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frank_laudone

Weed identification

frank_laudone
3 years ago

I have more than my share of this kind of weed. I don't know what it is or how to get rid of it. Tired of weed and feeds rather used a good herbicide. Pulling them out would take quite sometime although I am not opposed to doing that my preference would be a herbicide
Saturn

Comments (15)

  • frank_laudone
    Original Author
    3 years ago



  • frank_laudone
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Pic of

  • gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
    3 years ago
    last modified: 3 years ago

    Looks like sheep sorrel, Rumex acetosella. Can take on that red tinge as a reaction to some sort of stressor.....like cold weather.

    ETA: weed and feed products are highly inefficient at addressing weed problems at the same time they are often overapplied and lead to groundwater pollution. Better to use a dedicated broadleaved weed herbicide....something like Weed B Gon. As these form expansive colonies all connected by a complex rhizomatous root system, I prefer to dig them out manually.

    frank_laudone thanked gardengal48 (PNW Z8/9)
  • User
    3 years ago

    Dead weeds are always hard to ID and I'm lousy at it anyway. However, it's a nice broadleaf, which any basic herbicide will take out.

    As you found out, Weed and Feed does a lousy job.

    Get a nice, cheap sprayer. And pick up Ortho Weed B Gone Clover, Chickweed, and Oxalis concentrate at the same time. Mix as per instructions. That will take out 98% of the weeds you'll ever see in your lawn.


    Proper feeding, at this point, is just any standard feed, but done on Memorial Day, Labor Day, October first, and (optional) when the grass is still green but stops growing. That will give you strong growth that helps choke out weeds.

    frank_laudone thanked User
  • frank_laudone
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you both for the info. Will Weed-B-Gon or products like it work now this time of year or should I wait a little later in the year like possibly May to use the product ?

  • User
    3 years ago

    If the weeds are green and actively growing, it'll work now. If they look like the one above, that is currently not active and wouldn't absorb the herbicide.

    My bet is that they're not yet active. :-) April will probably be better.

  • User
    3 years ago

    Regrettably, it does have to be actively absorbing herbicide. Right now, it may require two shots, which I really don't like doing as it's more toxic than it has to be and can take a toll on surrounding grasses, which don't appear in the above photograph. Fescues, in particular, can be a bit sensitive. Bluegrasses tend to be relatively bulletproof. :-)


    That's fine, so if you want to treat it now, go right ahead. And definitely don't wait until May. But it's best to wait for full reactivation and daytime temps in the fifties. If you follow the advice on the bottle, they do recommend active growth to avoid overuse of the product and too much toxicity in the soil.

    I'm not sure of your locale; for me, in eastern PA, perennial weeds don't get sprayed until early April (this year, probably a bit later; spring is late regardless of the calendar). Further south, that will be earlier.

  • User
    3 years ago

    Actually, that's a good point. If you're a southern grass person (Bermuda, Zoysia, St. Aug, etc.) your herbicides will differ. In that case, you'll need to ask @dchall_san_antonio or at the store as the one I recommended will do a heck of a number of most of the above grasses. And some of them are very sensitive to herbicides in the first place, and some are practically bulletproof again.


    For northern grasses (fescue, rye, bluegrass), the Ortho I recommended is just fine, but fescues can be a bit sensitive to over-exposure, so local damage is possible if you spray too much or too often.

    Sheep sorrel is native to zones 3-9, so it could be anywhere (but in the lowest zones, it's unlikely to look that shabby even in winter).

  • frank_laudone
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    I am from RI so maybe I should wait till first of April

  • floral_uk z.8/9 SW UK
    3 years ago

    Looks like Rumex acetosella to me too. Edible if that’s any consolation.

  • User
    3 years ago

    Then you have a northern grass. That would be fine.

    frank_laudone thanked User
  • frank_laudone
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    So now would be a good time to spray them ? Even if I have to do it twice

  • User
    3 years ago

    You can, but it's really too early. Absorption would be limited, and even with the half-asleep fescues, it'd damage them (the herbicide will sit in the soil). It's better to wait a bit until active growth begins--but long before they seriously start to spread or grow like mad!

    frank_laudone thanked User
  • frank_laudone
    Original Author
    3 years ago

    Thank you so maybe I will wait till temps are at least 50 degrees pretty consistently