Lawn care WEED & FEED or just a good weed killer???

[redgtxdi]

So in years gone by I'd had good luck with Scott's turf builder plus 2 w/ weed control. But the last couple years it seems to not do much.

I know the routine with giving the weeds a week to grow out, wetting the lawn so granules stick to weed leaves, etc but while the dandelions shrivel a bit, they come back with vigor and the other weeds act like nothing happened at all.

Suggestions?

 

[TwiceOver]

I call a guy, he comes 3 times per year. No weeds.

 

[AmdEmAll]

Get this http://www.amazon.com/Spectracide-95...ds=weed+killer

Mix it in this http://www.amazon.com/Smith-190285-1...garden+sprayer

Will take care of the weeds.. then just get a good organic slow release fertilizer and put that on a few times a year.

If its not very hot out put some dish detergent in with the weed killer mix.. works as a 'sticker' agent.

 

[Leros]

Get this http://www.amazon.com/Spectracide-95...ds=weed+killer

Mix it in this http://www.amazon.com/Smith-190285-1...garden+sprayer

Will take care of the weeds.. then just get a good organic slow release fertilizer and put that on a few times a year.

If its not very hot out put some dish detergent in with the weed killer mix.. works as a 'sticker' agent.

Stuff works. Just don't do it if your yard is 90% weeds because it'll turn your yard into a dust bowl. Not that I speak from experience or anything.

 

[zanemoseley]

Go to the co-op and buy a jug of 2,4-Dichlorophenoxyacetic concentrate and spray that. Its the same stuff you'll fine at Home Depot or Lowes but a lot cheaper if you buy a big jug and will last. Then just use fertilizer 2-3 times a year. Also as leros said don't do that if your "grass" is actually weeds.

 

[AmdEmAll]

Yeah the stuff I posted has 2,4-D just like most weed killers.. its very similar to the commercial stuff I used to spray peoples lawns everyday just that was a little stronger.

Also giving the weeds a week to grow is bs.. just spray weed killer asap.. even if you dont see them yet.. it will go into the soil preventing a lot of them.

 

[redgtxdi]

Awesome response.

While I notice Scott's TBP has the 2,4d too, the percentage is 1.21% vs the 7.59% of the spectracide. And knowing that is the main active ingredient leads me to think that's going to make a HUGE difference in the results!

My front yard is 90% grass but back is about 60% grass so gonna have to tread carefully. I over seeded earlier this year but I have crap soil so gonna take a while to get there.

 

[Jumpem]

I just mow it, and let the rain water it. I don't really have many weeds. I do have a few thin spots of grass I would like to get thicker though.

 

[rh71]

Get this http://www.amazon.com/Spectracide-95...ds=weed+killer

Got that at Lowes recently and it worked the day after, but new dandelions just sprung up the next day in spots I know I sprayed. As if I didn't spray. Not a preventer right - so do I spray everyday? No. Bottom line, I don't like sprays - some Vigoro weed & feed I used last year did better. In general, granules seem to be better. You never see landscapers spraying (not that it's practical for them)... it's always granules. And landscaper-done lawns seem perfect - jealous.

BTW, my landscaper friend said not to use FEED more than once every 6-8 weeks. So if you put down crabgrass control with feed in april like you should have, you shouldn't be doing weed & feed a month later... just weed killer as needed. I'm probably going to do weed & feed anyway though since I can't find just weed killer in granule form and I have some thin spots that could use more feed anyway.

 

[Mixolydian]

interesting, I've never had a problem with Scotts.

 

[AmdEmAll]

Got that at Lowes recently and it worked the day after, but new dandelions just sprung up the next day in spots I know I sprayed. As if I didn't spray. Not a preventer right - so do I spray everyday? No. Bottom line, I don't like sprays - some Vigoro weed & feed I used last year did better. In general, granules seem to be better. You never see landscapers spraying (not that it's practical for them)... it's always granules. And landscaper-done lawns seem perfect - jealous.

BTW, my landscaper friend said not to use FEED more than once every 6-8 weeks. So if you put down crabgrass control with feed in april like you should have, you shouldn't be doing weed & feed a month later... just weed killer as needed. I'm probably going to do weed & feed anyway though since I can't find just weed killer in granule form and I have some thin spots that could use more feed anyway.

A lot of landscapers spray... you just don't see it. Almost all lawn care companies use liquid.. its so much better because it absorbs right into the root system. Granuals need watering in which most people are too lazy to do.

There are a lot of variables of when to spray or fertilize.. depends on geographic location and weather a lot.. I don't recommend fertilizing in the hot summer months unless you have a sprinkler system that runs regularly. Pre-Emergent for the first application around march or april and then one fert app a month later then a couple more fert apps after august is usually good. Spot treating weeds when you see them.

Also weed killer works best by watering it in.. that way it gets down into the roots. Its a growth hormone that causes the weed to use all of its energy and then die in a small period of time.

 

[rh71]

^ what's a weed killer to prevent further weeds? Why did the Spectracide not work, in the sense that full dandelions sprung up 2 days later and are still out? We can't be expected to spray that often - what's the point?

Also what do you make of this schedule:

Aerate lawn once a year when it starts to get warm (good to do but not req'd)

Crabgrass control with Feed mid-to-late Apr (don't seed if you will have crabgrass control down)
Weed killer (liquid) when necessary - don't use any feed (weed & feed package) again so soon - feed every 6-8 weeks (but don't feed when it's too hot).

Fungicide early June if necessary

Insect Control with Feed late June/July

Turf Builder early Sept

Winterizer (no weed killer) Oct-Nov

Where would "weed & feed" fit in typically because people seem to use that as a one-and-done.

 

[Engineer]

Buy Spectracide lawn week killer and, instead of using a hose sprayer, put a strong amount (about 8 oz) of it into a pump sprayer with about 2 gallons of water. Hand spray lawn concentrating on weed areas.

At least that works for me.

 

[AmdEmAll]

^ what's a weed killer to prevent further weeds? Why did the Spectracide not work, in the sense that full dandelions sprung up 2 days later and are still out? We can't be expected to spray that often - what's the point?

Also what do you make of this schedule:


Where would "weed & feed" fit in typically because people seem to use that as a one-and-done.

What I found with Spectracide is that the recommended amount to mix with water is too low.. I put maybe 4 times as much in to my hand sprayer and then added some dish detergent and shook it well. If the weeds are not dying your mix simply isn't strong enough.

I don't have a lot of experience with weed & feed mixes but i've heard they aren't that great.

As for the schedule you posted. I only recommend aerating if you want to do a lot of seeding and your soil is very hard. It doesn't really help all that much. If you ever have it done make sure its either early spring or in the fall.. summer aeration is bs and the company only offers it to steal your money. Also water the heck out of your lawn before you aerate so it pulls good plugs.

Crabgrass control (pre-emergent) with fert is good for a first application but it isn't really required if you don't get crabgrass.. a really good organic slow release fertilizer is what I use maybe 4-5 times a year. I use Lebanon 1528 but it was from my company so you might not have access to it. You should see how dark green and crazy fast it grows with this stuff..

One of the most important things to keep weeds out is thick healthy grass as it chokes weeds out.

With fungicide it doesn't really matter when it is used.. although once again its not good to use it during really hot summer heat. If red thread, nrs, or dollar spot show up and it starts spreading id get a fungicide spray.. the chemical is pretty nasty though. Sometimes just more fertilizer can grow these diseases out.

Insecticide isn't necessary unless you know you usually have issues.. its not really bad to have it done, but you have to water the shit out of it otherwise it doesn't work and it will burn your lawn. If you start getting large brown spots it could be sod web worm.. soooo many people get this in the midwest mainly cause they don't water.

"Turfbuilder".. sounds like its just a different amount of nitrogen.. meh

Winterizer is bs.. at least it was at my company.. we put the same fert down 6 out of 7 apps (first is 1705 preem). Scotts might be lower nitrogen dunno.

Theres really no reason to blanket spray a lawn with weedkiller if you have no weeds or a few.. just spot spray after the first blanket spray in the spring.

 

[SunnyD]

Weed'n'Feed is useless. Given my yard is all weed and no grass.

 

[lykaon78]

I prefer regular fertilizer so I don't have to worry about accidently hitting the annual flowers my wife plants. Then I spot treat with a 1 gallon pump sprayer ($10-15) and a concentrated selective herbicide ($10-15).

 

[rh71]

With regard to the Spectracide, I will correct myself... it does seem to work since it was mentioned it's a growth hormone designed to speed them through the life cycle. I have more dead dandelions now where it was mostly good grass before - it looks like it's because the additional ones would've come up later and now those are dead too. The ones that sprang up after the spray was done are now wilting too. So it looks like it works in that sense, so I'm happy. Just gotta dig out the roots now and hope no more new ones pop up anytime soon.

 

[AmdEmAll]

Yeah at least wait a week for results. Sometimes you can see results overnight and sometimes it takes 10-14 days.

 

[Jadow]

the stuff that works good contains phosphorus. Some states have now banned the sale of phosphorus in lawn fertilizer, check yours out. You may be able to drive to a neighboring state and get the good stuff.

 

[DrPizza]

I'm not certain what's available, but a week or so ago, I decided to purchase a 4 gallon back pack sprayer (big tank on your back; very easy to pressurize.) It was only $70 for a name brand that I trusted. If you're buying the premixed stuff in gallons, that you use the little squirt handle for, getting a sprayer can potentially save you a fortune, if you have a large enough lawn. I had one of those little quarts of concentrated (25%) roundup in my cart. I happened to go into the right area at tractor supply & saw, "whoa. 41%? Multiple gallons of the stuff, for only twice as much??!"

I have a brick patio. Weeds love to grow up in the cracks. In the past, it's taken me about an hour to spray the whole patio. Now, it's 5 minutes. My gravel driveway: another hour. Now, 5 minutes. All the weeds in the flower bed (carefully), etc., just a matter of minutes. And, I barely dented my supply. I'll be helping my son kill some weeds around his lawn (huuuuuuuge) in the near future. Now, I go out of my way looking for weeds to kill, the process is so effortless.

But, one thing that I really learned - info generally hidden from the normal homeowner - the huge supply of roundup lists specific concentrations necessary for practically every weed you can imagine - pages upon pages. Some, you need to mix in 2-4 D to effectively eradicate, etc. Sometimes, it's 5%; sometimes it's 10%.

So, in relation to the weed problem posted above, doesn't quite kill the dandelions, then the dandelions come back, the information on what is necessary to completely kill them, concentrations, etc., is out there. But, for the consumer stuff, they really seem to limit the concentration you use; and it's far lower than the concentration in the booklet for many types of weeds.

Of course, my experience so far is only for areas where I don't want anything growing; not in the middle of a lawn. And, it's pretty easy to go to a farm supply place & pick up "the good stuff." I'm just going to assume "the good stuff" is out there for killing dicots in a field of monocots.

 

[AmdEmAll]

This is what most commercial companies use. We would get this stuff in huge blue barrels.. must have been 250 gallons. I would get it on my clothes in pure form sometimes and it would eat right through them if not washed quickly. I don't want to think about what it did to me when it was on my hands,eyes,nose,lungs

http://www.pbigordon.com/professional/page.php?ID_PRODUCTS=992

Over 30% 2-4D

 

[wirednuts]

I call a guy, he comes 3 times per year. No weeds.

my mom does this every other year. she says for the time you save, its a no brainer. youll spend $50 in fertilizer, and then hours messing around getting it all down.. only to find 2 weeks later you dumped globs in spots and ruined the grass.

for $200 a year, a guy comes and spays some weird shit down, and it works wonders. no weeds, and the grass is always super lush and green. she also tells me she just does it every other year, because that all it really needs. so $100/yr average, which is peanuts.

 

[rh71]

This is what most commercial companies use. We would get this stuff in huge blue barrels.. must have been 250 gallons. I would get it on my clothes in pure form sometimes and it would eat right through them if not washed quickly. I don't want to think about what it did to me when it was on my hands,eyes,nose,lungs

http://www.pbigordon.com/professional/page.php?ID_PRODUCTS=992

Over 30% 2-4D

Wish there was something that worked on crabgrass in addition to all the other weeds. Why do we have to put something down just for crabgrass (which I was inundated with and won't make that mistake again)... and then have to do more for the other weeds? Now I have wild onions that nothing short of pulling them all will work. This was brand new and perfect-looking sod 2 years ago.

I don't mind doing scheduled applications, but it's like science trying to do it all right.

 

[AmdEmAll]

Wish there was something that worked on crabgrass in addition to all the other weeds. Why do we have to put something down just for crabgrass (which I was inundated with and won't make that mistake again)... and then have to do more for the other weeds? Now I have wild onions that nothing short of pulling them all will work. This was brand new and perfect-looking sod 2 years ago.

I don't mind doing scheduled applications, but it's like science trying to do it all right.

The issue is that crab grass is well.. a grass and not a weed. It just happens to look like shit and is a bitch to kill.

We used a chemical called Quinclorac mixed in with either just water or with trimec and water to kill the crabgrass. Actual brands of it are Drive and Quin Star Turf Herbicide.. its granuals. Drives like $100 for a small bottle.. try and find the Quin Star. Honestly its the ultimate weed/cg killer. Kills stupid nut-sedge as well.

 

[phucheneh]

The problem with weedkillers (as far as them working) is usually your neighbors.

I've raked out huge patches of crap and applied 'weed n feed' or whatever, and managed to actually get a yard full of almost entirely grass. Granted, a majority of shit Bermuda.

But if it even manages to last through the season after all your effort, it'll be gone next year and...surprise, the weeds in your yard look strikingly similar to the ones in the yards around you. Or the neighbor doesn't appear to have weeds because he keeps the grass short...but all that does is spray more garbage your way.