Looking for a real herbicide (retail qty)

[Extraneous]

OK, I got a postage-stamp size yard which has been allowed to run free for 20+ years. Given that is is 100% sand, you've have thought everything would have died by now, but Nooooo.

Tried the "Ortho Ground clear" - it is a joke.

I am a real live, grownup and know my way around nasty chemicals (my garage sports a Prop 13 warning - and it ain't a joke), so I've pretty much ruled out anything I find at "garden supply" stores. If you can list the species it can kill in less than 100 pages, I ain't interested.

I want it ALL dead. NOW.

Unfortunately, I'm finding stuff in industrial-sized quantity ("how many drums you need?")

Anybody know of a source for homeowner-sized qualtities of really nasty herbicides?

Contractors - I know you scrape topsoild and used crushed rock under slabs, but what if need to lay a roadway using only crushed limestone? What would you spray first?

[Gorsnak]

Glyphosphate, aka Roundup

This is still the chemical of choice in agriculture when a non-discriminatory herbicide is needed. Only thing it won't kill is shrub-type stuff with woody stems. Everything else dies.

Plus it's readily available in garden-sized containers, and isn't particularly toxic to people or pets.

[CookingWithGas]

I have used Round-Up and think it's great. You can get a little ready-to-use spray bottle, or a larger bottle with concentrate. It kills everything, though it usually takes several days from the treatment to see obvious results. I have even used it in shrubbery beds to kill weeds that are beyond individual pulling out. (You have to be very careful in such a case because it acts on the leaves--you can't let it get on anything you want to keep. Doesn't sound like your case, though.)

[EvilGhandi]

Good ol round up. Believe it or not, it is the first choice of professionals for general weed destruction. Anything better is likely to require a licence and possibly a permit to apply. State regs will vary.

The real trick with roundup is to get the plants were they are actively growing before applying. I dont know your climate zone, but if you can give the weeds a good watering and a little fertiliser, wait until you see new light green foliage all over them then blast em. get the concentrate and mix you solution to around 14%. A touch of insecticidal soap in the mix acts as a good surfactant to insure a good coating that sticks to the foliage. Be sure to cut off all watering to help the destruction along.

Note that it is a violation of federal law to use herbacides in a manner inconsistant with their lableing, This is for informartional purposes only.

You should see good results within a week if the weather stays dry. If it rains you will likely have to re apply. Dont forget about all the seeds that are probably laying around, waiting to germinate. Use a pre- emergent herbacide there. I use Ronstar but I doubt you can get it in less than a 50 pound bag. Preen is suposed to be ok and its at garden stores.

As to a limestone gravel drive, I would lay down a good heavy comercial grade weed block fabric (heavy olefin felt) and top it with a layer of masonry sand, compacted well. then put down 2-3 inches of gravel on top. Should hold up for a few years under light traffic.

[Extraneous]

I just cut through a 2" diameter stalk of ivy - I'd call that "woody" - there is a 30' tall tree that I wouldn't mind if it survived, but the operative words here are "everything dies - NOW"

I really don't want to use kerosene - my environmental conscience would kill me

[MaryEFoo]

Another vote for Round-up. It is most effective when the plant is metabolizing at a good rate, ie spray it on at 10:00 am to maybe 2:00 pm, so the leaves absorb it while the day is warm, and not while raining. It should be absorbed by sunset.

If you have any amount of ivy or woody-stemmed stuff, use Brush-killer for that, sweeping back the foliage so you also spray on the underside of the leaves.

Sounds as if you have thriving ivy--you may want to prune it out and spray it as it re-grows from the roots, which it will do probably a couple of times. Pulling as many roots as convenient is good.

An alternate and satisfying method is blasting the vegetation with a blowtorch, with precautions.

[Kreekurmudgeon]

Even on a large woody stem, such as poison ivy or trees, RoundUp can be used to kill. There are two successful approaches that I know about.

Number 1: Cut off the trunk of the plant and paint the cambium layer (just inside the bark) with undiluted RoundUp concentrate. In the unlikely event there is any regrowth, make another lower cut and repeat.

Number 2: Drill shallow (1/2 inch) downward-slanted holes into the trunk and, with an eye-dropper, fill the holes with undiluted RoundUp.