A month ago my front lawn was treated with weed and feed (not that it did any good, the weeds seemed to like it lol). Anyhow, one month, a bit of rain, and 2 cuttings later, I would like to use the grass clippings as a mulch in the garden.
Is it ok to use fresh cut grass as a mulch in a garden? And is there likely to be any significant amounts of the herbicide from the weed and feed in the grass?
Read the packet instructions. Most say not to use in garden for at least 6 months. If you want to use it hot compost it for 6 months or set it aside somewhere in the garden and let it weather by itself. You may get away with it doing no damage to your plants but that is a risk, especially if you throw it on vege gardens.
rob
I lost the packaging, it was a small container I used onetime on the front lawn. Ouch. I wasn't sure if the herbicide would actually go into the grass itself. I already put it on a small patch of corn - now we shall see :)
If you have the time it is probably best to spread the cuttings thinly on a compost heap and then use the rotted compost as a mulch.
Alan
the filth I used to pur on my lawn is a general purpose lawn weed killer which gets rid of clover, dock, thistles, dandelion, chickweed etc. It contains the general run of the mill turf clean chemicals - mecoprop, dicambra and MCPA. The instructions say do not use treated grass as a mulch. You can get stronger stuff still that kills hydrocotyle, oxalis and the like. I can't remember what was in that and don't care to either. If your weed n feed contained any of the chemicals listed above at least 6 months compost is strongly recommended.
rob
It should be made clear to the OP that if the chemicals dissipate during composting, it's time and perhaps rain that are causing it, not the bacterial action of the composting. If he uses a covered compost bin, which would prevent rain from washing through the material, he may, in fact end up with no reduction of chemicals at all. Without actually having the compost tested, all he has to go on is how he and others here interpret what it says on the chemical's label.
This I understand IE that the chemicals may not break down but have to leach out in time. What is unclear is how fast the chemicals break down, if they break down, how fast they leach out, and how dangerous they really are, and what happens if they are present in the crops at a level too low to kill the crops, but high enough to hurt us if we eat them? Too many unknowns here. I went to Scott's website, where they have a link to a lively forum, gardenadvice.com, and I asked there. Haven't received an answer yet. I think I'll play it safe and just spread the stuff over a compost pile slated to be used next year. We get a lot of rain here, and I suspect they chemicals will leach out in time.
Hmm...the ground water level here is about 9 feet deep (I have a 17 foot well, standing water level is at 9 feet. My basement floods if we get a lot of rain), what are the dangers of this stuff leaching into the ground water?
1) If you had money to burn on professional laboratory testing, and endless curiosity, you could find out how fast they break down and how fast they leach out. However, the only way to know if any ingested chemical is safe is to test it on humans. This is why nobody can tell you if they're safe. It's up to you to guess, just like the companies which sell them. I appreciate humor, so if you get a response from Scott's, I'd love to see it posted here. 2) About your basement: The chances of the chemicals entering with the flood water are exactly the same as for ANY substance contained in the water.
HomeOwnersHub website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.