Weeds are the garden or lawn lover's nightmare and are the number one landscape pest. Great time and money is spent on keeping yards weed free. However, for those who are concerned about ornamental or production plants, it may be time to lift your head out of the weeds. Often weed control practices are the cause of other landscape problems.
A healthy, dense lawn or garden, maintained with minimal application of fertilizer and chemicals is the best way to avoid and crowd out weeds.
The next best method for controlling weeds is to manually remove them before they go to seed. Unfortunately, most people do not notice a weed infestation before it is too late and they must turn to the last resort in combating pests: pesticides.
"Pesticide" is a general term for a broad range of products that kill or repel pests of all kinds. A herbicide is a pesticide for killing weeds and it is used to rid the yard of plant intruders. There are many types and brands of herbicides. As a rule, herbicides should be used only when the problem has reached a point where chemicals are the only alternative.
The first goal in selecting and applying a herbicide is to correctly identify the pest. Find the product that has been identified as the most effective for your particular weed and has the least risk to you or the environment. Match the treatment to the target.
What many people do not realize is that herbicides used improperly will damage surrounding plants and trees, which are, in essence, weeds. The chemical can not distinguish desirable and undesirable plants. The label will define what the chemical will target and it is the applicator that must do the distinguishing.
There are two herbicides found in popular landscape products that are often misused: glyphosate and 2,4-D. Both herbicides will seriously injure or kill other landscape plants and trees if not used according to the label's instructions.
Glyphosate is found in products such as Roundup. On the Roundup label it specifically states at least three times that contact with the chemical on the leaves, suckers, green stems, fruit, thin bark, tree openings, and exposed non-woody parts of plants will result in severe injury or destruction. The label gives several methods of avoiding such contact.
Glyphosate damage causes leaves to yellow, spot, and sometimes die. The tree may lose its leaves prematurely. Contamination in fall may not show until the next spring when the new leaves are distorted, small, and yellowish. Follow the directions carefully to avoid contact with other plants or, better yet, use a product that is not harmful to desirable plants.
Herbicides such as 2,4-dichlorophenoxyacetic acid (2,4-D) are contained in many "weed and feed" lawn products and can severely damage or kill broad leaf trees and shrubs growing near treated lawns. Many lawns are treated routinely with this product which contains both fertilizer and herbicide although there is no reason to apply such a product to a weedless lawn, as it has no preventative power.
On the Weed and Feed label it clearly states; "do not apply in areas underlaid by roots of desirable trees or shrubs." However, many people wonder why their tree has twisted shoots and leaves after a Weed and Feed application.
The importance of reading the label cannot be overemphasized. Besides being a legal document, the label information is there for your knowledge and protection. Pesticide manufacturers have spent much time and money on product research and development. If the product will not solve your particular problem, do not use it. If it is the best solution to your problem, follow the label directions carefully and surrounding plants should not be affected.
