Does Lawn Weed Treatment Kill Moss?
Uptown Floors
9 years ago
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dchall_san_antonio
9 years agoRelated Discussions
Lawn frustrations-- moss, weeds, dead grass HELP!
Comments (2)Well I'm sure Garyinchicago will chime in soon since he is practically a neighbor, but I will give my two cents. First step, get your soil tested professionally (if you haven't already done so). You say your pH is very low. This isn't conducive to having nice grass. You need to lime, but of course without a good soil test, you need to know which lime to use. It will probably be calcitic as most people are deficient in calcium, but you never know. So while you are waiting for your soil test you need to either kill the weeds, or else they will go to seed. If you don't want to kill the weeds because you will be left with just dirt, then mow them as you would a lawn, this will reduce the seed production. Applying a preemergent now will kill any weed seeds as they germinate. Use something that lasts 3 months so you can seed in late summer. Kill off your moss now with Moss Out liquid. It is an iron solution, non toxic, and very effective. The moss will turn black and decompose over time. Once you get your soil test back, you need to get all the nutrient levels up to snuff, and this includes raising your organic matter levels, so you might as well start applying organic fertilizers at a pretty high rate, once a month minimum. In July you will be killing everything and planting good grass seed. You can do this with Round-up, or Solarization, although solarization takes 2 months, and really needs a lot of sun to work well. So again, soil test now (www.loganlabs.com, $20 basic test) and mow or kill your weeds....See MoreLawn weeds/moss or something else?
Comments (9)So you sprayed weed killer 5 days in a row????? Certainly not a recommended practice. What did you use? Weed killer takes a while to start working. It usually takes 2 weeks for death, but you should see weeds curling and discoloring after a week. Weed killers are most effective when weeds are actively growing, so they take longer with cooler temps, and during periods of no rain....See MoreLawn overrun with broad-leaf weeds, moss, and crabgrass.
Comments (1)Don't use Weed and Feed, it does neither well. What city do you live in? Seeding with crab grass preventer is a bad idea. Try this instead. Do put down a separate pre-emergent herbicide now to stop crab grass and water it in after application, like Scott's HALTS without fertilizer. Read the label twice. A few days later...mow then a few days later. Do use Ortho Weed Be Gone Chickweed Clover Oxalis now - 2 days after mowing , wait 1-2 weeks, repeat mow , 2 day wait, apply again. Don't water the Ortho or apply before expected rainfall within 6 hours (12better) Repeat above steps in mid-late August. UNLESS you seed, then come back here for advice in July. Do apply straight fertilizer Memorial / Labor Day / October 1 / right before growth stops mid-November(if living in the North) Repeat every year....See MoreNeed to Revive Lawn, Kill Weeds, part II
Comments (8)I have started a Google calendar layer for gardening where I mark down the day I apply whatever it is I apply/plant. Then I can look back and not guess how long it's been since something went down. One good reason for that is so you don't jump the gun on hoping for results from organics. It really does take 3 full weeks. Once you see the results, you will be happy. Molasses and other sugars are good food for bacteria (as opposed to fungus). I don't remember your exact situation but if your yard had been baked or dried out for months at a time, then molasses might help kick start the microbes. They all need to be well fed to make the best soil. Here's how they make 50 pounds of dried molasses: they take 10 pounds of wet molasses, pour it onto 40 pounds of chipped corn cobs or rice hulls, and bag it. If you want to save a LOT of money, find a farm and ranch CO-OP, not a feed store, and call them. You might have to join, but probably not. They sell molasses to farmers by the pound. Normally farmers bring a 55-gallon drum to fill, but if you bring your own gallon jug, they will fill that for you. Cost? Whatever the wholesale market price for molasses is. Last time I did that it cost $0.10 per pound. A gallon weighs about 15 pounds so the cost was...$1.50 for a gallon. So the 10 pounds of molasses in dried molasses cost them a dollar, and they sell it for $30 or whatever. Or you can buy liquid in bottles at the feed store for $15. The application rate to start is 3 ounces per 1,000 square feet. That is the rate farmers use (1 gallon per acre is the same). The easiest way to apply is to know that 3 ounces is a couple tablespoons. Put a few ounces of water into a jar and put the molasses in. Stir them together in a very small quantity. The molasses will thin out fast with just a little water. This is much, Much easier than trying to stir it into a gallon of water or any other large amount. Thin it out in a small quantity and then pour it into a hose end sprayer with a lot more water. The thinned molasses will mix right in. Figure out what 1,000 square feet looks like on your lawn and spray the entire contents of the hose bottle into that 1,000 square feet. If you put 6 ounces of molasses into the bottle, it should spray just fine to cover 2,000 square feet. I have sucked up undiluted molasses through my sprayer. I had to take the screen filter off the bottom of the down-tube, but it worked fine. It was just harder to clean the bottle afterwards. You will not see any change in anything after 3 weeks of molasses. I have sprayed it at lots of different rates and never saw any change on anything. Still, I can't help but think it is a good thing to do. It just doesn't give the greening effect that alfalfa pellets will. Gray unhealthy soil: Start with molasses, alfalfa, and deep watering. Cover that with a couple inches of mulch or compost if you can't get mulch. Let that sit for a few weeks (3 or more) and the soil should be much different....See MoreUser
9 years agodchall_san_antonio
9 years agoandy10917
9 years agoUptown Floors
9 years agoJonathan Austin
last yeargardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
last yearlast modified: last year
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