Read and follow all label directions on pesticides!

Weeds can be controlled with the best results when they are actively growing usually in spring or after Labor Day in the fall. Dandelions and some of the other common lawn weeds can be controlled using 2,4-D amine. If weeds become a problem in a new lawn or reseeded lawn, you must wait until the grass is mature enough to be mowed at least 3 times before applying a weed spray.

Some of the harder to kill weeds such as knotweed, chickweed, black medic, clover, creeping bellflower and ground ivy (creeping charlie) do not yield to 2,4-D. A combination of 2,4-D and MCPP will do a better job of controlling these weeds. The addition of dicamba (Banvel) to this combination will improve their weed killing ability, but extra care must be taken when using dicamba around trees and shrubs. Products such as Confront, Brush-B-Gon or Weed-B-Gon for chickweed, clover and oxalis, which contain Tryclopyr as the active ingredient can also be effective. These various combinations of chemicals are available at most businesses which handle lawn and garden supplies.

Whether using 2,4-D alone or in combination with other weed killers, apply the spray on a still day when the temperature is below 85 degrees F. These conditions help reduce the spray drift and damage to other plants. Products which contain Tryclopyr are not as likely to drift and damage other plants.

Is quackgrass a problem in your lawn? Watering, a good fertilization program and mowing your lawn every five days will help the lawn grass compete with the quackgrass. Any chemical used to kill quackgrass will also kill your lawn grass. If quackgrass has taken over complete areas of your lawn, it can be controlled by spraying with Roundup. After using this chemical, a waiting period of 7-10 days must be observed before seeding lawn grass. Work the soil lightly before reseeding.

This page was last updated April 2006

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