RU'ing the lawn tomorrow, question regarding neighbors

16 years ago

I'm beginning my complete lawn renovation tomorrow. I plan on RU'ing my yard, being careful around the lot lines. Tonight, I was looking at new sprayers at a local store, a gentleman started talking with me. I told him what I was doing, and he said 4-5 years ago in a neighboring town he did the same thing. He used the RU at dusk and he had a city official at his house the next morning. They made him jump through a bunch of hoops of getting a contractor onsite because of the chemical concern.

I've been upfront with my neighbors, as they know I really want to improve my yard. None have them have said a peep. Have any of you received a hassle over using RU? He got me concerned, I didn't buy a new sprayer and am going back in a few minutes to buy one. I certainly won't be buying a RU-brand sprayer :).

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (14)

turf_toes
16 years ago
It isn't like you're applying agent orange to your lawn...

But the worst thing I got was whispers and smirks (And that was from friends!).
zhotster
Original Author
16 years ago
I sure hope I get nothing but smirks and whispers. I know that RU is widely used in lawns, so I didn't think anything about it being dangerous. However, I do feel strongly about not poisoning the neighbor's kids or dogs. I'm going to RU in the AM tomorrow, after the dew is off the grass.

I hope things go as planned. I have my lot lines marked now, so I'll be ready as planned. I'll do around the perimeter first, then head inward.
Related Discussions
The neighbors mowed their lawn!
Q
Comments (8)
I hope you asked a very important question first. Do the neighbor have a lawn service spray your lawn, and with what? (Hardly anyone knows what is sprayed on their lawn, maybe some folks in this forum) Does the neighbor himself spray any weedkiller or other products? And the same question about the neighbor's neighbors. For the last two years I have been taking one neighbors leaves in the fall. Come to find out he brings home industrial type sprays because the 'stuff in the garden store is not strong enough'. My tomato crop was better in the first five years, over the last five years. And this might be one reason why.
...See More
New lawn questions
Q
Comments (16)
A couple things: 1) I think you are overdoing it with the soil ammendments. 2) Looking at your photo, your lawn is a mess (sorry to be so blunt). I think you have two options: option #1: Just be really patient. I would apply corn gluten in the spring AND fall every year for the next two years. It will act as a pre-emergent, and your weed problem will slowly go away. At the same time, though, you are going to have to go out there and start pulling weeds. option #2: Go 50% organic for the first year. I hate to say it, but you could really use a spraying of Ortho Weed B Gone. Spray it, overseed in the fall, and then start off next spring with Halts. I know that isn't organic, but if you do those steps, you will be able to make a much smoother transition to organics, in my opinion. option 3: Start over. As I type, I forget if you previously stated that this is a new lawn. If it is not, I would consider starting over. Annual bluegrass is hard to deal with, not to mention all of the crabgrass you are contending with. If it was me - and I don't mean to impose my beliefs on you - I would break the organic rules for a year and start dropping things one by one. In other words, in the first year, I would do all of my normal organic fertilization but still apply WeedBGone and Halts. In year 2, I would try to use corn gluten as a pre-emergent, but keep a spray bottle of WeedBGone handy for some spot treatment. By year 3, you should be set.
...See More
Another Organic Lawn Program Question
Q
Comments (9)
Hello Kime. First of all, welcome to the Lawncare forum. Although I rarely post here anymore, your enthusiasm and desire for a nice eco-friendly lawn cries out for answers to your thoughtful questions. It appears that you have done some research, gained knowledge and experience, and probably have a pretty descent lawn right now. I will proceed from that assumption giving opinion based on my experience with a similar lawn in similar soil and climate. No doubt, you will receive conflicting opinions and will have to decide for yourself what may work best for you. To begin with, your plan for 2009 is good but needs a little tweaking to optimize it for the first year. Lets start from todays date. You will want to start preparing you lawn for Winter dormancy. On your lawn spread 50 # of soybean meal. Start with your spreader Â¾ wide open. You may have to open it up all the way. If you spell any, then clean it up. You donÂt want any piles of it on your lawn as it may leave a dead spot. This is a light application but you should see results in 3 or 4 weeks as the soil temperatures are good for microbial decomposition of grains. Repeat this process again October 15th. Always leave lawn clippings on your lawn with your side discharge mower. Mow all your Autumn leaves into your lawn even if you have to rake them into rows in remote areas of you lawn. A good soil requires lots of organic material. Do not throw your leaves away. Thanksgiving Â forget alfalfa meal or pellets, itÂs too cold for quick breakdown of organic material. Instead use urea (the only deviation from a purely organic fertilizer program) 45-0-0 at the rate of 2 # per 1000 sq ft. This will encourage root growth and nutrient storage and provide a great green-up and initial Spring feeding without excessive top growth. Urea, as you probably know naturally occurs in urine and nothing could be more "natural" than that. That 8 or 10 lbs of urea could be diluted with 20 lbs of SBM as a filler to enable an even distribution. At this point, your lawncare is done for the year. April 1 Â Corn meal or cracked corn Â low in protein (nitrogen) but encourages beneficial fungus to aid in lawn disease. CGM is good, but do not expect any pre-emergent herbicide qualities from one dose as it takes time and more quantity to build up in your soil to be effective as a pre-M. May 15 Â Soy bean meal- the first real feeding of the season, takes 3 to 4 weeks to become effective. July 1 Alfalfa pellets Â low nitrogen but high in micronutrients. August 1 Â corn meal. September 1 Â SBM - October 15 SBM and youÂre done for the year. This post is getting long so IÂll move it along and just say that compost is really really good but optional. You can spread your grains everywhere including gardens, beds and shrubs. Grub control? You probably donÂt need it unless you have a severe infestation. A healthy lawn can support a large and diverse insect population which will become balanced between predators and prey. Up to 10 grubs per sq. ft. is acceptable. Bill Hill
...See More
Question regarding financing for building a new home
Q
Comments (23)
I was thinking was socal said. You mention wanting "land for the kids", but often what kids want is access to other kids. I'm in an older suburb with smaller lots (e.g., 65-80' wide on average) and bands of little kids are always out and about in each other's yards, and mine. I love that! The trade off with having smaller yards is that my kids grew up in a great school district where they walked or biked to school, town, pool, parks, etc. - part of their lifestyle rather than being driven everywhere. It's nice for the parents, too, to have that neighborly support system when something comes up and the kids need watching. You may feel differently, but I'd caution that you make sure the land you want is for you and your spouse. Hopefully your kids will feel the same way, but if they don't at least you and your wife will enjoy the land.
...See More
chad_la
16 years ago
the active ingredient "glyphosate" is one of the most comprehensively studied herbicides on the market. any risk is certainly negligible and feel confident that your dogs are safe. google the stuff and you can find volumes of data on this product. no worries
subywu
16 years ago
You probably would get better results by spraying when the dew is still on the grass. To be a good neighbor, definitely do not go over property lines--easy to do accidently, especially if it's windy out.
paulinct
16 years ago
From what I understand Glysophate works by blocking the creation of certain amino acids in plants - but not animals! Very elegant herbicide it seems to me. But then again I guess people will complain about anything....
caesar772
16 years ago
I did the R-up thing today. Haven't seen any difference yet. Anyone know how long until the results are seen?
turf_toes
16 years ago
it helps if you fertilized and watered it before applying.

Make sure you water it a couple of days after application.

Results depend on the type of Roundup you buy. I purchased the type that shows some results in 24 hours. It could take several days before you see what is going to die and what is going to survive.
caesar772
16 years ago
Just wondering why it needs watering after application. I did fertilize with SBM approx 3 weeks ago.
zhotster
Original Author
16 years ago
I appreciate all of the follow-ups, I feel better about heading out in the AM. Certainly, I'll do it early as long as it's okay to do with the dew out on the grass, thanks!

I've been watering (no fertilizer) heavily over the past 2 weeks. My lawn is very green, weeds and all, except for areas where the grass is completely dead. I feel I'm ready to go for tomorrow.

I have heavy string along my lot lines. I plan on taking a piece of cardboard out and use it as a block if it's windy in the AM.

Thanks again for all of your help and advice!
turf_toes
16 years ago
Well, I did it (watered a few days after application) because the instructions on the bottle indicated that I should do so.
caesar772
16 years ago
Ok, will do
User
16 years ago
He used the RU at dusk and he had a city official at his house the next morning.

You shouldn't have any problem at all with that. If you do, you can advise aforementioned official that you're applying a legal herbicide in a legal manner according to label instructions...which is perfectly legal.

Glyphosate blocks aromatic amino acid production in green plants. Animals, insects, and bacteria don't produce aromatic amino acids. They get them from the plants they eat, or the animals they eat that ate the plants. It's minimally toxic even to amphibians, and those are the bellwether of poisons.

It also biodegrades fairly well with no residual. Bacteria like it, and it's a light lunch to them.
ronalawn82
16 years ago
zhotster, there is one area of concern. If you spray a plant which originates in an adjoining property, the chemical will translocate backward to the roots and you (or your neighbor) will see some browning on his side. I always run an edger (new blade, full depth) along the boundary lines before I spray. My objective is to cut the roots and other vegetative structures which will allow translocation. You can do it even after you spray provided that the grass is quite dry. I do not think that you will have a problem; you have all the useful information on the foregoing posts.
zhotster
Original Author
16 years ago
morspheuspa & ronalawn82, thanks for your follow-ups! I appreciate both of your posts! I just finished up my RU'ing this AM. My backyard has a fence on the back-side, so that was not a problem. One side, I used cardboard and of course I know my neighbors well and communicated with them. They said "no problem, we're not picky" and were nice. The other side has a large elite home with a backyard that is awful (their backyard is next to my yard). I just sprayed carefully inside my "border string" there, since their yard is crud I'm not worried. I could even seed for them! It's supposed to rain in 2 hours. The RU bottle says "rain proof" in 5 minutes, so I hope that it will still take care of my grass and weeds!

RU'ing the lawn tomorrow, question regarding neighbors

Comments (14)

turf_toes

zhotster
Original Author

Related Discussions

chad_la

subywu

paulinct

caesar772

turf_toes

caesar772

zhotster
Original Author

turf_toes

caesar772

User

ronalawn82

zhotster
Original Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

RU'ing the lawn tomorrow, question regarding neighbors

Comments (14)

zhotsterOriginal Author

Related Discussions

zhotsterOriginal Author

zhotsterOriginal Author

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US

zhotster
Original Author

zhotster
Original Author

zhotster
Original Author