Roundup vs. Roundup vs. Roundup – REALLY??!

 

From a consumer standpoint this could quite possibly be the worst product marketing of ALL TIME!

 

 

Roundup has been around for a long time.  The active ingredient in “Roundup” is glyphosate.  Many of us know “Roundup” as a non-selective herbicide – i.e. it will kill all plants it contacts.

So what’s the problem?  With these products having a similar name, it’s quite possible to grab the wrong product from the shelf and thus risk harming or destroying the wrong (or all) plants.

The Solution.  Always read the label!  Products with similar names may have different active ingredients and therefore may not have the have the desired outcome.

Below is a general guide to the different Roundup products available to consumers.  Note that for many of these products there may be ready to use (RTU) and/or concentrate formulations available with different ratios or percentages of the same active ingredients.  Additional products are marketed for use in southern turfgrass.

Don’t be fooled by products that have a similar name . . . read the label!

 

What’s the difference between Roundup and Roundup For Lawns?

Source: Kevin Frank, and Aaron Hathaway, Michigan State University Extension

These two different products are good examples of why understanding the difference between product names and herbicide active ingredients is critical.

The spring blitz of lawn care ads is in full swing as northerners emerge from their long winter slumber and begin to venture outside into the lawn. This year, a new product called Roundup For Lawns is gathering attention and has already generated questions from those wondering why they’d spray Roundup on their lawn—wouldn’t it kill the lawn?

The confusion originates from the name Roundup itself and that for most consumers, they don’t recognize Roundup is a product name such as Coke or Tylenol.

It turns out there is a lot in a name!

Roundup: The herbicide active ingredient in Roundup is glyphosate, which if sprayed on the lawn will kill not only the weeds but the lawn. This is a nonselective herbicide that controls any green plant on which it is applied.

Roundup For Lawns: The new Roundup For Lawns does not contain glyphosate. The herbicide active ingredients in Roundup For Lawns are MCPA, quinclorac, dicamba and sulfentrazone. These herbicides are effective on a broad range of weeds that might infest the lawn such as dandelion, crabgrass and nutsedge. When used properly it will not kill the desirable turfgrasses in the lawn. This is a selective herbicide that controls specific weeds, but not lawn grasses.

This is a good lesson in recognizing that product name is not the important information when selecting a herbicide—it’s the active ingredients that matter.

Reference to commercial products or trade names does not imply endorsement by Michigan State University Extension or bias against those not mentioned.

Violets in Lawns a Pro? or Con?

By:Ashley Kulhanek, Published on May 3, 2019 (Sourced from Buckeye Yard and Garden Online)

 

violets

For many, the lawn is a sacred place where nary a clover or dandelion dare venture.  For others, lawns are becoming more diverse for the sake of bees, or for the sake of giving up on the battle against weeds.  Dandelions and clover may be the first to pop to mind when considering lawn weeds, but this was the first time I had seen violets in turf.

 

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What’s your GDD?

Amy Stone, Extension Educator- Originally posted on the Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine

Has anyone every asked you, “what’s your GDD?” While many of you may have responded “yes,” or may have even thought, “I ask others all the time“; I know there are some that probably yelled out their current GDD when simply reading the title of this alert. If you are still wondering what the heck is GDD – keep on reading, you won’t be disappointed and will hopefully click on the link below to find out your GDD to date.

 

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BEECH TREES ARE DYING, AND NOBODY’S SURE WHY

Originally posted at CFAES.OSU.EDU

A confounding new disease is killing beech trees in Ohio and elsewhere, and plant scientists are sounding an alarm while looking for an explanation.

In a study published in the journal Forest Pathology, researchers and naturalists from The Ohio State University and metroparks in northeastern Ohio report on the emerging “beech leaf disease” epidemic, calling for speedy work to find a culprit so that work can begin to stop its spread.

 

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Slime Mold on Turfgrass

By; Amy Stone, Extension Educator Lucas County, Originally posted on the Buckeye Yard and Garden Online, 8/22/2018

lime molds can be found on all types of turfgrasses – from cultivars chosen for lawns to weedy grasses that pop up in places were regular maintenance just isn’t regular. Slime molds are usually more noticeable following extended periods of leaf wetness. With recent rains experienced in NW Ohio, people have been asking what is going on in my lawn?”

Slime Mold Photo Credit, Amy Stone

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Mulch Volcanoes are Erupting

Originally posted on Buckeye Yard and Garden onLine, April 7, 2018

By: Joe Boggs

Why in the name of all that is horticulturally holey do we continue to see mulch piled around tree trunks to stratospheric heights?  What is the appeal?  And, why can’t we stamp out these mulch monstrosities despite years of educational efforts?

Mulch

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