Sprayer What do you use?

[mfreund]

What product(s) do you use for weed control in your turf grass? I have a Fimco sprayer that I just bought. I last used Gordon's Trimec mixed at 1 oz per gal sprayed at 10 psi. I seem to have hit and miss control on the clover. Will it take a few applications to get it under control? Any suggestions??

 

[Haywire]

I've got a problem with wild violets. They laugh at the stuff I've sprayed.

Ian

 

[paulemar]

What product(s) do you use for weed control in your turf grass? I have a Fimco sprayer that I just bought. I last used Gordon's Trimec mixed at 1 oz per gal sprayed at 10 psi. I seem to have hit and miss control on the clover. Will it take a few applications to get it under control? Any suggestions??

Trimec should work on the clover and the wild violets, eventually, but timing is important. It will also probably take more than a single treatment or even two. I have found that end of Summer through Fall treatments work best on both. Violets and clover have little root nodules that regenerate top growth even if you've killed the tops back. Also the clover is difficult to wet with the spray. Be persistant! Follow the directions exactly, make sure it isn't going to rain after applying and that the weeds are actively growing. Both clover and wild violets are a pain in the backside to remove and if you quit trying before you succeed, it will be like starting all over again the next time.

 

[oldbones]

I use Trimec (1 oz per gal water) on my lawn and I spray at 20psi, slow enough ground speed to completely wet, not soak, the grass and weeds. Can't remember which nozzles I am using, but they are extremely course droplet size. Haven't hurt wife's plants and flowers in 35 years (pick the right day, though).You need pressure to get penetration of the grass and weed canopy.
As stated above, fall is best time to spray. I try to do both fall and spring. That gets any straggler dandelions.
Clover won't kill with spring application (my observation, anyway), it just seems to slow it down. But a good soaking in fall will do it in. Wild violets don't seem to be affected by Trimec, but a dab of Crossbow added to the mix will smoke 'em.
It will help if you use AMS (ammonium sulfate, and no, this ain't the bomb making stuff- that's nitrate) with your spray. It conditions the water and helps with plant uptake. We use it religeously when spraying crops, at a rate of 2.5#/acre. If you don't want to mess with AMS, put some liquid dish soap in the batch. It's a reasonable substitude. Just don't overdo the soap.

 

[mfreund]

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like I might be on the right track. I did used some soap, I think it helps to stick to the leaves. I learned that trick the hard way with some roundup and a heavy dew.

 

[RobertBrown]

Thanks for the replies. It sounds like I might be on the right track. I did used some soap, I think it helps to stick to the leaves. I learned that trick the hard way with some roundup and a heavy dew.

I use fabric softener and the broadleaf weedkiller Spectracide (2-4-d dichambra)or Bayer whatever is on sale. Seems to me the warmer and dryer it is, the better it works. I guess that if you use it in high temps it could kill the grass.

 

[uglyboywith11fingers]

I've been using Pro Tri-Kill herbicide... not much choice around here. And the price is high... $50 for a 4 litre jug last summer.
like others, I find wild violet hard to kill, and wild strawberry is also hard to get rid of.
My outside tap bypasses the water softener, so I usually add a bit of dish soap as a wetting agent... really helps with the clover.

Pete

 

[paulemar]

I went down to look at the area where wild violets were sprayed last Fall to see the results. The violets were still there! I went over to an area in my lawn that I also treated but with, I believe, regular old Weed-B-Gon, but I'm not positive about that. I did use a hose end sprayer. No violets to be seen! I thought I treated the field with the same stuff, but with a small tow behind boom sprayer. All other weeds and clover in both areas were practically non existant.
If Crossbow added to the 2-4-D will knock out the violets, then I'm going to try adding Ortho "Chickweed, Clover and Oxalis killer" to my 2-4-D pasture spray. Both Crossbow and the Ortho chickweed etc. killer have triclopyr as the main active ingredient. The Ortho has around 8% triclopyr to about 16% for the Crossbow so I'll have to take that into consideration. If I had just a small area I might just try using only the Ortho stuff. It would be cheaper to try a quart for around $10 and it should be available almost everywhere. My local Home Depot has it.
After thinking about what I used in the way, way past to kill violets, it wasn't Trimec after all, It was Super Trimec. Super Trimec has triclopyr as one of the active ingredients, but I don't know if the formula is different than it was 25 years ago before they pulled so many horticultural chemicals off the market.

 

[smstonypoint]

If Crossbow added to the 2-4-D will knock out the violets <snip>

Crossbow contains both triclopyr and 2,4-D.

Steve

 

[paulemar]

Crossbow contains both triclopyr and 2,4-D.

Steve

Yeah, sorry I wasn't clear on that. The Ortho Chickweed, Clover and Oxalis killer is 8% triclopyr & 92% other ingredients, no 2,4-D. I plan to mix that with Gordon's "Pasture Pro" which is 2 formulations of 2,4-D only. I already have that. It's less expensive and easier for me to just add the triclopyr and make a concentrate similar to Crossbow. I live on the outskirts of Pittsburgh, so ag chemicals, like Crossbow, are not easy to find if it's not carried at Tractor Supply.
The only reason I mentioned the Ortho Chickweed stuff is because if Trimec alone didn't kill the violets (see ingredients below) and adding some crossbow will, then adding the chemical missing from Trimec (triclopyr) would probably do the trick. Hmmmmmmmmm! Maybe I'm making this more complicated than it needs to be.

TRIMEC
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS:
2,4-D, dimethylamine salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... .
7.59% Mecoprop-p, dimethylamine salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... .
1.83% Dicamba, dimethylamine salt . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . 0.84%
INERT INGREDIENTS:
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . ..... . 89.74% TOTAL 100.00%