On Wed, 05 Jun 2013 21:21:24 +0100, Martin Brown
wrote:

Glyphosate is one of those things where applying excess actually results
in a poorer kill since it kills the tops quicker and doesn't allow time
for the stuff to translocate throughout the plant. So not only do you
waste 2x or 4x the amount you needed to use but you fail to kill the
entire weed and then have to do the whole job again!

Correct. It's what is called a systemic weedkiller - a simple form
of which is just a 'normal' weedkiller diluted down. This means that
the leaves don't die straight away, so the weedkiller get translocated
around the plant, particularly down into its roots, and, although the
plant is killed more slowly, the entire plant is killed, rather than
just the greenery burnt off the top of it.

Won't kill ivy or holly seedlings or for some strange reason buttercup.

Holly has waxy leaves, off which it probably runs away rather than
hanging around to penetrate.

I suspect it depends on the type of buttercup. The worst buttercup is
creeping buttercup (ranunculus repens), which, like stinging nettles
and brambles, other things that also Roundup probably won't kill first
time, has many layers of roots and offshoot roots. You kill off one
layer, and part of the plant not reached by the translocation of
herbicide sprouts in its place. However, spraying each new
regeneration will eventually ensure that the entire plant is
permeated, or if not at least exhaust the plant's reserves of energy
because it is being repeatedly asked to send up shoots without
receiving enough energy through photo-synthesis to make up the
energetic cost of so doing, and it should eventually die. This will
work much better though if you start by donning gloves, for the
nettles and brambles, and pulling up by hand as much of the root
network as you can, then spraying the inevitable regrowth.

It will kill grass though which a neighbour who thought they were using
a broadleaf specific grass safe weedkiller learnt the hard way.

Actually grass is so sensitive to it that if you have overspray on boots
you can end up leaving footprints or outline footprints.

Yes, it's a GP plant killer, as you say NOT a broad-leaved
weed-killer.
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