best spot weed killer

[John Bachman]

I cannot imagine losing a tree if you follow the label instructions.

No. Weed-B-Gone kills broadleaf weeds. The term broadleaf is self-descriptive.

The best crabgrass control is a pre-emergent herbicide (both organic and non-organic exist) in early spring before the crabgrass seeds germinate. Turf grass spreads through runners, not seed, and hence is not affected.

ALWAYS FOLLOW THE LABEL INSTRUCTIONS.

John

[Treedweller]

I'm taking that as doubt that herbicides harm trees. I have provided a number of links below to support the statements I made previously.

If you read through the links, you will likely notice that, as others have said, most herbicides will not harm trees if used properly. That raises two points:

1. even people who make mistakes often think they are doing everything right. When an amateur gardener applies chemicals, it is more likely he will overlook a simple mistake.
2. you want to be careful that you don't use one of the "other" herbicides.

I have seen trees damaged by weed-n-feed. I have heard it mentioned at many lectures in tree conferences as a common cause of tree damage or death. I have read about it in industry journals and texts. I stand by my earlier statement: use them at your own risk. But, of course, if you choose to use them, follow the instructions carefully.

K

the links:

"Fertilizer mixes that contain weed killers should be used sparingly, if at all, within the root zones of trees because the weed killer could harm the tree."

"Injury can be by direct herbicide contact or through uptake by the roots, causing browning, curling, and dying of leaves. Leaves may also be stunted, leathery, and/or contain irregular growth patterns."

"Environmental contamination and injury to nontarget plants can occur occasionally when all normal precautions are taken. However, such contamination and injury are more common when pesticides are mishandled or applied under improper conditions."

"Most broadleaf herbicides kill trees as well as weeds and are able to move readily through the soil. Pramitol, a non-selective herbicide commonly applied to gravel driveways and beneath above-ground pools, will kill trees at a considerable distance from where it is originally applied."

"SPRAY ONLY THE WEEDS AND DO NOT ALLOW THE HERBICIDE TO DRIFT ONTO THE TREES AS DAMAGE WILL OCCUR."

"Trees often recover from exposure to the first group (compounds used to kill broadleaf weeds). The leaves will become distorted and will often drop, but depending on species and dosage, the trees will appear normal in about 2 years. However, death can occur if the dosage is high."

[Phisherman]

I have purposely killed a (small) tree using a broadleaf killer, but it is faster and easier to pull it out by hand. I recommend using broadleaf killers cautiously and sparingly. RoundUp is safer to use because it decomposes quickly and won't harm the root systems of plants you really want to protect.

No. Weed-B-Gone is formulated to distinguish broadleaf plants from grasses. Crabgrass is a grass. However, there are lawn products to kill crabgrass but not other grasses--I tried one product and it was not effective. Best defense against crabgrass is a thick lawn. I overseed every year and no longer have the need to use pre-emergence applications, plus fewer weeds. Years ago I thought premium grass seed was expensive, but in the long run it saves time and money and results in a very nice lawn. All my neighbors ask me how I did it!

[raycruzer]

Due to the dangers of herbicides in general, I have very sparingly used them, and I have controlled my weeds primarily by removing them by hand and various tools, such as the Weed Twister.

Since I don't have a lawn, because my house is on a hillside (lots of weeds on empty lots on both sides of my house), I cannot say with confidence how much effort it takes to control weeds in a lawn by hand or tools, with no chemicals.

My guess is that by working with smart tools, you could manage a 50' x

50' lawn with about 30 minutes of effort a week. This may be comparable to the time it takes to mow a lawn, in general. Of course, with larger lawns, the time needed for weeding will increase proportionately. For those of you with large or smalll lawns, is 30 minutes a week a reasonable time-budget for managing weeds without chemicals?