Browse Forums Landscape & Garden Design 1 Sep 16, 2008 5:59 pm I’ve just been out to look at what needs doing to my lawn this spring.
I have equal portions of lawn, bindii and clover! Why is it that each year, the bindii’s seem to multiply even when I spry once in spring and once in summer? I use Weed & Feed, is there anything better, thinking of giving them all a hit with Sulphate of Ammonia this weekend. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Spring and lawns 2Sep 16, 2008 7:13 pm Michelle you need to spray for bindii July-August at the latest. By now the bindii has already germinated.
That being said, last year I used a weed only spray, it might have been called Bindii killer or something and it worked quite well. Re: Spring and lawns 3Sep 16, 2008 7:42 pm In a new rental I was in for a while the lawn started very nice. Then the owner-provided mower guy came in and the weeds came up everywhere. I think his gear was just caked in clippings and seeds from every patch of weeds he cut.
A while later he turned up with breathing apparatus and a tank of poison. I was horrified and shooed him away. Better to have weeds than soak the ground in industrial toxins. This guy was supposedly a "gardener". Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves. - Dale Carnegie Re: Spring and lawns 4Sep 17, 2008 12:34 am I will post some answers to this tomorrow.
weed and feed is WOFTAM. Re: Spring and lawns 5Sep 17, 2008 8:12 pm Chapter Eleventeen
The poor old lawn mower man is a picked on species I strongly advise against using Ammonia sulphate, or urea to green up a lawn. They are incredibly polluting. They destroy the micro ecology of a soil. The lawn and especially a poor one will use very little of the real nitrogen content of the product. This contributes to nutrient run-off into creeks, rivers and oceans. Hi nitrogen levels are very attractive for fungal diseases to thrive in as they need nitrogen to live. Fungal diseases are becoming very common as the warm days and cool damp evenings start. that costs you $$$ The quick easy way is to grab a herbicide in an orange box called "Bin-Die" by Amgro. It is a concentrate that you need to preferably apply with a sprayer. It is cheaper than buffalo master and can be used on buffalo, zoysia (my fav ) and couches. It will take out Bindies and all other weeds including clover and oxallis except the light green tufftey winter grass or (nut gras in summer). The same company does a winter grass killer containing "endothol" It is far more effective than anyother brand for nut grass and winter grass. However weedy lawns are always a symptom of a weak lawn. Even if they look healthy, if there are weeds in huge numbers it isn't. That's why the lawn mower man isn't the culprit. weed seeds will come along in the breeze more so than from a mower. If a mower man starts doing a lawn that is weed free it means that for the first time in a while it will be getting cut short regularly. most contract mowers are set to 10mm. This means more open soil is exposed and that means that seeds laying dormant or blowing in will germinate. Now with regular mowing after a while the lawn gets used to it, but if it is only being fed intermittently or once a year in early spring it will not benefit. also too much water and fertiliser will create a weak lawn, even if it looks lush and green so weeds still grow and the mower man is still blamed. But if you start a longer term project of getting a lawn strong this all changes. Less more often for feeding is the rule of thumb. Some folks feed once or twice a year and that is like us sculling back a bottle of vitamin pills and saying, "righto, that's me healthy for the year". I am not a fan of synthetic polluting fertilisers. yuck All through winter lots of seasol, powerfeed, molasses ,and best of all, blood and bone every 6 weeks or even 4. Use Olsens Greenbio 2 times a year too, very good stuff;) Using fetiliser on cold soils is a W.O.F.T.A.M Once the soil warms look at using a lawn fertiliser every 6 weeks very lightly. The Munns ones are great because the are more organic containing piggy poo and some bentonite clay products Buying these also supports a true family business that is Australian. Baileys 3.1.1.1 plus is a high grade low phosphate lawn fert too. Get some zeolite on there too. this stuff only needs to go on once and it is there for ever. about $25. It traps and holds nutrients and slows leaching. It is natural too all this makes the lawn the boss and not the weeds There are other big brands that are popular that I don't recommend but if I say why that is slander I guess Avoid gimmicky named cheap fertilsers at all costs, lets just say that go as organic as possible. Why, because it isn't about feeding the lawn or plants for that matter. it's about feeding the soil. Healthy soil= healthy lawn/plants and that = less, to bugger-all weeds. weed and feeds, weedsprays/herbicides are like when you have a cold and you have some cold and flu tablets to cover over it. All smoke and mirrors It won't get rid of the real cause of the sickness. (Does that make sense?) It's a quick fix that doesn't address why it happened nor prevent it happening again. Get the soil healthy! That fixes it. and it really isn't hard Now back to the quick fix smoke and mirrors spray Some basic rules for spraying to maximise your costs and results. Plants don't photosynthesise in the dark. weed sprays work through the leaves via the little mouth parts (for want of some description) called stomates. They have to absorb the herbicide through there to work. So spray in the early morning so the herbicide is absorbed up throughout the day. It won't happen at night! and by morning the herbicide will have oxidised and weakened to the point it may not be effective. Don't mow the lawn then spray. There will be bugger-all weed leaf to absorb the herbicide. Give the lawn/soil a feed and get those bloody weeds growing all soft and green. That way a week or two later they will primed to absorb lots of herbicide. When you spray add two things to the mixture before you start. 1. a surfactant. That is something added to herbicides and insecticides that makes it stick to the hairy or waxey leaves. Dishwashing liquid is a good alternative for the home gardener. you only need two or three drops, literally. It won't be enough at all to create a bubble bath. 2. use a small dash of seasol or a teaspoon of urea. (Seasol is the better option ) It isn't enough to feed the weed but it does trick it into readily absorbing the herbicide. it amplifies it's effects. Make sure it doesn't rain the day you spray. That will wash it all off the leaf and that isn't cool. Make sure your retic doesn't come on either. If it is dry for a few days after you spray, even better remember a light feed with a quality fertiliser (not what the pimpley rep tells you is good) that is as close to organic as possible, every 6 weeks will give you a win. Use some of the wetting agents I have mentioned in previous posts for even better results Re: Spring and lawns 6Sep 17, 2008 8:17 pm OMG Fu Manchu….thank yo sooo much for all that info!!!
I have a heap of Seasol so I will add it to the Bin die and no I never spray if it looks like rain. Thanks again!!! Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Spring and lawns 7Sep 24, 2008 7:44 pm hi Fu Manchu
This Bin Die that you are talking about, is that ok to use on buffalo?The Oh went down to the local nursery and they said it was no good for buffalo, it will kill it. They suggested buffalo master, even though they don't stock it Re: Spring and lawns 8Sep 25, 2008 5:28 am Bin Die’s been around for many years!
It’s been a while since I have read a bottle label. What’s happened with the lawns these days…..they have been developed past their original form. Which makes them either really good for one thing, then not so good for another! My girlfriend and her hubby built a lovely new house….many years ago. He used to love my lush green BINDI FREE lawns. So they put a really expensive lawn down, now its just tuffs sticking out of the dirt. I will never have anything other than Ky….to me it so hardy, nothing kills it, and you spray the stuff with anything. Internal and External Building and Colour Consultant Online - Worldwide http://www.denovoconcepts.com Re: Spring and lawns 9Sep 25, 2008 12:26 pm mel hi Fu Manchu This Bin Die that you are talking about, is that ok to use on buffalo?The Oh went down to the local nursery and they said it was no good for buffalo, it will kill it. They suggested buffalo master, even though they don't stock it sure is two main sorts available, Buffalo master is the other but is more expensive for identical ingredients. When chosing a weed spray for Buffalo and you can't find either of those products, look at the ingredients in small type at the bottom of the lable. If it has "Dicamba" in it, it's not cool for buffalo Re: Spring and lawns 10Sep 25, 2008 1:18 pm FuMu,
I have Sir Walter and am currently battling clover and wintergrass. The wintergrass poison is supposed to be watered in, so that it attacks the roots. The clover poison is supposed to go onto the leaves. My plan of late has been to apply the wintergrass poison first, water it in and then apply the clover poison (both by sprayer). The clover poison seems to work ok, the leaves go yellow and then they di . Unfortunately though, the wintergrass seems harder to kill off. Would it be easier to dig the wintergrass out and let sir walter grow over the top, or are there other techniques (like using 30% more poison than the manufacturer reccoments..) ?? Why are priates scary ? Because they yaargh.. Re: Spring and lawns 11Sep 25, 2008 1:31 pm your plan is to get as much leaf on the weed as you can.
The wintergrass stuff you have sounds like the David Grays winter grass killer in the white box, with results like that I'd lay money on it. I would recomend the Amgro product in the orange box because it contains "endothol" which is stacks more effective in killing wintergrass. I'm pretty sure it doesn't need watering in.( I never do ) Get rid of the broad leaf weeds and clover first. That is more important. the wintergrass will have seeded already and will show again next year in force, but you'll be ready for it this time The wintergrass can still be killed off but I would just let it go it's course now. It will go when it starts heating up. Feed the soil up with lots of blood and bone (get a 40kg bag or even 100kg as Maggie scored down the road from here ) It stinks and is so good for the lawn your Buffalo will start going nuts when late Novemebr, December comes round then hit it with some Munns lawn fert. remember that feeding inactive plants is a Waste Of F%$#ing Time And Money. (WOFTAM) Please don't increase the concentration of the herbicide because it won't be to flash on your lawn. It is a fine balance of what works and doesn't work. Some products will become ineffective with too much or too little so just follow the directions on the label Re: Spring and lawns 12Sep 25, 2008 1:38 pm Fu Mu you are right on the money, David Grays winder grass killer is the one. White powder mixed with water = weak as water. The place where i got it from said that was the only one suitable for sir walter... oh well.
Thanks for the advice, I will continue with the broad leaf clover killer and then tackle the winter grass. Mowing wintergrass reduces its visual impact, so im happy to do that in the interim. Love that blood and bone smell... as for WOFTAM.... are you ex-military ? I am, and the only people I know that use that term are all from that line of work. Why are priates scary ? Because they yaargh.. Re: Spring and lawns 13Sep 25, 2008 1:44 pm The Amgro product has been around for 10-15years, maybe more. it used to be called Endothal and then they changed it to wintergrass killer because they could sell more
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