Date: Wed, 11 Jul 2012 14:44:29 -0400
From: Dr John R Dykers
Subject: Power line Round-up
One more experiential word about Round Up and power lines.
When we first went to high tensile electrified wire for cross fences in our pastures, it seemed like a reasonable and simple solution to spray Round Up under the electric fence to keep weeds from growing up and grounding out the fence. I tried it and killed all the fescue under the fence and the weeds that were resistant to Round Up grew just great! Did not do that but once.
Turns out that the cattle will eat under the fence if we leave fescue there and we only need to cut the weeds around the posts and the occasional stray thistle et al.
Round Up is fine for an occasional weed in a crack in the driveway that is too tough to pull up, and I understand that soybean farmers use it appropriately to protect their crops and fertilizer, but it is both indiscriminant and ineffective in my limited experience.
John Dykers