soil, so you could (in theory) plant the next day, but it does take time to kill the target weeds. It strictly works as a systemic, so has to get into the root before you get results. The ideal time to use it is when the weeds are small, and actively growing. This info is for the original Roundup only! They have the new Roundup+, that I haven't read up on yet, but I assume that would stay in the soil longer, as it is supposed to have some pre-emergent qualities. Read the label carefully!
Hope this helps.

Carol (retired CalTrans landscape leadworker)

Thanks Carol. I know we have a jug in the garage somewhere. Last year DH wanted to spray the weeds near garage/driveway and I would not let him as the dogs were always eating those weeds. Hand/Shovel removed weeds for weeks last year and with more rain there are even more weeds.

Too late for pre-emergent or for while 'they are small'.

When the weeds got ahead of us, we would knock them down with a string trimmer, then spray when they started putting out new growth. As far as the dogs eating them, I don't THINK it would hurt them. It has very low toxicity. You can go to the Monsanto web site and read the Material Safety Data Sheet for it. We had a trainer that told us we could drink the stuff, but I don't think any of us ever tried that.LOL

Thanks, Carol!

Get a goat.

We have 3, but they are not discretionary, even less than the horses who eschewed the weeds in favor of roses, broccoli and queen palms. I have tried taking the goats around on a leash, but they don't eat many weeds that way.