Herbicide. 24D or what?

[ericm979]

I've been using Triclopyr on the poison oak on my land. I found that the recommended concentration in homeowner product was all over the map. I ended up finding a document on PO control from the University of California at Davis (big ag school) summarizing results of studies and listing actual percentage concentations they recommend. From that I calculated that the homeowner stuff was too weak. I don't want to spray more herbicide than I need but I also don't want to suit up and crawl through poison oak more times than I have to.

I bought some serious Triclopyr (64% vs 8% in Brush B Gone) and mixed my own with surfactant. It's much more effective even at the lowest concentration in the UCD document.. which is about 8x the "strong" concentration on the label of Brush B Gone.

 

[rswyan]

Trimec and then Trimec 899 here ...

But it's been a few years since I was really spraying regularly.

 

[Coyote machine]

Congratulations on your fat bank account. Weed and Feed is a waste of money, but if you are flush, go for it. A gallon of 2,4-D and a small garden sprayer will take care of the weeds, and allow you to spot weeds instead of treating the whole lawn. Then buy 50 lbs of 21-4-6 or something similar at any farm store, which should be enough to do a huge lawn.

Success with Lawn Fertilizers: Buy & Use the Right Type at the Right Time.

Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man! Jive coat, jive hair, and I don't worry 'cause my wallet's FAT! - ZZ Top : zz top sharp dressed man - Google Search

So, I know I prefaced my question with I'm NOT a knowledgeable person when it comes to lawncare fertilizers, BUT I just wanted to know if Weed N Feed was good stuff or is/was there something better...
No need to shoot the inquirer- we all have to learn from zero starting point about anything we're not already familiar with...

 

[Big Barn]

Every girl crazy 'bout a sharp dressed man! Jive coat, jive hair, and I don't worry 'cause my wallet's FAT! - ZZ Top : zz top sharp dressed man - Google Search

So, I know I prefaced my question with I'm NOT a knowledgeable person when it comes to lawncare fertilizers, BUT I just wanted to know if Weed N Feed was good stuff or is/was there something better...
No need to shoot the inquirer- we all have to learn from zero starting point about anything we're not already familiar with...

Weed N Feed is the proverbial product marketing dream in my opinion.

Think of it in terms of a multivitamin for yourself. A product containing various beneficial ingredients which may or may not be needed by your body in the provided dosages or if at all.

Back to lawns. Does your lawn currently HAVE weeds? If not, you don't need a herbicide (the WEED portion of the product).

Does your lawn require nutrients? (the FEED part). Try not to get caught up in the race to have the "greenest" lawn on your street. Higher Nitrogen formulations for a greener lawn mainly encourages short term foliage growth which equates to more frequent mowing(s).

IF you have weeds you don't want, then use a herbicide, if allowed in your area. (Pesticides are largely banned for homeowner use in most municipalities of BC where I live)

IF you feel your lawn needs feeding then buy a quality product recommended by a LOCAL garden center or landscape pro designed for your particular plant zone.

Save your money and stay away from the "one size fits all" products.

 

[TheMan419]

Also a lot of weed problems can be taken care of by feeding the lawn. The nice grasses will help crowed out the weeds.

Weed and feed however has the advantage of being easy. Not meant as a slam to anyone. Sometimes we make the decision to spend more money to save time. Other times we decide to save money and spend more time. Just depends on your personal situation and which one you want to save.

 

[Coyote machine]

Weed N Feed is the proverbial product marketing dream in my opinion.

Think of it in terms of a multivitamin for yourself. A product containing various beneficial ingredients which may or may not be needed by your body in the provided dosages or if at all.

Back to lawns. Does your lawn currently HAVE weeds? If not, you don't need a herbicide (the WEED portion of the product).

Does your lawn require nutrients? (the FEED part). Try not to get caught up in the race to have the "greenest" lawn on your street. Higher Nitrogen formulations for a greener lawn mainly encourages short term foliage growth which equates to more frequent mowing(s).

IF you have weeds you don't want, then use a herbicide, if allowed in your area. (Pesticides are largely banned for homeowner use in most municipalities of BC where I live)

IF you feel your lawn needs feeding then buy a quality product recommended by a LOCAL garden center or landscape pro designed for your particular plant zone.

Save your money and stay away from the "one size fits all" products.

Thanks, that's helpful. I will probably return the Weed-N-Feed that I picked up but haven't used.

Also a lot of weed problems can be taken care of by feeding the lawn. The nice grasses will help crowed out the weeds.

Weed and feed however has the advantage of being easy. Not meant as a slam to anyone. Sometimes we make the decision to spend more money to save time. Other times we decide to save money and spend more time. Just depends on your personal situation and which one you want to save.

Yep, that makes sense- most products today are aimed at ease of use/spend 'mo $ to get there....

 

[ray66v]

+1 on the Trimec, and the surfactant.

I mix about 32 ounces of Trimec, in 25 gallons. And, a few ounces of surfactant. That sprays about 1/2 to 3/4 acre.

Clover is waxy, and the spray will generally run off it, without a surfactant.

You can't eradicate clover from a lawn, in one spraying. It takes patience, and persistence. One spraying usually just affects the top layer. I try to go back and hit where the clover is a second time, inside of two weeks. It may take several rounds of this, to get all of it.

If your lawn is dry, or stressed, from the summer heat, you should wait for it to rain some, before going to war. That usually keeps me from getting it all out of my lawn during the summer. But, I do keep most of it under control.

If all else fails, the frost does kill it, for now.