Several studies have shown that either the glyphosphate in Roundup, or the surfactant in it that allows it to penetrate and kill the plant, is highly lethal to amphibians, and and to earthworms. Other studies have shown that it interfers with hormones and damages human placental cells, and possibly the placental cells of other mammals (you wouldn't want to spray it anywhere near where farm animals graze). It can inhibit mycorrhizal fungi (a bacteria that helps plants take up vital nutrients), and there are reports it can kill beneficial insects like parasitic wasps and lacewings. I have not read anything about using it around septic beds, but given that it is implicated in harming or inhibiting many organisins, including bacteria, I'd not recommend using it there. Ditto for your well area. I would suggest you rethink your desire to get rid of the clover too. Clover has been rebranded a weed only since the developement of broad leaf weed killers. Prior to that it was a very much desired addition to lawns because of it's ability to remain green throughout the heat and drought of summer. It also fixes nitrogen, allowing a healthier grass growth, which in turn discouraged other weeds. I've never read anything about poison ivy and veggies. Even if the veggies can't take up the urushiol, it can't be good to garden in poison ivy :-) Poison ivy is a pain in the a**!!!!! Most people don't have a reaction to it the first time they come into contact with it, so your experience is normal. It takes one or two exposures to become sensitized to it first. Lots of people also report that dogs don't have problems with it, but they can get the oils on their fur which then become a problem for you when you pat the dog. You can keep it to a minimum if you are dilligent about pulling it up as soon as you see it. Since you just moved, you might have a lot right now. You can buy cheap gardening gloves at a dollar store and latex gloves at a drug store. Use both! Put your feet into a couple of trash bags (might want to use two or three layers if they're thin), and tape them shut as high as they'll go and you're fairly well (and cheaply) protected form the oil. Throw out the gloves and trash bags inside another trash bag. You can also pick up some cheap clothing at a local thrift shop - wear it while removing it and them throw it away. By removing what you can see, you'll cause a growth spurt from any remailing stuff, but if you repeat the process every week or two for this summer, you'll have gotten rid of most of it without having had to resort to Roundup. Check nearby trees and undergrowth for old vines - they're hairy. If they're too big or high to remove easily, just hack through them and remove what you can - the rest of the higher up stuff will die and be out of the way so you won't need to worry about it. It sounds like a great place though! You're so lucky to have that much room! A lot of work to bring it into shape, but that's half the fun :-) BP

If I'm reading this correctly the flower has bloomed and you are left with the flower stem and potential seed pods. I don't know if hanging Geraniums make seeds because I remove mine when the flower is finished but that's what they are. Well like I said --just like regular zonal Geraniums you remove them back to the stem and do the same after the flowers yet to come have bloomed. Sometimes they flower beside tiny off shoots that will get large and make more flowers, so be careful just to remove the flower stem. Ivy leafed Geraniums will not give you a mass of flowers but it should have a continuous turnover of 3 or 4 flower stems at a time and the ivy shaped leaves are decorative in themselves

What I had read, and what I am trying to do is... 1. Apply several applications of premixed Round-Up Brush Killer to all the leaves, until the entire plant seems to be dead and wilted to the point where the leaves a crumbly - although I'll let you figure out how to determine that by yourself, lol. 2. Cut all of the plants away so that only a 12" stump of the plant is sticking up out of the ground and place markers in the ground next to this spots identifying these stumps as being poison ivy. 3. Apply the Round-Up concentrate, without diluting it at all, over the stump as directed in the stump removal technique and leave it be for the rest of the year. --- Then, periodically, check the area near the markers and apply more round-up to any new shoots you see coming up out of that area. Over the course of a year or two, you should be able to get it under control to the point of it just being sproutlings and not *** FIFTEEN FOOT TALL BUSHES *** -- lol that still kills me that it was that pervasive in my yard.

We bought a house three months ago, its great. I scoped out a choice spot for a rose garden BUT it is was covered by ivy and several choked trees never given a fair shot a life. I have chopped down those trees (mercy killing) and removed the debris. Over the last several weeks I am now getting down on my knees ripping out the vast network of vainlike root system blow ground. I have also enlisted the help of my chickens (professional plant/ground diggers) during the week to pick out the sprouts coming up. My question to you all is, this spot is 15 feet from my well(our source of water) is this too close to use Round-Up? If not, how long after my applications can I start planting my rose garden. If it is too close then what is the BEST recommendation at this point (burn, black tarp-sounds time consuming) Today, I also was out using a mattock digging up this ivy-this is back breaking work. Your thoughts?