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Vegetable Gardening

I sprayed Weed and Feed over my vegitable garden

15 years ago

I am new to vegitable gardening, my first summer. I spayed Green-up Weed and Feed liquid Lawn Fertilizer by mistake. I thought I bought vertilizer! I really thought I did. I have tomatows, green pepers, etc. My plant look sad now. I watered the garden many times yesterday to safe the plants. My question, since this product contains 2,4-D, Mecoprop-P and Dicambra, is my garden safe. Are these plants safe, if they survive at all!

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Comments (8)

shot
15 years ago
2,4-D is a broadleaf weed killer. Pretty safe on corn & grass, but that's about it.
Gamaas, experience will force a certain amount of knowledge on you --- whether you like it or not.

Shot
digdirt2
15 years ago
It is a sad lesson to learn but you aren't the first to make this mistake if that is any comfort. IF the plants survive they will be safe to eat produce from but I honestly doubt many will survive. A few may struggle along for awhile but likely won't get healthy enough to produce.

SO, since it is so early in your gardening season, there is still time to buy some new plants and start over. That way you can still have a fairly good first year garden and you'll feel better too.

Good luck.

Dave
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Many issues being tripped over here. But let me just repeat....for the specific purpose of killing broadleaved weeds in turf, the weed and feed products trade convenience for efficiency. The efficiency that is being lost is not on the part of the person doing the application, or the person who happens to own the property. No, the inefficiency is on the part of the herbicidal portion of the product-very little of it getting to where it can do its job. Fill up a canister sprayer with a liquid formulation of the very same herbicides and you will achieve far greater weed control while using perhaps 10% of actual active ingredient. That's what I'm saying. Whether or not to use these materials is a topic for another day, but if one must, then please, let's use those formulations that go to their targets, not those like this one, so-called weed n feed, where most of the herbicide never even targets the plants we wish to target. Most of it ends up washing down into the drains and on into our waterways. without getting into a finger-pointing exercise, any amount of this going on should be considered a problem, should it not?
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How big of a garden spot is this? It looks like it would be easier and much quicker to pull up the "good plants" and smother the whole spot for a year. Then uncover a small test spot & check to make sure it's well & truly dead before putting it back into use. Smothering won't work if not done thoroughly, heavy corrugated cardboard with seams overlapping at least 6", no holes in it, covered with at least 4" of heavy organic matter holding it down and completely blocking the light, and for sure covering all of the plant/roots. I think I would use 2 layers of it for this plant, one I couldn't kill when I tried getting rid of the top 6" of soil in a garden about 20 yrs ago. I've never had smothering not kill anything but this particular plant gives me the heebie jeebies. Good luck with whatever you attempt!
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justaguy2
15 years ago
Definitely replant, they aren't going to live.

If there is a lesson to be learned, *always* read the entire label for every product you purchase no matter how 'safe' you might believe it is.

As Dave noted, you aren't the first to do this. There have even been people who killed their entire yard with RoundUp thinking it was a selective weed killer.
sffog
15 years ago
sorry , live and learn, and you'll get a good chuckle later when you replant and harvest your bounty, not go out there and take everything out ,but read the label , i am not sure when the chemical gets out of the soil so you can replant.
oldroser
15 years ago
Better to replant in a different area since feed and weed does have a residual effect. Doubt if any plants will suvive - this stuff is absorbed in the plant right away so it's too late as soon as it dries on the leaves.
It's really not a question of food safety - it's a question of when you will be able to grow anything except grass in that area - this fall, next spring?
gamaas
Original Author
15 years ago
I removed my crop. got new soil. I also got new plants and planted them. They look very happy so far. I will keep you posted. thank for your advice :)
wally_1936
15 years ago
Medina would be your only chance
momd5858
14 years ago
did replanting your garden with some new soil work? I used grass and weed killer by mistake instead of Bug killer

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