Jan 2010

Q: I have a friend that told me I could spray watered-down "Round-Up" on my Imperial Whitetail Clover plot, and that if I do it right, I can kill the grass and weeds in it without hurting the clover. Is it okay for me to use Roundup for that?

A: I've heard of folks trying watered-down Roundup on Imperial Clover, and I would have to answer, "No, it is NOT okay to use Roundup" for what you're planning. The main reason is that the main active ingredient in Roundup products is glyphosate, which is non-seletive (meaning that it will affect anything it touches). Glyphosate WILL kill clover. If you use it watered down, you might have good results. But, you might have no results, and you also might kill the clover! There's no exact science to it. Always - always - you should stick to the label instructions on Roundup, and ANY herbicide you're using, to be safe. Also, realize that Roundup is a brand name that is found on quite a few different herbicide products, and some of these have additional active ingredients that can carry soil residuals with them. With those being the case, there would seem to be little benefit to runing the substantial risk of killing your clover with Roundup, especially since the Whitetail Institute offers Arrest grass herbicide and Slay broadleaf herbicide, which can control most grass and broadleaf problems you may have in clover.