# Killing Thistles, Crabgrass and other weeds in yard



## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

We are trying to figure out what products to use in our yard. We have just about every kind of weed..Thistles, crabgrass, dandelions, etc... however the Thistles are probably what cause the most problems. They are everywhere in the grass. 

We were thinking about using weed & feed, but I was reading this doesn't work on crabgrass and thistles? Is this true? Are there any products that would work on everything? If not, what combination of products do we need and how do we do it? We just bought this house last October and we are trying to learn how to do all of this stuff.

Thanks so much!


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

Look for products - whatever the name brand - that contain 2,4-D. That is the chemical that kills broad-leaf weeds.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

do they have it in the seed kind that has to be spread and the liquid that is sprayed? Which is better? I'm not sure I'd trust myself with the liquid kind.. I'm afraid i'll kill the grass too.


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

mhp8982 said:


> do they have it in the seed kind that has to be spread and the liquid that is sprayed? Which is better? I'm not sure I'd trust myself with the liquid kind.. I'm afraid i'll kill the grass too.


Ummm... Not seed, no. I think you might be thinking of fertilizer - like Scotts' Turf-Builder _Plus_. The "plus" is what means there's 2,4-D in it. Just read the ingredients on the bag. 

If you're a novice, I'd use the granular fertilizer/weed killer. Less likely to have problems.

I prefer spray, because it's direct contact and kills almost immediately. But you have to be careful of "drift" that will kill other broad-leaf plants - like flowers - in your yard, and your neighbor's yard. 

2,4-D will not kill grass.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

lol..I meant the granular.. like the weed & feed that comes in the big bags? Yeah we are pretty new to this.. as you can tell.. since I don't even know what to call it. So anyway, that's what I was wondering.

Luckily we are on a corner lot and have an empty lot next to us. I have seen the neighbor across the street come out with his spray bottle (round up?) and spray weeds that pop up.. but his yard is pretty much flawless. Our front yard looks pretty good.. it's mostly in the back. We had a pool taken out when we moved in.. and have seeded the area.. but a lot of crabgrass and thistles have popped up in the areas where the deck was originally.. and then the rest of the yard is covered in them too. So the back yard pretty much needs to be covered in something to get rid of them.. so the granular is probably what we should go with? Do we just use the spreader, like we used for the grass seed?


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

mhp8982 said:


> lol..I meant the granular.. like the weed & feed that comes in the big bags? Yeah we are pretty new to this.. as you can tell.. since I don't even know what to call it. So anyway, that's what I was wondering.
> 
> Luckily we are on a corner lot and have an empty lot next to us. I have seen the neighbor across the street come out with his spray bottle (round up?) and spray weeds that pop up.. but his yard is pretty much flawless. Our front yard looks pretty good.. it's mostly in the back. We had a pool taken out when we moved in.. and have seeded the area.. but a lot of crabgrass and thistles have popped up in the areas where the deck was originally.. and then the rest of the yard is covered in them too. So the back yard pretty much needs to be covered in something to get rid of them.. so the granular is probably what we should go with? Do we just use the spreader, like we used for the grass seed?


If your neighbor's lawn is flawless, he's not spraying on RoundUp! That kills everything. 

You can spread granular with the same spreader you used for seed. If I were you, I'd get the most concentrated (with 2,4-D) stuff I could find. There's only so much fertilizer you want to apply.

Honestly, this is why I buy liquid 2,4-D & spray it on with a garden sprayer. You might want to consider that too. You can dilute it down with water, and get it to the point where a little over-spray won't be fatal for everything. 

I'm just thinking that, with new seeding such as you described, you're in for a protracted ground war with your broadleaf weeds. The stronger the herbicide the better.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

can you show me an example of what you are telling me I should get? Cause I know when I get there to buy it, I'm going to be so confused..lol


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

First of all, if you can, go to a farm store. A place like TSC. They'll have better products - and likely more informed people - than a place like Lowe's or Home Depot.

Here's a picture of a bottle of 2,4-D. Brand names change, of course. Get "amine" rather than "ester."


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)




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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

the last picture isn't working on my end for some reason.


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

mhp8982 said:


> the last picture isn't working on my end for some reason.


It's not working on my end either. I don't know why.

Just google "garden sprayer." I have a hand-held one, about 2 gallons, that you pump up. Pretty basic.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

Thanks! I see what you are talking about. So I can spray that pretty much all over without it killing the grass? What is the ratio of water to weed killer?

We have a rural king nearby.. maybe we will check them out. They tend to have better prices too.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

the fact that we need to do the entire yard is why I wondered if it would be better to start with the granular... but once again I know nothing about this....


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

we also have kids and a dog who play out in the yard.. so we don't anything to hurt them.


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

The ratio of dilution will be listed on the bottle of 2,4-D. Personally, I'd dilute it down even further. You can always spray more often - even once per week if you wanted.

Considering your dogs & kids situation, I'd suggest spraying in the evening, after they're all in for the night. By morning it will have soaked in, and will also be dried off (after the dew dries).

There will be a distinct, slightly sweet smell.

Don't take this as gospel, but I've never had any trouble with any of our pets (or kids for that matter) after spraying 2,4-D. The stuff has been around for decades - maybe 50-60 years? If there were any really toxic problems with it, they would long-since have banned the stuff.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

So, can it be sprayed all over the lawn and not kill the grass? Or do we need to just spray the weeds directly? Will it work on all weeds including dandilions?


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

mhp8982 said:


> So, can it be sprayed all over the lawn and not kill the grass? Or do we need to just spray the weeds directly? Will it work on all weeds including dandilions?


2,4-D will not kill grass, unless you dump it on directly - and a lot of it. So yes, you spray it on the whole lawn.

It will kill broad-leaf weeds - everything but grasses - which includes dandelions, thistles, etc. Sometimes it will just stunt the weeds when they're first sprayed, which is why you may want to spray several times.

Just be a little careful. Flowers are also broad-leaf plants. So if you spray your daisies, or petunias, they will die.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

Ok.. thank you very much for all of your help! One last question.. do we need to wear any type of protective gear when doing this?


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## 95025 (Nov 14, 2010)

mhp8982 said:


> Ok.. thank you very much for all of your help! One last question.. do we need to wear any type of protective gear when doing this?


Well... I never wear any protective gear. Never have. But I'm an old farm boy, so I tend to err on the side of stupidly risky.

You might want to wear latex or rubber gloves. The stuff is not acidic, but why not go ahead and be safe. If it makes you feel better, wear a little white mask for some added airborne protection. Wear boots or shoes, not flip-flops.

Again, this stuff is not highly toxic or acidic, or anything like that. But you might as well err on the side of ultra-safe. :thumbsup:


One more thing: If you're using a hand-pump sprayer, don't get the pressure too high, or use a real fine mist from the nozzle. Fine mist (obviously) is far more prone to drift and get on all kinds of stuff. Use a little more of a coarse spray.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

Ok! Thank you so so much!


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## DexterII (Jul 14, 2010)

I always plan to spray at a time when I will not be mowing for at least 2 or 3 days after application, longer if possible, in order to allow time for the weeds to absob it into their system. Also, you may want to pick up an inexpensive plastic measuring cup as well, just to have set aside for your yard and garden sprays.


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## mhp8982 (Sep 3, 2010)

I ended up buying the ortho weed begone plus crabgrass. It had the 2,4-D in it. And we got a sprayer.. we did about half of the yard tonight. I'm wondering when is it safe to let my dog and kids go out and play in the yard again after the application? It shouldn't be a problem to wait on mowing for 2 to 3 days. My husband mowed it last night. 

I am also a little nervous that I got a little close to my tomato plants I JUST planted.. will they be ok if they got a tiny bit on them?


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