Backyard is Jungle of Weeds

Question

My backyard is a jungle of weeds. I’ve tried EVERYTHING to get rid of them. Weed killers don’t work. ‘ROUNDUP’ did not work! Can you tell me of some chemical that I can spray or pour or mix with the soil that will KILL EVERY LIVING THING IN MY YARD!? I am willing to spend 20 or 30 dollars, and the soil can be sterile for a few weeks or months, but in September I want to remove all the dead foliage and plant a new lawn.

Please don’t tell me to use boiling water, vinegar, black plastic, or that other stuff; I want a chemical that will ensure the death of all life in my yard. Roundup did NOT work, and my yard features a ton of poison ivy, Virginia creeper, ivy, dandelions, plaintains, etc. How do I destroy them? I’m warning you, it may require an A-bomb, but if you can name the chemical, I’d appreciate it.

Answer 1

I will actually recommend Round-Up, but not the kind you buy in the spray bottle. The Round-Up in the spray bottle is diluted. It sounds like you need the concentrate, which is sold by the pint or the gallon and has directions that indicate that it needs to be mixed, but can be used concentrated for those really tough problems. Check the label to see if you are buying the concentrate. It will say concentrate on the label. You will likely need to treat twice, once for the initial kill and the second to take out any seeds that may have been below the soil while you treated the first time. I would also recommend combining this with a pre-emergent like Preen, to help control any ungerminated seeds in the soil. Depending on the size of the space you need to clean out, boiling water is also a very effective weed killer, but can be tedious for larger areas. You can also try a controlled burn, but this should only be done after consulting your local municipality as controlled burns are illegal in some areas due to fire risks.