Weed_cutter wrote: > They will most likely co-exist, both are very tough > plants. Use Sedge Hammer with a surfactant per label > directions. Count on several applications. === I would have used Sedge Hammer on those awful sedges, but I'm staying organic. I tried some Weed-be-Gone for the first time earlier this year (just in the front yard very far away from the backyard's vegetable garden). My zoysia in the front yard took a hit from the chemicals in the Weed-be-Gone. Dicamba, 2-4-D, and/or Mecoprop must travel far from where they are originally applied, because the color of the grass even 10 to 20 feet away from the application spots turned to light green/lime and was even browning a bit in areas for a few weeks. The grass's vigor was also affected for weeks, even far from where I applied the Weed-be-Gone. Temperatures were like 90 degrees for days after I applied the Weed-be-gone, so that may have been part of the problem, but I ain't never using that stuff on my zoysia again. That 2-4-D is mostly suited for cool-season grasses anyway. I think the label on the jug needs to warn more about zoysia but it doesn't. It just says go ahead and use it on zoysia. Thanks Scotts. Although the label does warn not to use it on grass if it's 90 degree outside, it's an ambiguous, unclear warning, because on the day you apply the chemical, the temp might only be 80 or 85, so you apply it, but if it's going to be 90 degrees the following day(s), your zoysia might very well be in for trouble, I think. That's what happened to me. None of that's explained on the label--or not explained clearly. I mean does it have to be less than 90 degrees just on the day you apply it, or does it have to be less than 90 degrees for a whole week after you apply it? The label doesn't seem clear to me. I wonder if the label is purposefully ambiguous. I wonder if it intentionally doesn't go into detail? (I don't like marketing departments that work that way.) Was it purposeful? I don't know. I'm staying organic for now on: pulling, digging, using hot water to kill weeds, using white distilled vinegar to kill weeds, solarizing, etc., BUT NO WAY am I using Weed-be-Gone or its competitors again. I wonder what the Scotts company thinks of the "Organic Lawn Care Manual"--I guess it would probably hurt their bottom line if we all read that book and went organic. By the way, have you noticed how Scotts got 2 of the other great lawn care authors David Mellor and Nick Christians to contribute to the Scotts-produced book called "Lawns"? The Scotts book is a good book but I don't like that the Scotts company drew Mellor and Christians into their orbit. Nick Christians, of course, is famous for discovering that Corn Gluten Meal is a great *Organic* pre-emergent herbicide. I'm not saying to boycott Scotts or anything like that. I even bought some Scotts grass seed this year. I just don't like non-Organic weed killers because of my bad experience this year. Anyway, many chemicals in non-Organic weed killers seem to hurt and kill the soil's natural bacteria and microorganisms, from what I've read. I'm not taking those chances. I want healthy, natural soil and healthy, natural grass. I think I read that some places up north in Canada have banned 2-4-D on home lawns. And chemicals on the lawn can be tracked inside onto carpets, and God knows how long that stuff will remain inside your house. Outside the weather and stuff in the soil can break it down over time, but inside it might not break down for a long time--maybe for years. I've gone organic, and I'm gonna stick to organic :-)

The nuts can lie dormant in the ground for several years, so even when you think you've got it gone, it can reappear. This is one that requires absolute diligence, but, with diligence, you can conquer it. The chemical is called Image. I pour a bit into a paper bowl, wear a disposable plastic glove, dip my gloved hand into the bowl and then "run my fingers" through the blades. Wait a week and if the leaves don't look sick, do it again. Two applications nearly always works. By applying it this way, it's unlikely you will get the chemical on anything else. Still, Image is supposed to be safe for use on most ornamentals...If you have a big patch, you will have alot to do at first, but as the season progresses, it gets easier, and usually by year three, you have it completely conquered. BUT if you let off the pressure, those nuts will run under ground and reproduce like mad, landing you right where you started. Grrrr. The alternative is moving your garden.... Oh, and yes, I have a friend who conquered a patch of it by pulling it daily until it gave up the ghost. I guess it depends on how much time/money you're willing to spend.

In my case, it's a spray (I use a hose end but my hand is very steady and I'm used to doing this). So I simply go over the gardens just like I would the lawn, applying evenly. Almost everything in the gardens was added as an adolescent plant, already sprouted indoors from February through early April, so the pre-emergent doesn't do anything to them. The few natural re-seeders are either unaffected by the Prodiamine, or the number of seeds is so high that it simply doesn't matter. A few that I wish were deterred aren't bothered in the slightest (last year's cleome seeds, I'm looking at you here). Back when I used Dimension granular, I put on a glove and hand-scattered it. It worked about the same, and didn't do any damage.

Nutsedge on the bottom picture- Kentucky 31 on the top. 'Image' herbicide for nutsedge……..I think they carry it at some of the big box stores now.