Questions about spraying for weeds

[wngnut]

This is probably the wrong place for this but I didn't know where else to post it.

I have three acres that I mow and it has tons of weeds. It used to be a motocross track several years ago before I bought the property. It's rougher than hell still and I've thought about just plowing most of it up and trying to smooth it out and start over but it's a huge area to do that so I'll probably just live with it. I've been mowing it for three seasons now and it's much better since I got the B2650 last year than it was on my smaller JD. I've never sprayed it at all before and don't have a sprayer....yet. I got a quote to have it treated and they wanted over $500 per treatment. I can buy a 40 gallon 3 point sprayer for less than that and the chemicals aren't that expensive.

From reading up on it I realize it's best to start in the fall but I've obviously missed that so now what?

Should I just spray it now for weeds with a 2-4-d or something similar or should I spray it with a combo weed and feed type product? Is spraying in the spring even going to do anything and be worth the money at all? When I lived in town I just paid a service to treat my yard but that's not going to happen on three acres due to the cost. I'm in Iowa so if I spray now is it too early? Too late?

Anyone here know anything about this stuff that can offer some thoughts and suggestions?

Thanks!

 

[DocHolladay]

The only thing I have seen happen with a weed and feed granular or spray, you feed the weeds. I would use a single chemical or mix a combo of chemicals for your application. It might take a single spraying and it could take a couple of sprayings to accomplish your goal. I would then over seed with your seed of choice to help with any bald spots or thin areas. You can do a soil test on the field also to see what you are lacking in PH and fertilizers. The right PH can help keep some weeds at bay, but not all of them. Thats about all the help I can provide at the moment.

 

[eipo]

24D will work just fine. Add some liquid dish soap to help the 24D stick to everything. I mix at 1.5 ounces to a gallon and it knocks everything but the clover down. I use a 40 gallon sprayer on the 3pt as well.

The best time to hit weeds is in the spring when they are actively growing. If you did it in the fall, you would miss all the perennials that grow, go to seed and then die off like dandelions. If you missed getting the perennials this year, go ahead and spray and you can knock them down next year. It takes a few years to break some of their life cycles. But they have to be actively growing so that they absorb the chemical. If they aren't growing, you're wasting time and money.

 

[Tooljunkie]

Spraying in spring as the weeds emerge is when its often done,late summer or fall when first application didnt get them all.

If there is a farmer nearby, perhaps hiring him to roll your 3 acres will flatten it some. Had one roll a couple passes last spring on the rough back section of my property last year.
Best to do it early while soil is still moist.

May be worth asking him about weed control too.

 

[D2Cat]

Before hiring out for $500 I'd say go to you're local Wal-Mart and buy Scott's Weed and Feed in the bag. My wife is the "lawn chief" and she uses 4 bags to cover about 1.5 acres. Cost is like $45 per bag and eliminates all weeds including dandelions, and then fertilizes the grass. Use one of those cheap whorly gig spreaders!!

 

[flyidaho]

Around here I go to a real farm supply outfit for advice, not a big box store or a residential lawn and garden type of greenhouse. Find a place that services real live farmers, they will be a great source of info.

I have a crane yard in town I spray once a year (spring) with a mix of weed killer and soil sterilizer. It keeps the yard from getting overgrown during the summer so no mowing required. You local county may have a week prevention department also. Just keep in mind once you kill off whatever is there, opportunistic weeds may move in!

 

[Kurtee]

OK my two cents. Weeds are easier to kill when small and actively growing. Spray early summer about the time the dandelions get ready to bloom. I use Mec Amine d which is a turf herbicide. A three-way post-emerge broadleaf herbicide for selective broadleaf weed control in turfgrasses. I buy it by the gallon at my local Coop. I use a sprayer similar to the 3 point one you mentioned. The rate I use is to mix 1 pint chemical to 10 gallons of water then travel about 5 mph. Then I spray it again in mid to late September to knock off the tough perennial weeds such as creeping Charlie. If you do this way one year you most likely can get by without spraying for a couple of years. Also the best weed control is well fed grass meaning lay down some fertilizer. Check local coops as they sometimes offer bagged fertilizer at better prices than the garden centers. I bought 60 lb bags for $16.00 yesterday.

KURTEE

 

[nickelplated5s]

My wife is the "lawn chief" and she uses 4 bags to cover about 1.5 acres. Cost is like $45 per bag and eliminates all weeds

I just paid 13.75 for 50 lb bags, delivered. I've got a bridge for sale if you want one.

 

[TripleR]

First find out what kind of weeds you have as some chemicals work better than others. We fought ours for years with less thn satisfactory results using, 24D, Crossbow, etc. We now use a combination of two to three along with the proper surfactant. We were told to spray in the spring and late summer due to the variety. We have some sericea lespedeza and it's a real bear. Staghorn Sumac requires repeated spraying as well.

On a small area like that, I'd probably turn it all under and start over with a good stand of grass, we did this in a couple of 3-4 acre areas for pasture. Grass works well to crowd weeds out if you keep it mowed and fertilized properly.

 

[Creature Meadow]

What works for me is 24D in the spring, spray about 25 gallons in a back back sprayer for the exercise. Then I spot spray as needed but only after rain when I know the weeds are sucking up the water.

Previous yard was all centipede so I sprayed it in the winter while it was dormant with 41% Glyphosate. It would not arm the grass asa it was dormant but the weeds would die as they thrive here in NC in the winters.

 

[sdk1968]

What works for me is 24D in the spring, spray about 25 gallons in a back back sprayer for the exercise. Then I spot spray as needed but only after rain when I know the weeds are sucking up the water.

Previous yard was all centipede so I sprayed it in the winter while it was dormant with 41% Glyphosate. It would not arm the grass asa it was dormant but the weeds would die as they thrive here in NC in the winters.

ok so tell a newb (ME) what is in the 24d?

vs say the 41% Glyphos ive been using?

whats the difference?

 

[Russell King]

Glyphosate is broad spectrum (kills anything it gets on)
2-4d is for killing broadleaf plants, not grasses


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[BAP]

Sounds like a lot of people are turning there lawns into Chemical Dumps. Home owners and lawn treatments are the biggest polluters in this country. If you are mowing regularly you shouldn't need to spray weeds. Mowing regular is one of the best weed control for broadleaf weeds. They will eventually die if they are mowed off before leaves develop. Also, lawns don't need much, if any fertilizer if you leave the clippings on the lawn to break down and return nutrients to the soil.

 

[GWDawg1]

Trimec 993 or 2-4D are great on broadleaf weeds.


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[clay45]

ok so tell a newb (ME) what is in the 24d?

vs say the 41% Glyphos ive been using?

whats the difference?

http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/gordons-amine-400-2-4-d-weed-killer-1-gal


http://www.tractorsupply.com/tsc/product/rm43-gyphosate-plus-weed-preventer-tvc-1-gal?cm_vc=IOPDP1

 

[nickelplated5s]

Sounds like a lot of people are turning there lawns into Chemical Dumps. Home owners and lawn treatments are the biggest polluters in this country. If you are mowing regularly you shouldn't need to spray weeds. Mowing regular is one of the best weed control for broadleaf weeds. They will eventually die if they are mowed off before leaves develop. Also, lawns don't need much, if any fertilizer if you leave the clippings on the lawn to break down and return nutrients to the soil.

If your neighbors have non native invasive species you have to do something. It took me two years to get things to the point I could spot spray or hand weed. The 16 oz or so I use per year are meaningless compared to what the farms around me do.

 

[scdeerslayer]

Before you go mixing anything you need to determine how many gallons the sprayer will spray per acre, and you will need to keep the PSI and ground speed constant. Then you need to know the amount per acre of the chemical to use. Try to stay away from mixing other things with the chemicals, especially if it's not listed on the label, because this can make the chemical less effective. Try to get a chemical with surfactant with it. That helps it stick and will make it "rain ready". It will tell you how long it takes to be "rain ready".

I can guarantee it will take more than one application. Hopefully after 2 or 3 you can get to where you can just spot spray.

Always mow or spray before the seeds mature or you'll never get them under control. Don't mow after spraying for at least 10 days. I guess you could mow then spray but you probably want to wait a few days or so after mowing before spraying so the weeds are growing when you spray. Spray after a rain if possible, but don't spray when things are wet from rain or dew.

 

[outpost22]

Before you go spraying anything, you need to know what your plan is. Do you have a university extension service near you? Do they have a farm advisor on staff, or a local farm supply with a field agent? What weeds are you trying to eliminate? Simply "killing everything" may make things worse...a LOT worse. After a total kill off, the MOST invasive weeds usually come back first. Do you have an "overseeding" or seed in mind to replant this area? What end result are you looking for? There are many "replant" type mixes that help crowd out bad weeds. There are also "no till" seed drills that can replant without a lot of surface damage (read:invite new weeds). Soil Conservation Services often rent them for free.
The "spraying" is the easy part. Just be sure and know what you want when you're done. I can't tell you how many times in the 40+ years in the landscape industry that my clients called me after the fact when it was too late. A LOT of really nice trees where killed in the process

 

[flyidaho]

My crane yard in town that I spray with soil sterilizer every spring to eliminate the need to mow (it's gravel, and I want to keep it that way) has a guy right next door with a couple big greenhouses who is an organic farmer, selling at the local farmers market every weekend. The ground is flat, so runoff shouldn't be a problem, and like I said he grows it all inside, and I sure don't do it with a breeze in his direction, the opposite in fact. Still, he's a good guy (keeps an eye on things for me) and I feel a bit weird when I do it. Third year now, no issues at all so far, and it sure makes the place look better, less of a fire hazard also.

 

[wngnut]

Thanks for all the tips guys!! A lot more knowledge here on the subject than I expected!

I bought a 40 gallon 3 point sprayer today and some Gordon's 2,4-D with the plan to spray it today. Got the sprayer home and took all dang afternoon getting it put together and set up and tested so spraying is going to have to wait to next weekend. I'm going to have to come up with a better way to power it than the wire they supplied which was way to short and had battery clamps on one end....I'll fix that next weekend too.

The area I'm planning to spray is probably 15-20% weeds and the rest is grass. I'm sure I will have some bare spots once I get it sprayed but we'll see. I may have to do some seeding but we'll see....probably have to wait til fall to do that anyway to really do any good.

I called the tech help line at Gordon's to get the right product and application rates. One issue is that they suggested 2 quarts of chemical in my 40 gallon sprayer to do one acre. Based on the charts for the sprayer I'd have to run it at about 40PSI and 1 MPH to get 40 gallons sprayed on one acre.

Suggestions??...mix it hotter and then spray 20 gallons per acre?? Not too worried if I screw it up really. It can't look much worse than it does and I can always plow it under like I really need to do anyway to smooth it out.

I'm gonna need to mow the dang place before I get it sprayed at the rate it's growing already.