I have used many of those popular "ready-to-use" herbicides on the market and save for a select few, most of these so called ready-to-use sprays have proven to be too weak atr being effective for long term (more than a few months) weed control. For that reason I usually just go with a concentrated formulation by the Weed B Gon brand or Roundup's original formula/ Roundup's Super Concentrate formula, which have been more effective than their ready-to-use counterparts. Early this year, however, I decided to try Roundup's new Extended Control formula in its ready-to-use application due to its promising claims of being superior to the original formulation. With receiving such good results from Roundup's original and super concentrated formulas, I was hoping that Roundup's all-new Extended Control would provide comparable results; minus the hassle of having to mix the product or having to dig out my weed-sprayer.
The Product:
Roundup Extended Control Weed & Grass Killer is designed to kill most broad leaf weeds and grasses. Roundup Extended Control ready-to-use spray comes in a variety of sizes, ranging from a small 1/2 gallon bottle, 1 gallon jug, or a 1.33 gallon jug. Roundup Extended Control is also available in a concentrated formula, however you won't get the included sprayer with the concentrated formulation. I purchased the 1.33-gallon jug of the ready-to-use spray, that according to Roundup, can treat up to 400 square feet of yard space and will keep weeds at bay for at least 4 months. While 400 square ft. isn't exactly impressive, I don't have a big yard, so this is more than enough product for my small garden and my 200 or so square feet of yard space. It should also be noted that if you want the pump-n-go sprayer you will need to get the 1.33-gallon jug as the lesser sizes come with a more generic type sprayer nozzle.
Ease of use:
Since this product is not concentrated, you won't need to dilute it, which saves me a lot of time and the potential for creating a big mess. If there is one thing I can't stand about concentrated herbicides, it's the fact that you must mix them with water. This sounds easy enough, but I am a bonafide klutz and mixing herbicides seems to always end up in a mess either on my shoes or on the floor of my garage. Roundup's 1.33-gallon jug is almost 100% ready to use. Roundup Extended Control comes with a pump type sprayer that is very easy to set-up and to a cinch to operate. The only prep required is hooking up the extension hose to the jug and subsequently pumping the handle on top of the jug to generate pressure. After said prep you are ready for application, with no chance for creating a mess.
About the sprayer:
While the 1.33-gallon jug/sprayer is not a substitute for a professional sprayer, it's very effective for spraying in most areas; just don't expect to reach those 20-ft tall blackberry vines. The pump-n-go system simply requires the user to pressurize the bottle by pumping the handle, which provides long lasting spray power (around 5-10 minutes) without having to constantly re-load. I imagine most consumers will be perfectly content with the sprayer included; it definitely beats the sprayers that are equipped on most ready-to-use herbicide products. Again, let me reiterate that only the 1.33-gallon jug comes with this genius pump-n-go sprayer, the smaller bottles will have a different, more generic sprayer.
Like the original Roundup formula, Roundup's new Extended Formula is rainproof after a mere 10 minutes post application. Roundup can be used on almost any type of small weed, grass, or plant i.e. ground ivy, all types of grass, clover, and those dreaded dandelions. As with all herbicides, you should shield nearby flowers, fruits, etc. when distributing this product. Also, while Roundup claims that children and pets can play in the area as soon as the product as dried, I highly recommend keeping children and pets away from treated areas for a good 24-hours or longer after treating weeds - ditto that for any poisonous pesticide/herbicide.
Active Ingredients: Glyphosate 1% Imazapic 0.017% Pelargonic Acid 2% My Experience:
While Roundup Extended Control ready-to-use spray doesn't work quite as quickly as Roundup's Super Concentrate formula, I have found it to be just as effective at killing weeds. I am especially impressed with how well this product works for killing ground ivy: something most ready-to-use formula's aren't particularly good at. So far this year I have had problems with two major weed culprits: ground ivy and dandelions. Last summer the ivy had taken over my lawn and had jumped from my fence onto my patio. While most ready-to-use herbicide sprays would simply act as plant food for ivy (especially some of those organic sprays), Roundup Extended Control ready-to-use spray effectively killed every last bit of ivy in my yard. As I am writing this review (over 3 months after treating my garden and yard with this product), not one of the treated weeds have grown back: backing up Roundup's claim that this product does indeed kill the weed's root system.
Like the concentrated formula, Roundup's Extended Control is one of the fastest acting non-professional grade herbicides that I have used. Within just two or three days post application every weed that that I treated with this product (ivy, dandelion's, and some clover) all had wilted and browned beyond recognition. Because the ingredients in Roundup's Extended control are taken up systemically though the plant, thus killing the root, even the hard to kill ivy that had been growing in my yard was completely dead all the way to the base. While it's not exactly a pretty site to see a bunch of dead yellow and brown weeds in a person's yard, this product definitely has lived up to its claims of being an effective ready-to-use herbicide.
So... any negatives with this product? The bottle claims that this product should only be used on calm days (no wind) and I have found this to be true, the hard way. Though I didn't think there was much of a breeze on one of the days that I had used this product, a few days thereafter some adjacent tulips had developed yellow spots on them: likely due to overspray. Of course I am not going to dock this product any stars for my own negligence by not covering up adjacent plants, however I do recommend covering up nearby desirable plants with plastic or newspaper to shield them from overspray, even if the winds are calm. I have also received quite a few brown spots in my lawn from using this product. Though I was extremely careful targeting only the weeds in my yard, I still ended up getting burn spots in my lawn after spot-treating dandelions. It should be noted that after about one month, lush grass did return to the treated areas in my yard, but to my surprise, the dandelions did not!
Price/Availability:
Roundup Extended Control can be purchased just about anywhere where plants/garden supplies are sold, i.e. hardware stores, drugstores, Wal-Mart, Kmart, etc. I purchased this product at Target for just $23.99, so while it's a bit more expensive than the 1.33-gallon jug of regular Roundup ready-to-use spray, it's definitely worth the extra 5 bucks or so as the Extended Control formulation works considerably better.
Final Thoughts :
Roundup Extended control has been one of the best ready-to-use weed killers that I have used in my yard and garden . Not only is this product effective at killing stubborn weeds, but it also includes a convenient fully adjustable pump-n-go sprayer that makes application easier and more accurate than those generic applicators on most "ready-to-use" weed control products. I recommend this product to anyone who wants to get rid of unwanted stubborn weeds in their yard or garden.. However, buyer should beware that this is one of the stronger weed-killers on the market that does not segregate among plant species, thus extreme caution should be used when using this product around plants that you would like to keep alive.
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