How Long Does Roundup Stay in the Soil? Half-Lives and Label Waits by Formula

The trap is the brand name. EPA’s Pesticide Product and Label System now lists Roundup registrations with no glyphosate at all: Roundup Weed & Grass Killer4 is triclopyr, fluazifop-P-butyl and diquat (EPA Reg. No. 71995-65). NPIC’s consumer sheet still says Roundup products contain at least one active ingredient called glyphosate, and most half-life answers assume the same. Read the EPA Reg. No. on the back panel first, then find it in the table below.

We compiled 16 current EPA-accepted labels, because a half-life and a planting wait are different numbers. Glyphosate’s median field half-life was 13.9 days (EPA RED, 1993), yet a bottle with the same glyphosate plus imazapic carries a 1-year wait.

What each Roundup label says about replanting

Find your EPA Reg. No. in the left column. Times below are days or months after the last application, quoted from each label’s When to Replant section. EPA master labels bracket optional wording, so your own container prints one version and it governs: the label is the law.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Chemistry	Product (EPA Reg. No.)	Active ingredients, %	Flowers, ornamentals	Lawn grass, sod, seed	Vegetables	Rainproof	EPA accepted
Glyphosate	Roundup Weed & Grass Killer Super Concentrate (71995-25)	Glyphosate IPA salt 50.2	1 day	3 days	3 days (herbs, fruit, vegetable gardens)	30 min	Jan. 28, 2021
Glyphosate	Roundup Weed & Grass Killer Concentrate Plus (71995-29)	Glyphosate IPA salt 18; diquat 0.73	1 day	3 days	3 days (herbs, fruit, vegetable gardens)	10 or 30 min	Apr. 6, 2022
Glyphosate	Roundup Weed & Grass Killer Ready-To-Use Plus (71995-33)	Glyphosate IPA salt 2; pelargonic acid 2	1 day	3 days	3 days	10 or 30 min	Sept. 20, 2017
Glyphosate	Roundup Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer, ready-to-use (71995-36)	Glyphosate IPA salt 1; triclopyr TEA 0.1	7 days	7 days (no lawn renovation)	Not for edibles or garden prep	30 min	May 22, 2017
Glyphosate	Roundup Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer, concentrate (71995-37)	Glyphosate IPA salt 18; triclopyr TEA 2	7 days	7 days (no lawn renovation)	Not for edibles or garden prep	30 min	Mar. 28, 2019
Glyphosate	Roundup Extended Control, ready-to-use (71995-47)	Glyphosate IPA salt 1; pelargonic acid 2; imazapic 0.017	4 months	4 months (not for lawns)	Not for garden prep	10 min	Apr. 5, 2023
Glyphosate	Roundup Extended Control, concentrate (71995-40)	Glyphosate IPA salt 18; imazapic 0.30; diquat 0.73	4 months	4 months (not for lawns)	Not for garden prep	30 min	Nov. 21, 2025
Glyphosate	Roundup Max Control 365, ready-to-use (71995-51)	Glyphosate IPA salt 1; imazapic 0.08; diquat 0.04	1 year	1 year (not for lawns)	Not for garden prep	30 min	Nov. 21, 2025
Glyphosate	Roundup Max Control 365, concentrate (71995-49)	Glyphosate IPA salt 18; imazapic 1.6; diquat 0.73	1 year	1 year (not for lawns)	Not for garden prep	30 min	Nov. 21, 2025
No glyphosate	Roundup Weed & Grass Killer4 and Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer2, ready-to-use (71995-65)	Triclopyr TEA 0.122; fluazifop-P-butyl 0.097; diquat 0.073	1 day	7 days	Not on or around edible crops	10 or 30 min	Nov. 29, 2023
No glyphosate	Roundup Weed & Grass Killer4 and Poison Ivy Plus Tough Brush Killer2, concentrate (71995-64)	Triclopyr TEA 2.5; fluazifop-P-butyl 2.0; diquat 1.5	1 day	7 days	Not on or around edible crops	10 or 30 min	June 5, 2023
No glyphosate	Roundup Super Concentrate Weed & Grass Killer2 (71995-72)	Triclopyr TEA 5.0; fluazifop-P-butyl 3.6; diquat 1.5	1 day	7 days	Not on or around edible crops	30 min at 3 fl oz	June 18, 2026
No glyphosate	Roundup Dual Action Plus 4 Month Preventer, ready-to-use (71995-66)	Triclopyr TEA 0.122; fluazifop-P-butyl 0.097; diquat 0.073; imazapic 0.015	4 months	4 months (not for lawns)	Not for garden prep	10 or 30 min	Oct. 15, 2024
No glyphosate	Roundup Dual Action Plus 4 Month Preventer, concentrate (71995-69)	Triclopyr TEA 2.5; fluazifop-P-butyl 2.0; diquat 1.5; imazapic 0.30	4 months	4 months (not for lawns)	Not for garden prep	10 or 30 min	June 5, 2023
No glyphosate	Roundup Dual Action 365 Plus 12 Month Preventer, ready-to-use (71995-67)	Triclopyr TEA 0.122; fluazifop-P-butyl 0.097; imazapic 0.078; diquat 0.073	12 months	12 months (not for lawns)	Not for garden prep	10 or 30 min	Apr. 7, 2022
No glyphosate	Roundup Dual Action 365 Plus 12 Month Preventer, concentrate (71995-68)	Triclopyr TEA 2.5; fluazifop-P-butyl 2.0; imazapic 1.6; diquat 1.5	12 months	12 months (not for lawns)	Not for garden prep	10 or 30 min	Apr. 7, 2022

Look at imazapic, the one active that moves the calendar. On the glyphosate-free ready-to-use products, triclopyr, fluazifop-P-butyl and diquat stay at 0.122, 0.097 and 0.073 percent. Imazapic goes from 0.015 percent (71995-66, 4 months) to 0.078 percent (71995-67, 12 months), about 5 times as much. The concentrates show the same step: 0.30 to 1.6 percent. Those labels also say do not use them in lawns or for lawn renovation, because they stop desirable grass from growing too.

1. Glyphosate only (71995-25)3
2. Weed & Grass Killer4 (71995-65)7
3. 4 Month Preventer (71995-66)120
4. Dual Action 365 (71995-67)365

Source: EPA-accepted master labels, PPLS 4 months shown as 120 days and 12 months as 365 days; values match the label table above. The 4-month and 365 labels also say not to use them in lawns.

Show the numbers

	Days after last application
Glyphosate only (71995-25)	3
Weed & Grass Killer4 (71995-65)	7
4 Month Preventer (71995-66)	120
Dual Action 365 (71995-67)	365

One disagreement to check on your bottle. Roundup’s replanting page lists 3 days for lawn grasses after ready-to-use Weed & Grass Killer4 and 7 days after the concentrate. All 3 accepted versions of the 71995-65 master label (Dec. 2, 2021; Nov. 15, 2023; Nov. 29, 2023) say 7 days. Wait 7 unless your own booklet prints a shorter time. Selective Roundup For Lawns products are a separate family: listed turf species can be seeded 4 weeks after application, and our lawn weed killer comparison covers them.

How long does glyphosate stay in the soil? 8 EPA field sites

EPA’s 1993 Reregistration Eligibility Decision gives site-level U.S. field data that the top-ranking pages we read do not quote. On bare ground at 7.95 lb acid equivalent per acre, the median half-life was 13.9 days, from 2.6 days in Texas to 140.6 in Iowa. In the lab at 25 degrees C, aerobic soil half-lives were about 2 days (1.85 in Kickapoo sandy loam, 2.06 in Dupo silt loam).

Field site	Glyphosate half-life, days	AMPA half-life, days
Texas	2.6	131
Minnesota	28.7	302
New York	127.8	240
Iowa	140.6	Not calculated
Arizona	Not listed by site	142
California	Not listed by site	958
Georgia	Not listed by site	896
Ohio	Not listed by site	119
Median of 8 sites	13.9	240

Other agencies land in the same range with different framing. NPIC’s technical sheet reports 2 to 197 days in the literature and suggests 47 days as typical; its general sheet says glyphosate can persist up to 6 months. The EU’s 2023 dossier, as summarized by the University of Hertfordshire PPDB, gives field half-lives of 1.1 to 13.5 days and a 90 percent loss time of 31.8 to 192 days across 6 soils. So a practical answer is roughly 1 to 6 months until about 90 percent is gone in field soil.

A half-life is not an end date. The table shows what first-order decay leaves after each interval, our arithmetic from the published half-lives: remaining = 100 x 0.5^(days / half-life). Strong binding can slow breakdown in real soil (see the factors table below), so read these as estimates, not measurements.

• 13.9 days (EPA median)
• 47 days (NPIC typical)
• 140.6 days (Iowa, EPA high)

Source: Our arithmetic from EPA RED (1993) and NPIC half-lives First-order decay; x axis is days after application. A model, not a field measurement; values match the table below.

Show the numbers

	13.9 days (EPA median)	47 days (NPIC typical)	140.6 days (Iowa, EPA high)
0	100	100	100
14	49.80	81.30	93.30
30	22.40	64.20	86.30
60	5	41.30	74.40
90	1.10	26.50	64.20
180	0	7	41.20
365	0	0.50	16.50

Half-life used	14 days	30 days	60 days	90 days	180 days	365 days
2.6 days (Texas, EPA low)	2.4%	<0.1%	<0.1%	<0.1%	<0.1%	<0.1%
13.9 days (EPA median)	50%	22%	5.0%	1.1%	<0.1%	<0.1%
47 days (NPIC typical)	81%	64%	41%	27%	7.0%	0.5%
140.6 days (Iowa, EPA high)	93%	86%	74%	64%	41%	17%
197 days (top of NPIC range)	95%	90%	81%	73%	53%	28%

Why diquat outlasts everything and imazapic sets the calendar

The longest-lasting active in current Roundup is not glyphosate. UK field half-lives for diquat dibromide run 1 to 20 years (PPDB), and EPA’s 1995 diquat RED says it binds nearly irreversibly and did not degrade after 3 years in field studies. It also says diquat is bound to the soil and not taken up by plants, which fits the 1-day flower wait on labels that contain it.

Imazapic works the other way. The 71995-67 label says it prevents new weeds by creating an invisible barrier in the soil, and the PPDB lists a typical half-life of 120 days with a literature range of 31 to 410. Soil changes the wait: that label warns that in heavy clay, plant growth may be prevented for more than 12 months, and 71995-66 says more than 4 months on the same soil. Heavy rainfall works in the other direction: those labels say reapplication may be needed every 6 to 8 months and every 2 to 3 months.

How long does weed killer stay in soil? 20 actives compared

Half-lives below come from one database, so they compare fairly; the PPDB draws mainly on EU regulatory dossiers, with U.S. EPA data where noted. Typical means the database’s preferred soil value, usually a lab figure at 20 degrees C. A 120-day half-life means about 12 percent left after 1 year, which is why preventers carry seeding waits: our grass seed guide lists those label times.

Swipe the table sideways to see every column.

Active ingredient	Where you meet it	Typical half-life, days	Field half-life, days	Reported range, days	Source
Glyphosate	Older Roundup, generics	17.3	6.45	Field 1.1 to 13.5; lab 0.7 to 78.6 (EU 2023)	PPDB
Diquat dibromide	Most current Roundup sprays	2,345	5,500	Field 1 to 20 years (UK); lab 598 to over 1,000 days	PPDB
Triclopyr	Weed & Grass Killer4; broadleaf lawn mixes	18.81	30	Lab 8.11 to 53.1 (EU 2018)	PPDB
Fluazifop-P-butyl	Weed & Grass Killer4	1.0	8.2	Field 2.1 to 38; lab 0.3 to 3.3 (EU 2012)	PPDB
Imazapic	Roundup 365 and 4-month products	120	232	Literature range 31 to 410	PPDB
2,4-D	Broadleaf lawn mixes	4.4	28.8	Field 22 to 38; lab 1.2 to 94.6 (EU 2017)	PPDB
Dicamba	Broadleaf lawn mixes	4.0	3.9	Field 3.2 to 4.9; lab 3.2 to 24.6 (EU 2021)	PPDB
MCPA	Roundup For Lawns1	12.07	25	Lab 3.12 to 34.9 (EU 2022)	PPDB
Mecoprop-P (MCPP-p)	Three-way lawn mixes	5.24	21	Lab 4.0 to 8.2 (EU 2023)	PPDB
Quinclorac	Crabgrass killers; Roundup For Lawns1	450	not listed	U.S. sources 168 to 913	PPDB
Sulfentrazone	Sedge and lawn mixes	541	not listed	Other literature 121 to 302	PPDB
Topramezone	Roundup For Lawns Crabgrass Destroyer	218	26.1	Field 10.8 to 69.3 (EU 2014)	PPDB
Glufosinate	Non-selective sprays	7.4	7	Lab 6 to 11 (EU 2007)	PPDB
Prodiamine	Crabgrass preventers	120	69	Literature 60 to 80; U.S. 120	PPDB
Dithiopyr	Crabgrass preventers	39	39	Literature 17 to 61	PPDB
Pendimethalin	Crabgrass preventers; Roundup Landscape Weed Preventer	182.3	100.6	Field 39.8 to 187 (EU 2016)	PPDB
Atrazine	St. Augustine and centipede lawn products	75	29	Field 6 to 108 (USA); lab 28 to 150	PPDB
Clopyralid	Lawn and turf broadleaf products	23.2	8.2	Field 2.0 to 13.5 (EU 2017)	PPDB
Aminopyralid	Pasture and hayfield products	35	12.1	Field 3.75 to 21.6 (EU 2008)	PPDB
Picloram	Pasture products	23.0	33.7	Field 20 to 49 (EU 2009)	PPDB

Short half-lives can mislead. Clopyralid and aminopyralid have field half-lives under 22 days, yet NC State Extension reports picloram, clopyralid and aminopyralid remaining active in hay, grass clippings, manure and compost, with deactivation taking from 30 days to several years, and residual activity in hay after 3 years of dry storage. If a new bed fails after composted manure, suspect those before Roundup. Home remedies have their own pages: salt, bleach and vinegar.

What speeds up or slows down glyphosate breakdown

What changes	Measured effect	Source
Cold climate	Coldest EPA sites had the longest half-lives: Minnesota 28.7, New York 127.8, Iowa 140.6 days; Texas 2.6	EPA RED, p. 32
Binding strength	Kd of 22 (Lintonia sandy loam), 62 (Drummer silty clay loam), 70 (Spinks sandy loam), 90 (Ray silt), 175 (swamp sediment)	EPA RED, p. 31
Clay, organic matter, iron and aluminum oxides	Set adsorption; strong binding to iron and aluminum oxides can block microbes and slow breakdown	Kanissery et al., 2019
Depth	Glyphosate and AMPA stayed mainly in the top 6 inches at all 8 sites	EPA RED, pp. 32 to 34
Phosphorus	Competes with glyphosate for the same soil binding sites; the review calls crop-level evidence sparse	Kanissery et al., 2019
Dead leaves	Median half-life of 8 to 9 days in red alder and salmonberry leaf litter	NPIC

AMPA, the main breakdown product, lasts longer than its parent: EPA’s median was 240 days, and 12 months after treatment the 0 to 6 inch layer still held 0.12 ppm in Ohio and 0.44 ppm in Georgia. ATSDR summarizes glyphosate as sticking tightly to soil and being quickly broken down by bacteria. Warmer soil is the clearest accelerator in EPA’s data, and waiting for planting soil temperature suits the seed as well.

Can you plant vegetables after Roundup?

It depends on the bottle, and that is a label question before a chemistry one. Three glyphosate labels (71995-25, 71995-29, 71995-33) allow vegetable gardens 3 days after application. None of the glyphosate-free Roundups in the table do: 71995-65 says do not use on or around edible food or feed crops, and the 4-month and 12-month labels rule out vegetable garden preparation. If that is the bottle you used on a future garden, the label gives no vegetable replant time.

EPA’s rotational-crop study shows what plants pick up from glyphosate-treated sandy loam. Residues fell as the planting date moved away from spraying, and all stayed below the 40 CFR 180.364 tolerances for those food groups.

Crop part at harvest	Planted day 30, ppm	Planted day 119, ppm	Planted day 364, ppm	EPA tolerance, ppm
Lettuce	0.097	0.037	0.028	0.2 (leafy vegetables, group 4)
Carrot roots	0.037	0.017	0.0096	5.0 (carrot)
Carrot tops	0.051	0.028	0.018	0.2 (leaves of root and tuber, group 2)
Barley grain	0.188	0.078	0.047	30 (cereal grains, group 15)

Scale matters here. The lawn renovation rate on 71995-25 is 2.5 fl oz per gallon over 300 sq ft at 3.7 lb acid equivalent per gallon, which works out to 10.5 lb acid equivalent per acre: about 1.3 times EPA’s field-trial rate and about 3.8 times this crop study’s (3.71 lb active ingredient is roughly 2.8 lb acid equivalent, using the ratio EPA states for its trial). Treat the table as a low-rate case, not a ceiling. Spot spraying puts down far less per bed than a full plot treatment.

What to do before you replant

1. 1Does the label say 365, 12 Month or Max Control?

   YesWait 12 months (1 year) for ornamentals, trees, shrubs, sod and seed. The label rules out lawns and vegetable garden preparation. Bioassay with tomato, cucumber or spinach before planting.

   NoGo to the next question

2. 2Does it say 4 Month Preventer or Extended Control?

   YesWait 4 months for ornamentals, trees, shrubs, sod and seed. Not for lawns or vegetable garden preparation.

   NoGo to the next question

3. 3Is it Roundup For Lawns?

   YesListed turf species can be seeded 4 weeks after application, per the brand; check the container.

   NoGo to the next question

4. 4Does the ingredient list show triclopyr?

   YesLawn grass 7 days; flowers 1 day (no glyphosate) or 7 days (71995-36, -37); other trees and shrubs 14 days; conifers 30 days. Not for edible crops.

   NoGo to the next question

5. 5Is glyphosate listed with no imazapic or triclopyr?

   YesFlowers, trees and shrubs 1 day; lawn grass, herbs, fruit and vegetable gardens 3 days (71995-25, -29, -33).

   NoUnknown product or no label: run the 3-week NC State pot bioassay before planting anything you care about.

Source: EPA-accepted labels in the table above; NC State Extension bioassay

1. Read the EPA Reg. No. on the container and find it above, or search EPA’s label system for the stamped label. If the old bottle is gone, assume the longest wait for what you remember buying.
2. Count from the last application, not the first: 71995-25 and 71995-65 both time bed preparation that way, so a respray on day 6 restarts the count.
3. Prepare the bed at the label’s time. 71995-25 allows raking or rototilling after 3 days and 71995-65 after 7; both suggest watering dry soil before spraying and 2 to 3 days after. For the choice between herbicide, smothering and a sod cutter, see how to kill grass before replanting.
4. Run a bioassay if you are unsure or used a residual product. NC State’s method: take the top 2 inches of soil (4 on sand) from several spots, fill 3 to 4 inch pots, also pot known-clean soil, and grow test plants for about 3 weeks. For imazapic it suggests tomato, cucumber or spinach and looks for stunting and yellow new growth. For dinitroanilines such as prodiamine or pendimethalin it suggests oats or ryegrass.
5. If the test fails, wait and retest, or try activated carbon. NC State’s rate is 100 lb per acre (2.3 lb per 1,000 sq ft) for each pound of active ingredient suspected, tilled 4 to 6 inches deep. It warns that carbon does not detoxify all residues, so test it in pots first.

None of the 8 imazapic labels above permit lawn use, so a lawn sprayed with one needs that pot test before you follow our overseeding steps. More soil and turf work is in Turf and Trees.

This page is general information, not pesticide-use advice. Read and follow the label on your container: the label is the law. Your state or county extension office can advise on local soils.