I'd use glyphosate to kill the grass & ground ivy around your trees in order to create large mulch rings, which will enable you to avoid the root zones when you apply broadleaf weed control to the lawn. Here's some great info on ground ivy control.

Its actually Weed Feed not Weed and Feed. The granules are very tough to get right so you end up feeding the weeds.

Here is how to do it

Don't mow lawn within a few day to maximize weed leaf

Apply when grass is super wet

It can't rain within 24 hours

Should rain within a few days

Seems reasonable right?

I'm on my 4th house two of which required establishing a lawn. It took me 3 houses to realize this product is a joke.

Use a spray that hooks up to your hose on a very calm day. Waterproof in 1 hour and don't have to worry about watering in any product. Use a hand pump sprayer with a shield when closer to plants.

This is so much easier , less costly and incredibly more effective. Once you get an effective kill in fall you're likely only going to need to do spot treatment with your sprayer.

Also if the standard broadleaf liquid weed killer doesn't work try the concentrate Weed B Gon Chickweed Clover & Oxalis in a hose end sprayer. I use it on tougher weeds like wild violet and clover that infest my shadier yard. Here is a link:

https://www.ortho.com/en-us/products/weed-control/ortho-weed-b-gon-chickweed-clover-oxalis-killer-lawns-concentrate

Don't get your spray on the trees. While it's not likely to kill them, it can damage them. Weed B Gon may not bother grass or grass-like plants but it cannot tell any difference between weeds or any other more desirable, non-grass plants.

In addition to the other previous valid reasons why NOT to use a weed and feed product, they are also huge contributors to groundwater pollution due to leaching. Spray on products do not leach to any measurable degree.

Ok, so if I don't do the Weed & Feed granules, should I be spraying my entire lawn? I have a half acre and that would take forever. Or should I only be spot spraying weeds? What about next spring? Only spot spray new weeds, or is there something to apply to the entire lawn to prevent them?

Also, does anybody have any experience with ground ivy? It's basically taken over my lawn on the south side of my house (worried that when I get rid of it, I will have no remaining grass there either), and scattered in the backyard. Will I be battling this stuff every year? I pulled some of it from my backyard and it came back in a month.

I also have quite a bit of clover on the north side of my house, but it doesn't seem nearly as invasive. It seems like I could live with the clover and a few dandelions, they don't really bother me. But this ground ivy is a beast.

when i moved to 5 acres ... i gave up the lawn warrior creed ... but thinking back.. i just used a pump tank with a chosen killer.. and just sprayed areas ... as i had time ...

i think.. on some level.. you are frustrated .. because you instant gratification wishes ... on a project that could easily take a few years ... change that mind set ... and you will be pleased by any result ...

around favored plants ... spray from the plant out ... and with a pump tank.. you will have much more precise control ... and never forget.. its not french perfume.. low pressure and tip adjustment.. give larger drops.. that gravity makes fall to ground.. rather than a mist.. which can blow anywhere ...

practice with plain water.. on the driveway.. making tip and pressure adjustments.. until you can control application ...

if you want the instant gratification ... you might hire out the job for one season .. to give you a better base starting point ... it might end up cheaper than you think .. half an acre.. less house.. driveway.. garage.. might be a smaller area than you think .... cost wise ...

ken

but.. anything sprayed on a leaf.. can impact that leaf ... but then.. thats an applicator issue.. rather than a lawn care issue ...

most grass killers are very specific to grass ... and if properly applied.. according to the label ... would not impact trees .. via the ground ... if that is your issue ....

but.. anything sprayed on a leaf.. can impact that leaf ... but then.. thats an appllicator issue.. rather than a lawn care issue ...

ken

As others have mentioned, skip the weed and feed. Get a hose end sprayer if you are concerned with time.

My half acre took about half hour with setup and everything to spray whole yard. Once weeds are under control then you can get a pump sprayer or ready to spray bottle.

Identify what type of weed you are battling in the ground ivy. Im guessing it will respond best to at least 2 applications of triclopyr around 2 weeks apart. Ortho has a hose end or concentrate with this ingredient. Read the directions and make sure you are using the right thing for the right situation at the right time.

What height do you mow your lawn at? I see folks scalp all the time and they have weed issues.

Don't mow any lower than 3" for cool season grasses.

Did you do a soil test to find out what your grass needs? Its such a cliche but if you keep your lawn happy your weed problems will start to diminish. Start in the worst areas...which is typically south and west location if exposed as is more prone to drying out where weeds can take over.

If you're really picky you'll only be left with spot treatment.

Check your thatch level as well just in case. Fall aeration will help compacted areas if you have that problem.

Mulch the grass and leaves in, it does wonders, Plus the worms digest for added benefit.

Maintaining a pristine weed-free lawn is an artificial and unnatural concept. Monocultures like that just do not exist much in nature :-) Tolerance of some weeds is not a bad thing and in cool season lawns, they are often the only signs of green in summer if the lawn is allowed to go dormant or watering is an issue.

But whaas is correct - maintaining your lawn in the best condition with periodic aeration, proper mowing and adequate watering and fertilization will result in a lawn that outcompetes most weeds.

Personally, I'd rather have a less than "ideal" looking lawn, however you define that, to the possibility of damaging or killing other, more valuable landscape plants with a a herbicidal spray.

Weeds come in where site conditions are not allowing the grass to dominate. That slope that is all ground ivy now for instance may have something about it that precludes the development of solid turf.

Hose end sprayers don't mix evenly and throw out a big spray that is probably not desirable where drift might be a concern. Drift using tank sprayers can be prevented by holding a piece of cardboard between the sprayer and non-target plants. Or the top half of a used bleach bottle can be cut off and attached to a sprayer nozzle using an adapter to fill the space between the diameter of the bottle opening and the size of the spray head. This results in the sprayer having a bell shaped extension that prevents drift blowing to the side.

To summarize the important points of all these posts:

1. Weed n feed (granular) products don't work like you want them to.

2. Spot spray where you can. Nobody stressed it but this is a foliar application, not a soil drench.

3. If you use a pump up sprayer, practice with water to get the nozzle adjusted for a drippy spray and not a mist. You could adjust the nozzle with the actual herbicide, but then you will get your fingers covered in spray.

4. If you don't spray the trees then they should be protected from the herbicide.

5. It will not go away completely after one application. Even if you killed 100% of the plants, it drops a lot of seed. You'll have to spot spray every time you see one of the leaves pop up.

I use Milorganite in the spring as well, for summer and fall I use the Scott's Turfbuilder product designed for that season. I am by no means a lawn expert though, these are just easy to find, relatively inexpensive products that do the job well enough for me.

I'm confident you could kill the ivy (and not your trees) if you have the time and patience. Again I'd suggest trying the Weed B Gon Chickweed Clover & Oxalis concentrate in an Ortho Dial N' Spray hose end sprayer. Just pick a calm day and get down low to avoid spraying the tree trunks and leaves. If the ivy is anything like wild violet it will take a couple of applications but it will work eventually. Then like you mentioned you'll have to rake out the dead ivy and reseed the bare patches. But as others have said, a weed-free (or even weed sparse) lawn is a huge commitment so I don't blame you for hiring it out--if you can find someone to call you back. Last thing I'll say is that no matter how diligent you are about your own lawn, if your neighbors aren't equally diligent you will always have some of their dandelions, clover, ivy, etc. filtering into your lawn. So I've lowered my expectations and live with a semi-weed free lawn after 13+ years at my current house.

Those pushing hose end sprayers here should read all of this:

https://www.lawnsite.com/threads/hose-end-sprayer.458838/

Synthetic fertilizers like Scotts (if your soil test says you need their specific ratio) should be limited to spring and fall when you have lower temps as you're more likely to get flushing rains so you don't have salt build-up. Organic fertilizers like Milorganite are good for summer months when you have higher temps and inconsistent rainfall. I like this strategy from a cost perspective.

Find a landscape supply or feed store. They'll have what you need and likely at a better price.

I found what I needed...$22 for 15K sqft. Scotts is double that and doesn't give me what I need for my lawn. I need three bags $66. I'll put the Milorganite down when chances of rain are more scattered as it won't burn the lawn. On sale I'm at $150 per application so I'm not keeping that for all my applications. Summer...you bet

Embo, I'm pushing the 1x throw way products you hook up to your hose just to get large areas under control. Then go to spot treatment with a regular hand or backpack sprayer.

You guys are the experts so i’m trying to figure out if you think I gave bad advice or my routine is flawed. As far as mixing my own concentrate broadleaf killer in a dial n’ spray, how is that any different than using a cheapo one use hose end bottle? Embo, I really didn’t see anything critical in the link about hose end sprayers in general. Second, whaas, is your concern with the Scott’s seasonal fertilizers that they contain too much nitrogen and salt and might sit on the lawn too long in summer if it doesn’t rain? I’ve had pretty good results with the Milorganite in spring and then Scott’s summerguard and winterguard that I only put down when there’s a high chance of rain in the forecast. I agree I wouldn’t want anything but the Milorganite sitting on my grass for weeks in the summer. Thanks for any clarification or tips you can provide.

arbordave above provided a link to ground ivy control. In that article it suggests using borax to kill the ivy. NEVER DO THIS! I'm surprised it is in the article at all. If you douse your lawn with borax you will likely never grow another blade of grass in that area again. Borax (boron) is needed in trace quantities and should be applied by mixing in with a carrier like milorganite in a very controlled way.

Also, I'll never use a hose end sprayer again. They are wildly inconsistent on the application rate. If you have high water pressure you will use much more product than if you have low pressure. I have high pressure and the one time I used a hose end product it was all gone practically before I really even got started.