Good / Effective over the counter Weed Killer..?

[DaveFromMi]

As far as poison ivy vines in trees, it's best to sever the vines near the base of the tree first. Use a hatchet or machete. Spray any ivy resprouts near the tree. I've never killed a tree using the method.
I have killed several invasive trees with triclypr; Bradford Pear and Tree of Heaven. To do that, I drilled 3-4" holes at a downward 45° angle and poured in straight triclypr.

 

[chim]

The Crossbow will definitely kill hardwood trees. I sprayed a batch on some small hardwoods growing in loblolly pines and it killed them without harming the pines. You also have the potential for drift, especially with 2-4D. I don't know of anything that'll kill vines without killing deciduous trees. I like the cut stem approach since it's targeted vs shotgun.

Thanks for that information. There are two main areas on the property where poison ivy is thriving. One is mostly smaller vines/plants on the ground. No problem doing the Crossbow there. The other area is a fence row along the West side of the property that I want to keep. Sounds like the up close and personal targeted approach needs to be used there.

 

[evantwheeler]

For killing grass/weeds etc. I use 41% gycophosphate mixed at 1.5 ounces to the gallon, the TSC brand is what I use. Takes about a week or little less to see results. I found it is key to only spray when things are growing and not during a dry spell when the grass/weeds are in a dormant state to preserve life.

I knew rain was coming the other day high % so I sprayed the day before, presto 4 or 5 days later and all is turning brown.

Same for me in CA on my 1.5 acres. I use a much higher concentration, but it's probably just a waste of money. I need to spray again this weekend on some areas I missed and I'll try 2oz/gal ratio and see how it works. The 41% requires spraying yearly and I find that it's best to get ahead of things in the winter months here when the heat dies down and things start to grow as the moisture comes. I was out of town Nov - Feb this year, and I came home to a 3.5' tall jungle across half of my property. Was an uphill battle for a couple months pulling weed and then finally spraying the ones that were too well rooted to pull.