Lazy gardener here, asking what’s the best weed killer and lawn fertilizer?
I’m in the San Francisco bay area, got crab grass, dandilions, a few others I can’t identify–not a lot of any, but the crab grass is speading.
I’m hoping to find something I can attach to a hose and spray, as opposed to spreading pellets…but it that’s the best method, I’ll bite the bullet.
I’m rather certain our gardener, lawn cutter guy, brought the crab grass as no one in the area has same.
I would appreciate any advice I can get.
Thanks
Myself
I have not seen a crabgrass killer that you attach to a hose and spray, but Ortho and Bayer both make weed killers with crabgrass killers in them. They are in spray containers, so you squirt them with a pump-action sprayer (like a windex bottle).
The easiest is a fine pellet mixture you use with a spreader, IMHO. However, have you considered something a little better for the environment than a lawn?
The Weed and Feed stuff you mention will only kill broad leaf weeds like dandelions. It will also kill Dutch White Clover, which is sometimes included in lawn seed mixtures as a “nurse” grass. For the crabgrass, you need the specialty stuff.
While the OP is certainly looking for factual answers, they can best be found in this case in IMHO. Moved.
samclem GQ moderator
Crabgrass, as noted, must be killed with its own specific poison. Since it is related to lawn grasses, the poisons directed against it must be very specific so that the lawn grasses are not also killed. There are two varieties: pre-emergent and post emergent. Crabgrss will not winter over in cold climates, so the pre-emergent is the best bet: it kills crabgrass seeds before they can sprout while not harming the perrennial blue grass or fescues or ryes that are found in most (Eastern and Central) lawns. The post-emergent is trickier (and more expensive), because it must tackle the sprouted crabgrass without harming the lawn grass in which it is intertwined. The problem with the pre-emergent is that crabgrass will sprout after three days of 80° F weather, so if you apply it too late, it is a waste of money. (I am also not sure what crabgrass does in milder climates. Check with a reputable lawn service or nursery to find out whether there is any point in using pre-emergent in your region.)
Dandelions and broadleaf weeds are handled by 2,4-D (a relatively close cousin to Agent Orange applied in much smaller batches) or its descendants. Weed and Feed works well with the broadleaf killers because 2,4-D is a growth hormone that causes the leaves to outgrow the root system. The “feed” of Weed and Feed is nearly always high in nitrogen–which also promotes leaf growth without doing anything for the roots–so the fertilizer and weed killer are working to the same end. (You want a fertilizer where the first code is much higher than the other two: 30-6-6, for example. That indicates 30% nitrogen, 6% phosphorous (for roots), and 6% potassium (for roots and blossoms). A 10-10-10 fertilizer with weed killer will not get the synergy between the fertilizer and the weed killer–not enough oomph for the leaves and too much for the roots.
Chickweed and similar “viney” weeds are handled by 2,4,5-T or its descendants. It is sometimes mixed with Weed and Feed, but that just makes distribution easier; you get no extra benefit from mixing them.
(If you find a crabgrass killer mixed with fertilizer, it is also a marketing ploy based on ease of application, not based on any synergy of the two products.)
Thanks. I guess there’s no easy way. I’ll digest the information you all so kindly provided and get on it.
This lawn is at Mom’s house. If I had my way I find some ground cover that doesn’t require 1) fertilizer to make it grow, 2) continuing watering to make it grow, and then, 3) constant mowing. :smack:
The only choices I would not make include bark, cactus or green cement.
My perfect abode was when I lived in a tent within earshot of a river in Yosemite. The biggest problem we had back then was the constant squeeking of the squirrel pups in spring and tourists who kept asking, “When do you turn on the waterfalls?”
Thanks again.
Myself.
The best way to deal with weeds is to have the lawn so healthy that the grass chokes out the weeds. IMHO, the best approach to this is to use natural fertilizers – they break down slowly, stay put, and don’t eff with the water table through runoff. (Runoff of fertilizers, not just pesticides, can do bad things to the environment.)
This is an excellent product. I have direct knowlege of this company, though I’ve never used this particular product (I don’t give a shit about my lawn). There are other companies that may sell similar products.
I you are going to use the chemicals, I’ve found that it’s best to use it in the late fall. The lawn starts out strong the next spring, and chokes out the weeds.