Recommend a weed in lawn killer

[jimbiggs]

I'm going to be searching for a new gardener soon. When I hired our current gardener he told me he would fertilize and spray for weeds. He did a good job the first year, but now our backyard lawn is half covered by weeds. I asked him what he was using on the weeds, he said he has some spray, but everything costs money. Meaning, he's been doing a crappy job because didn't want to spend the money to take better care of our lawn. He takes good care of the front lawn, by the way, but has let the back lawn deteriorate. I was wondering if anyone has used a weed killer for lawns that had good results.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

 

[cp73]

Meaning, he's been doing a crappy job because didn't want to spend the money to take better care of our lawn. He takes good care of the front lawn, by the way, but has let the back lawn deteriorate. I was wondering if anyone has used a weed killer for lawns that had good results.

Jim,

For about 2 years we had Chem lawn take care of our lawn (about 5000sq feet in OC). They came out about every 6 weeks and fertilized and sprayed for weeds. It cost about $50 each time they came out. About six months ago I stopped them and started fertilizing and spraying myself. I do it about every 4 weeks and it costs about $10 each time I do it. My grass looks just as good if not better. The trick I have found is that you need to fertilize often, use a preemergence (for weeds) in the fertilizer and water good. Weeds always seem to be the worst in my grass in the summer, when the grass is the weakest. If I notice a lot of weeks or clover I will spray for them. Crab grass requires a special spray just for crab grass. A general weed killer for grasses normally doesn't include crab grass. There are many good products on the market. I have used Scotts, Vigero, and a couple of others. I haven't found my favorite one. Take that away from your gardener and do it yourself. Put yourself on a schedule and do it routinely and you will be pleased with the results. Prior to Chem lawn my gardner did it and the results were very inconsistent.

 

[johnmfaeth]

Weed killer functions by being a growth hormone so they literally grow to death. Most weeds are dicots (2 leaves emerge from the seeds) and grass is a monocot (a single leaf/blade emerges from the seeds). (The full words are monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous).

The killer hormone only works on Dicots, thus leaving the grass undisturbed. That's why it is also harmful to most shrubs and flowers (also dicots).

Most brands use the exact same synthetic hormone. It is not like insecticides, which are more specific to the particular pest infestation.

Most of these also come with a fertilizer mixture. Those can vary in composition in each of three nutrient categories.

A local nursery or hardware store should be able to give a recommendation and product containing the weed killer and fertilizer which is appropriate to the local soil composition (clay, loam, etc.) and time of year for use.

It is important to get a good spreader for putting it down. Spots getting too much will die from "fertilizer burn" and too little will be ineffective at the weed killing.

Expect to pay about $50 for a good one. Typically "row" spreaders are better that circular pattern "broadcast" spreaders.

Expect that it will take a few weeks after application to kill the weeds. After they are dead, a little reseeding will thicken up the lawn. Again timing is important, as is daily watering the first few weeks after reseeding.

Home Depot/Lowes carries some books on lawn care which will be very helpful in your becoming the owner of the best lawn on the block.

PS. Yes crabgrass is one of the few requiring special killers (as a monocot).

 

[Brett]

we had Chem lawn take care of our lawn About six months ago I stopped them and started fertilizing and spraying myself.

I believe Chem Lawn changed their name because of the connotations with fertilizer run off. In fact, where I live near the Chesapeake bay there are TV commercials not to use fertilizer and "save the crabs" ! So I did and now I have a beautiful dandelion crop. Maybe I will harvest it soon and make wine.

 

[Conan]

This may be obvious, but DON'T spray Roundup on weeds in your lawn.
No matter how precisely you target the offending weed, the chemical has about a two-foot kill radius, leaving your lawn with a bunch of dead circle-shaped patches.

Don't ask me how I learned this.

 

[Barbeque]

Buy a goat :hysterical:

 

[DaveNV]

Funny you should mention that. My dad hated yardwork, and always joked that he was getting out of the lawn care business. He said he was going to buy a goat, stake it in various parts of the yard each day, and never have to mow or weed again. He said he was going to name it "Clippers."

It never happened. He moved to central Oregon instead, where the yard was made up of red cinder rock. Plants went into containers on the deck. No yard to mow really cut down on the volume of yardwork he did. Served him well for the rest of his life.

Dave

 

[falmouth3]

I just heard on the news this morning (there is a gardening segment) to use Corn Gluten as an environmentally friendly pre-emergent. I've never heard of this. Has anyone else?

Sue

 

[jwq387]

weeds in lawn

Weed killer functions by being a growth hormone so they literally grow to death. Most weeds are dicots (2 leaves emerge from the seeds) and grass is a monocot (a single leaf/blade emerges from the seeds). (The full words are monocotyledonous and dicotyledonous).

The killer hormone only works on Dicots, thus leaving the grass undisturbed. That's why it is also harmful to most shrubs and flowers (also dicots).

Most brands use the exact same synthetic hormone. It is not like insecticides, which are more specific to the particular pest infestation.

Most of these also come with a fertilizer mixture. Those can vary in composition in each of three nutrient categories.

A local nursery or hardware store should be able to give a recommendation and product containing the weed killer and fertilizer which is appropriate to the local soil composition (clay, loam, etc.) and time of year for use.

It is important to get a good spreader for putting it down. Spots getting too much will die from "fertilizer burn" and too little will be ineffective at the weed killing.

Expect to pay about $50 for a good one. Typically "row" spreaders are better that circular pattern "broadcast" spreaders.

Expect that it will take a few weeks after application to kill the weeds. After they are dead, a little reseeding will thicken up the lawn. Again timing is important, as is daily watering the first few weeks after reseeding.

Home Depot/Lowes carries some books on lawn care which will be very helpful in your becoming the owner of the best lawn on the block.

PS. Yes crabgrass is one of the few requiring special killers (as a monocot).

I don't recommend any do it yourself homeowners use "row or drop spreaders". Use the broadcast spreaders. Row or drop spreaders are only good if you are very accurate, overlapping slightly with each pass. Any slight misjudgement, will cause "striping" of your lawn, where the drop spreader missed. A good broadcast spreader will be at least $50-75, but it is, IMHO, as a former turfgrass management graduate, much easier to use for the "do it yourselfer>"

Crabgrass is controlled pre-emergently, meaning you put the fertilizer/crabgrass control down in early spring before the crabgrass emerges.Once crabgrass becomes a problem in your lawn, you usually have to live with it for the summer before it dies off in the fall. Trying to kill crabgrass after it emerges is a messy proposition, since the control materials that kill existing crabgrass also damage your healthy, desirable grasses. If you put the crabgrass control down NOW, you should not have a problem with it this summer. The only exceptions are near driveways and sidewalks, where the soil heats up, the control material breaks down, and crabgrass can emerge.

 

[vivalour]

I just heard on the news this morning (there is a gardening segment) to use Corn Gluten as an environmentally friendly pre-emergent. I've never heard of this. Has anyone else?

Sue

We have had pretty good luck for over 10 years with no lawn sprays whatsoever. I pull weeds out by hand and have a company fertilize with a mix that contains corn gluten. Sometimes we get a bunch of weeds and dandelions in mid-summer -- but who cares? The idea is get the grass strong enough so that it crowds weeds out. I have been told that many weed sprays weaken grass roots and so you have to keep spraying and heavily fertilizing to keep the lawn growing.

I also have a beautiful flower garden that attracts many birds and insects which do their own thing, in a natural way, to control destructive garden pests. If things get out of hand, I use a soap-based insecticide sprayed directly on plant leaves.

Some Canadian cities have banned herbicides (chemical weed killers) for cosmetic use on lawns because many researchers in the medical/science communities have shown a link between these chemical sprays, and hormone-related human cancers (esp. breast & prostate), as well as genetic changes/deformities in wildlife.

Remember that whatever chemical you spray on your lawn finds its way into the public water supply, so you will end up drinking what you spray....

 

["Roger"]

I'm a a 'tweener. I do spray, but use a roll behind, trigger controlled sprayer.

Picture

I walk the lawn and spray just the weeds themselves, not the entire lawn. I end up using about one tenth the weed killer (weed b'gone or whatever) as what would happen if I sprayed the entire lawn. I won't say that I get every weed, but the few that are left are not enough to bother me nor my neighbors.

 

[Stingrae]

I have used A product from Ortho called Weed B' Gone. It comes in a concentrated liquid form and runs between $10.00 - $15.00 depending on size. It kill most weeds, and does not harm your lawn. I also purchased an attachment that has a dial on it so you can select the proper amount of weed killer per each gallon of water used. It screws on to the end of a garden hose. This eliminates any mixing or measuring on your part. It holds the concentrated week killer, and mixes it with the water when the hose is turned on. I have had great results with this product for years. You water the lawn with it when the sun is out and within a few hours the weeds start to wilt. It kills the weeds and the roots as well.

 

[Patri]

I don't recommend any do it yourself homeowners use "row or drop spreaders". Use the broadcast spreaders. Row or drop spreaders are only good if you are very accurate, overlapping slightly with each pass. Any slight misjudgement, will cause "striping" of your lawn, where the drop spreader missed.
QUOTE]

That happened to me once, although I am sure I used a broadcast spreader. It's the only one we have ever owned. We had a striped lawn that summer. Some of it was very green. It gave us all a good laugh.

 

[abbekit]

I just heard on the news this morning (there is a gardening segment) to use Corn Gluten as an environmentally friendly pre-emergent. I've never heard of this. Has anyone else?

Sue

Yes, corn gluten is part of the organic program. We also use a fertilizer called "Texas Tea" but they probably have something similar in other parts of the country at your local organic gardening center. We hardly ever get weeds anymore. We don't want to use anything toxic on our yard both for us and for the dog. I'm amazed at people who let their children play in their yards when they use weed and lawn chemicals.

 

[Barbeque]

Yes, corn gluten is part of the organic program. We also use a fertilizer called "Texas Tea" but they probably have something similar in other parts of the country at your local organic gardening center. We hardly ever get weeds anymore. We don't want to use anything toxic on our yard both for us and for the dog. I'm amazed at people who let their children play in their yards when they use weed and lawn chemicals.

I agree too many people I know have cancer parkinsons etc.
Why take the risk when you dont need to . You can live with a few weeds and bugs.

 

[bobcat]

I'm going to be searching for a new gardener soon. When I hired our current gardener he told me he would fertilize and spray for weeds. He did a good job the first year, but now our backyard lawn is half covered by weeds. I asked him what he was using on the weeds, he said he has some spray, but everything costs money. Meaning, he's been doing a crappy job because didn't want to spend the money to take better care of our lawn. He takes good care of the front lawn, by the way, but has let the back lawn deteriorate. I was wondering if anyone has used a weed killer for lawns that had good results.

Thank you for any help you can offer.

I would have paid him just for the front. Just asking,why did you keep him so long.???

 

[Icc5]

Moles/Golphers

With all you lawn people writing in I thought I'd ask if anyone has a remedy they found worked for getting rid of both moles and golphers that have invaded our lawn. They have hit us up both front and back and also gone into the flower area and ripping off by wife's plants. We see the whole area has been invaded looking at the front lawns all up and down the street.
Bart