Did I Kill My Asparagus?

FBH44 · Sep 14, 2015

A month or more ago I mixed up a little Roundup in a spray bottle and sprayed a few weeds in the asparagus bed. Now all the stalks are bone dead. Pretty early, seems to me, for stalks to die back. I notice wild asparagus in fence-rows is still green. I was careful, I thought, but did the slight amount of drifting mist kill all the asparagus? It would not have been hardly enough..... I think.
Plants are barely 2 years old.

Russ from MN · Sep 14, 2015

You should of just used salt.

Donald Lehman · Sep 14, 2015

About the only way you will know is if the asparagus comes up next spring, would be my guess. However, I planted some asparagus roots two years ago and they never put up a sprout that season or last year either. I was sure the planting had failed. This year about mid-June they started to put up shoots. Good luck!

paul · Sep 14, 2015

Roundup is absorbed by green plants, taken to the bottom of the root, and kills the plant from the bottom up, affecting the whole plant.

(More or less - probably not a scientifically correct explanation, but round about how it works....)

That is what makes Roundup so good - many other weed killers just burn off the top green bits of a plant, but don't affect the root, or some such.

Anyhow, you can spray bare ground over seeds, or hard tough bark coverings, or so forth all you want and not hurt plants.

But, get a little on the green part of the plant, and it will translocate to the root and start killing.

In an old established patch, your plants probably would have enough root mass to work through the roundup. Be hurt, but could get through a very light dose.

In your case, a pretty new patch, you mighta done more harm than good. A light wiff will still translocate and start working on pretty young roots.....

As mentioned, probably first know next June or so for sure.

Paul

David G · Sep 14, 2015

It will probably come back in the spring, root crops are pretty hardy.

oldtanker · Sep 14, 2015

Thanks for that info......the wife's asparagus doesn't stand a chance!!

Rick

rustyfarmall · Sep 14, 2015

If it does survive, don't ever use round-up again. Plain old table salt is very effective at controlling weeds, and does not harm the asparagus. In fact, the asparagus seems to like it.

ROME/NE.IA. · Sep 14, 2015

Salt works great as a weed deterrent. The problem I ran into was that it also attracts deer. Our patch was doing well as far as weed control, but the plants were getting chewed off daily. Lots of deer tracks in patch. Had to quit applying salt to save asparagus, but now have a weedy mess. Will maybe try lawn mulch next year.

J.Wondergem · Sep 14, 2015

My Daughter uses round up in the Spring before the shoots come up. Works good for her that way.

fixerupper · Sep 14, 2015

I have cut all of the asparagus below the ground a bit, covered every stump with dirt and sprayed Roundup over the patch. The asparagus came back up. If your asparagus has turned brown I wouldn't give it much chance but like the others said wait until spring and see what happens. A couple of weeks ago I sprayed roundup around some buildings on a day with only a slight breeze and I smoked a four foot swath with the drift instead of the 12 inch swath I was aiming for.

Ty Kolbe · Sep 14, 2015

Our asparagus area was taken over by thistle weeds. Would it be alright to rotary mow it now?

Smit · Sep 14, 2015

shoulda used salt hopefully you didn't kill them all

Did I Kill My Asparagus?

FBH44

Well-known Member

Russ from MN

Well-known Member

Donald Lehman

Well-known Member

paul

Well-known Member

David G

Well-known Member

oldtanker

Well-known Member

rustyfarmall

Well-known Member

ROME/NE.IA.

Member

J.Wondergem

Well-known Member

fixerupper

Well-known Member

Ty Kolbe

Member

Smit

Member

Similar threads